Sweet Harmony (Harmony Falls #1) - Elizabeth Kelly Page 0,48
the Serenity’s running engine would have been more traumatizing,” Connor said.
Kira stared at him as Gideon said, “Are you a fan?”
Connor grinned. “Does owning the series on DVD, the director’s cut of the movie, all the Funko figurines and an autographed photo of Alan Tudyk, make me a fan?”
“Holy shit,” Gideon said. “When did you meet Alan Tudyk?”
“I went to Granite State Comicon a few years ago. He was one of the guest speakers. He and Nathan Fillion were there, but the lineup for Fillion was huge.”
Gideon was staring wide-eyed at Connor. “What was Tudyk like?”
“Really cool guy, actually,” Connor said. “I heard that he’s going to be back there this year. I’d go again to meet him. I’ve been obsessed with the series since I was fifteen.”
Gideon sat back in the chair. “I swear you’re the only person in this town besides me, who even has an inkling of an understanding of how fantastic the show was. Kira, when did you say they were showing Serenity?”
“In a couple weeks, I think,” Kira said.
“If you’re not busy, we should grab tickets to the show,” Gideon said to Connor.
Kira’s mouth dropped open as Connor nodded. “Yeah, I’d like that.”
“Good. What’s your favourite episode?”
“Well, I love ‘Ariel’, but I have to go with ‘Our Mrs. Reynolds’,” Connor said.
Gideon actually grinned like a school boy. “Me too! Here’s the thing, people don’t get just how incredible Christina Hendricks is in that episode. They totally wasted her in the ‘Trash’ episode, which is why people forget how good she was in episode six.”
“Couldn’t agree more,” Connor said.
As Gideon and Connor talked animatedly about the stupid bug show, Kira stared in silent shock. Holy crap. Gideon and Connor were…bonding.
Chapter Eleven
“Tell me, Ms. Walker, why exactly are you showing me the town’s former firehouse station?” Mr. Stark studied the brick building in front of them.
“I know it’s unconventional, but I think if you take a look inside, you’ll see why I believe it’ll work for your new office space.” Considering she was so nervous that she was close to vomiting, Kira was proud of how confident she sounded.
She’d shown Isaac Stark five different commercial properties and none of them had worked. Bringing him to the city’s former fire station had been a last-minute decision on her part, and she hoped like hell she could convince her client it would work for him.
He studied the building for a moment before glancing at his watch. She crossed her fingers and sent a prayer to every god she could think of as the silence stretched out.
“You have seven minutes to convince me, Ms. Walker.”
“I’ll only need five.”
What almost looked like a smile flickered on his features before he nodded. “Lead the way.”
She led him into the building. They were standing in the vehicle bay area and Mr. Stark studied the two large overhead doors and the staircase that led to the open upper area.
Kira took a deep breath. “You’re looking for a building that is open and airy and promotes teamwork, right? This place is perfect for that. With a few renovations, you could have this place turned into the perfect open-concept office space.”
His look suggested that he wasn’t seeing her vision. She hurried on. “The overhead doors leading into the bay area could be replaced with windows, allowing plenty of light in. Along this wall,” she pointed to the far left, “three offices could be built. The use of frosted glass would keep that open and airy feeling. The building is equipped with bathroom and shower facilities. You said you’ll have fifteen employees working out of this building, correct?”
“To start,” he said.
“Right here in the middle of the bay area, you could set up the working stations for your current staff and there is plenty of room to add more stations as needed.”
She walked toward the stairs, resting her hand on the railing. “Upstairs could function as your staff room – there’s already a kitchen with room for a full-size stove and fridge. You mentioned wanting an area for your staff to test out video games, socialize, etc. Upstairs would be perfect. It’s sectioned off from the main working area, but with the vault ceilings and the upstairs being open to the downstairs, you still get that modern, open air concept you’re looking for.”
Mr. Stark was staring at the metal pole that jutted down from the upstairs to the downstairs and Kira said, “And you have a metal pole as an added bonus.”