Tiny Dancer(Divine Creek Ranch 13)(65)

“How many square feet inside?”

Ben replied, “Within the four walls you’ve got nearly five thousand square feet.”

There’s no way you could afford to lease this structure, much less buy it.

Quinten added, “Behind the building is about the same amount of square footage in the lumberyard.”

A place like that, renovated and managed right, would have tremendous appeal. She knew she could handle the task of running the club if they could find the financing and a contractor who wasn’t a crook to handle the renovations.

As if reading her mind, Ben said, “Ethan told me Jack would be happy to put in a bid on the work. Seeing vacant, neglected buildings like this drives Jack nuts. Ethan said he’d love nothing better than to renovate it and make it useful again.”

She inserted the key in the front door lock, and it turned smoothly. Quinten pulled open the door, and the scent of lumber and paint thinner wafted in the air, layered over with dust and time. The remaining display fixtures and the sales counter sat in the same places she recalled them being the last time she’d shopped there when she’d still lived in Morehead.

Quinten released her hand and headed toward the dim recesses at the rear of the store. “Ethan said the power was on and the light switches were to the right, inside the stockroom doors.”

Camilla was glad because she hadn’t wanted to wander around the dark, cavernous interior of the building with just the limited light coming through the entry and the dinky little flashlight app on her smartphone.

A sudden crash startled them, followed by Quinten calling out, “I’m okay! Ow, ow! Shins, not so much! I tripped on…rubble…or something.” Another crash sounded, and she began to worry about Quinten, but Ben only chuckled.

A minute later, the fluorescent tubes in the tiled ceiling flickered and came on. Camilla stood there, looking around, not moving forward. She glanced at Ben and saw that he, too, was assessing the interior.

Camilla wondered if he was rethinking bringing her there. “It needs a lot of work.”

“Try to ignore all the leftover garbage, the fixtures, and the displays. See the bones, sugar. We can get a crew in here and have all this cleaned out and stripped down in no time.” He tugged her forward.

She looked up at the ceiling. “The tiles up there look old, but none of them are stained. That’s a good sign.”

“Ethan has already had an independent building inspector service come and look the place over. They said they couldn’t find any underlying problems with the structure, foundation, or the roof.”

That was reassuring.

“It’s near the interstate, and the location on this side of town will draw traffic from all the surrounding towns, including Divine…”

She looked over when his words dwindled. His expression was hard to read as he looked around but didn’t seem to see anything.

“What’s the matter?”

“It’ll mean not working alongside you at The Pony. I’d miss you.” He glanced her way, and she saw the emotion he’d been trying to hide. Her heart clutched as she realized that he was helping her achieve her dream even though it might mean he’d see less of her.

She wrapped her arms around him, not fighting the tremors that shook her. Ben’s solid stability anchored her. Quinten’s warm presence as he moved close behind her made her feel even better. She’d only just gotten together with them and perhaps taking on this huge responsibility was rushing things a bit.

“I’d miss you too. Maybe…maybe this isn’t the right time for this.”

Ben shook his head as he tilted her face up to look into her eyes. “Your business management degree is going to waste right now, and you know it. Your position as assistant manager was intended to be temporary. The fact that you’re advancing into managing another club instead of The Dancing Pony is just logistics. This is what you were meant for, and we’re not holding you back.”

She looked around again and said, “Ben, there’s no way I could afford to utilize all this space. Maybe this really isn’t the right place.”

Quinten didn’t seem worried as he brushed her hair back from her shoulder and kissed her temple. “Or maybe this is the perfect venue for you, and you just need someone backing you.”

“What do you mean?”

Ben caressed her shoulder. “A limited partnership. You’re a good risk, and we want to back you. We know people in Morehead and Divine. Jack knows all the subcontractors in the area. He can build to your specifications. Ethan also suggested the possibility of putting in a restaurant.” Ben pointed to the far side of the building. “With separate entrances and access to the club.”