“Hello,” she said under her breath.
“Hi,” Julie said, kneeling down to her. Her hands were tan and she wore a faded pair of jeans and a button-up shirt with flowers on it. Her short brown hair was curly and looked soft like Lilly’s. Her brown eyes looked rich and warm like the rest of her. “I’ve made some pancakes for breakfast. Would you like to come in and have some?”
Cassey looked up to Lilly and when Lilly nodded, she looked at Julie and said, “Yes, please.”
Chapter One
Fifteen years later…
Cassey stood on the crowded boardwalk and looked at the slightly burned building. The windows were knocked out, the front door was boarded up, and a good chunk of the ceiling was falling in. It was perfect. She smiled one of her rare smiles and walked towards the doors. The keys were in her hands and her fingers shook as she slid the silver key home to unlock the large wooden door.
When it creaked open, she smiled again, knowing it belonged to her. Well, to her, her family, and the bank. She walked in slowly, keeping the doors open so the light from the boardwalk sifted in. Flipping on the lights, she noticed that tables and chairs were piled up against the back wall. Most of the old mirrors along the walls were broken, thanks, no doubt, to kids breaking in and tossing stones at them. But it wasn’t such a great loss; she’d planned on taking them down anyway. The black ceiling and walls would be painted a lighter color since the place would no longer serve as a grunge dance club.
As she looked around the large room, her mind whirled with ideas, just as it had since she’d first seen the place almost eight years ago. Back then, her aunt, Julie’s sister, had been running the dingy grunge club.
Cassey had spent years walking up and down the beach outside and knew the wonders the mile-long boardwalk held. Even though it was centered on the beach in one of the smallest towns along Florida’s Gulf Coast, tourism had always been booming here. This was the it place to be. With it's small-town charm and quaint shops.
Most of those little shops were housed in one long building. They’d recently been painted a light yellow with tall white columns. Some units had upper floors, which usually housed apartments or offices. The little details of each section were unique, showing off the character of each business.
The businesses provided everything one might desire on a summer vacation. There were shops that sold sundresses and swimwear which sat alongside ice cream parlors and specialty shops. There was a fun-plex of sorts at the other end of the docks that was almost always packed with kids, even during the off-season. She and her brothers had spent many hours and all of their allowance there during their school years. The only thing the boardwalk was missing was entertainment for adults. Cassey planned on providing it.
Smiling, she looked around the large room. There was a long mahogany bar against the left wall and a stage area in the back right corner that she planned on using. The tables and chairs that had been left there could even be cleaned up and used again.
The old building, which sat separate from the others, had been in the Grayton family for generations, and since waterfront property in the growing resort town of Surf Breeze was highly sought after, it needed to stay that way. Ever since her Aunt Karen’s death two years ago, the family had been receiving offers for the old building.
It wasn’t until Cassey’s last birthday that she had made the decision to follow her dreams and take a chance. She’d worked at the local restaurant in Spring Haven since she was sixteen. Being a waitress had given her the experience she needed to open her own place. But her dream wasn’t only about food. She smiled as she looked around. No, she had a few other plans for this place.
She took her time walking through the large rooms. The large kitchen in the back would need new appliances, but other than that, it could be up and running with minimal work besides a good cleaning, some paint, and TLC.
The two customer bathrooms were standard and only needed cleaning and supplies. She walked back out to the main room and noticed the mirrored office hovering over the back corner. She knew she would be spending time there and decided to walk up and take stock of the shape it was in.
When she climbed the narrow stairway, she could smell burnt carpet. Walking into the office, she frowned. Here the fire had done the most damage. She could actually see through the roof and the water damage to the floor was pretty bad.
Turning down a long hallway, she walked towards what would be her home. She knew the apartment was furnished, but was afraid of what was in there. Using her other keys, she opened the heavy door and took another narrow hallway to her new apartment. The door to the small place was painted bright teal. She liked the color and smiled slightly, knowing she would keep it.