Christmas in Angel Harbor - Jeannie Moon Page 0,58
of their business interests and helped solve problems when needed. Not the kind of guy to be labeled a fixer, Zach was still the one person you wanted in your corner if you needed something done.
He’d reached out to see if he could help Jane get some answers about her lease. He had the feeling her lawyer was jerking her around, so he dropped the problem in Zach’s lap. The guy had connections that went deep, so when Zach said “he had a guy,” he really did have a guy.
“Hey,” Dan answered. “That was quick.”
“Ask and you shall receive. It only took a few phone calls, but I don’t think you’re going to like what I have to tell you.”
Danny had been trying to ease Jane’s mind about the lease, but just this morning when he was out for a jog, he saw a woman with a clipboard outside the store. She was taking notes and examining every area around the old house. Naturally, he stopped to ask what she was doing, and she said she was “assessing the property for her clients.”
“Assessing the property” was not something he wanted to hear.
Assessment to him meant “sale.” And if the building were on the market, that would explain why Jane’s lease was held up.
“Is it what I thought?” Please say no…
“The building is up for sale. It’s being kept very quiet. There’s no formal listing.”
“What the hell does that mean? No listing?”
“It could mean a lot of things. I’m guessing the landlord had someone approach them about the location. Or he had a business contact. Whatever it was, no one is making the usual noise.” That made sense. It didn’t make him feel better, but it made sense.
“Shit.”
“Why the interest in a small-town bookstore? I mean, I get the bookstore connection,” Zach said. “But what’s going on?”
“A friend of mine owns the store. It’s been in her family for generations, and means a lot to the town. I can’t get my head around Angel Harbor Books fading from existence.”
“Ah. Gotcha. I mean you could give her a heads-up, but I don’t think there’s anything she can do other than throw a wad of cash at the landlord.”
“Do you know what they want for the building?” The question popped out of his mouth and he had no idea why. Okay, that was a lie. He’d buy that building in a heartbeat if it would help Jane.
“I don’t, but I guess I could find out. Why?”
“Just find out for me, okay?”
“Are you going to do something crazy? I thought donating all that money to your old high school was nuts, but buying a building for some woman…”
The snarl in Zach’s voice came right through the phone, and Danny didn’t like it one bit. “Watch it. She’s not just some woman.”
“My job is to manage your money and your affairs. Buying a building for some small-town bookstore owner doesn’t sound like a good investment.”
“Just find out.”
He closed the call before Zach could ask any other questions.
*
An hour later, while he was sitting in the cottage, Dan got his answer. He picked up on the first ring. “Talk.”
“I can’t believe your girlfriend doesn’t know her building is being sold.”
Dan never referred to Jane as his girlfriend, but he wasn’t going to argue it. “Zach, get to the point.”
“It’s being bought by a big restaurant conglomerate. They have catering venues, restaurants, and cafés all over New York. They’re paying a fortune for her property and the one right next door. I guess your hometown will have a new place to eat if the sale goes through.”
“How much?” If he helped, maybe Jane could figure out a way to buy it herself. Even if she couldn’t, he could afford it. For her, he’d do anything. He doubted the landlords cared very much who bought the building, as long as they had the cash at the end of the deal.
“One point two million.”
Dan felt like he’d been punched in the gut. The building wasn’t that big, but it was in a prime downtown area with lots of foot traffic. There were probably other solutions, but he didn’t know what they were right now. “Go after it. I don’t care how much, but I want you to counter their offer.”
“I don’t think it’s wise…” Zach’s voice took on the tone of a person trying to talk a jumper off a ledge.
Slumping back on the couch in the living room, he groaned. “I know you don’t, but I need you