13 The New Store (2/2)

”No can do.”Alan said firmly.

”Stubborn square,” Tom muttered under his breath on the phone.

He and Alan chatted a bit longer before hanging up.He reminded Alan to go to the property today to sign the paperwork and get the keys from the seller.

Alan went to the store.He was surprised to see Tom when he got there.

”What are you doing here? Don't you have work?”Alan asked.

”I work right there,” Tom said, pointing at a huge skyscraper of a building across the street.

Alan looked at it.”What a coincidence.Well, I guess it'll be easier for you to get your coffee now.”

Tom smirked inside, quietly celebrating his victory.

”Well, let's take a look at your new building shall we?”Tom gestured forward and Alan directed his attention to a building.

It was small, much smaller than the skyscrapers surrounding it.It was only two stories.The exterior was red brick, with large glass windows looking out onto the street.The door was an old wooden door, but looked as though it had been freshly painted.

Tom lead the way inside, Alan following close behind.

A bell rang as the door swung open, not an electronic chime, but an old fashioned that rang when the door was opened.

The inside was bare.It looked as though whatever had been in here before had already vacated.However, Alan noticed that it must have been some sort of restaurant or cafe.A bar, devoid of stools, stretched the length of the right side of the room.Behind the bar Alan saw a door that led into a larger kitchen.Though devoid of any machinery, he could imagine how it would look with the necessary coffee machines in it.Not to mention he might start serving food at some point.

Behind the bar was a cash register.The rest of the room was bare.There were marks from where tables and booths had been at one point.

”You'll have to do some renovation, but the good news is that it's already set up for a cafe or restaurant, so you'll be able to open for business quickly.”Tom told Alan as he scanned the interior.

”What's on the second floor?” Alan asked.

”It's a living space.You can choose to rent it out, or live there yourself.It's not luxurious, but it's adequate for a young person like yourself.”Tom explained.

Alan was surprised, but then immediately grew happy.He would be able to move out of his parent's house now.

As Alan and Tom stood in the room, the bell on the door rang as it opened once more.

Alan turned to find an unexpected but familiar face there.