Page 9 of Scoop Me Up (Love in Maplewood #7)

Sam

I paced the sidewalk, nerves jangling even though excitement buzzed through me at the same time.

I was about to spend the day visiting different potential locations for the ice cream shop.

Even though Maplewood was a small town, there were some decent options for rent, both in the main town square and farther out.

Miles, the owner of Rogers Real Estate and the Realtor for our small town, had made a comprehensive list for me, including locations in the nearby towns of Dairy and Milton. I had a lot to consider.

After a few minutes of my anxious pacing, Cooper fell into step next to me, bumping my shoulder with his. “Relax. It’s going to be great.”

I stopped pacing and nodded, swallowing hard, trying to steady myself. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“I’m glad I offered to join you, then.”

Miles arrived a little before ten that morning, looking cheerful and carrying three cups of coffee, one for each of us, from Special Blend. “Are you ready for today?” He passed me one of the cups and handed Cooper the other.

“Yeah,” I said before sipping the coffee. The smooth flavor was perfect and the heat warmed me from the inside. “Nervous, but ready.”

Miles put a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of you.”

Cooper chuckled and shook his head—always ready with a dirty joke—and I was relieved he didn’t say what was certainly on his mind, which would’ve been something about how he’d be happy to take good care of Miles.

We were already several blocks away from the town square, but in an area where there were still commercial storefronts here and there along the street. Miles led the way until we arrived at an empty storefront, a large space that had previously held a boutique clothing store.

I frowned as he unlocked the front door. “This one?”

“This could be a great space for an ice cream shop. It’s big—plenty of room for your equipment and lots of space for customers to hang out. Give it a chance before you decide.”

I wandered around the shop, but it didn’t feel right. It was practically cavernous and there were few windows. Miles walked with me, pointing out the features, pitching it enthusiastically, but I knew it didn’t feel like a place to set down roots.

“Coop?” I tried.

Cooper shook his head. “Did you see the carpeting in the bathrooms? Absolutely not.”

I grimaced, but he was right. Having carpets in the bathrooms was gross.

After a few more minutes, I turned to Miles. “I don’t think so.”

He nodded once. “No problem. On to the next.”

The next space was the opposite—far too small. There was no way I’d be able to fit a shop’s worth of ice cream equipment in it, plus space for cooler cases and a few tables. Still, I turned to Cooper for his opinion.

He frowned. “That wallpaper will be a beast to get off.”

Miles attempted unsuccessfully to suppress a sigh. “Don’t let someone else’s design choices hold you back. Things like flooring and wall coverings can be changed.”

“Yeah,” Cooper shot back. “At a cost.”

We tried several other options, making our way closer to the central part of town as we did.

Some places were simply out of the budget— way out.

Others were at the right price but just didn’t feel right.

Miles kept a smile plastered on his face, though, not letting my nitpicking deter him.

He had a solid sales pitch for each location we looked at but Cooper countered Miles’s sales pitches with everything from decor issues to layout problems to structural concerns.

By the time we’d visited the next to last place on Miles’s list, discouragement washed over me.

Maplewood was only so big and commercial storefronts didn’t come on the market very often, but so far, none of them were right for me.

Miles tried to be reassuring as we headed into the final location, an older house a few blocks from the park, which had been recently rezoned into a commercial building. It was cute and roomy.

Miles seemed to be holding his breath as I made my way through the building, Cooper on my heels.

“I can see it,” I said finally. “Tearing down this wall would really open things up.”

Cooper frowned. “That sounds expensive.”

I held my hands out, palms to the ceiling. “Nothing is going to be perfect,” I pointed out. “Besides, there’s a second floor. If the owner would let me, I could convert the second floor into an apartment and live there. It would help me save money while I work on getting the shop profitable.”

With a slow exhale, Cooper nodded. “If this is what you want…”

“What choice do I have?”

“You can keep looking. You don’t have to make any decisions today.”

I thought about it for a second. It felt as if I were penned in. I needed a space, and nearly everything else we’d seen was just… not right.

“This is the one.” I tried to sound firm, but I wasn’t sure I was convincing anyone—least of all myself.

Miles came into the room then. “Did I hear you right? Is this the winner?”

Forcing a smile, I nodded at Miles. “This is the winner.”

“Great. I’ll get the lease paperwork drawn up right away. We should be able to sign everything by next week.”

“Thanks, Miles. I appreciate all your help today.”

“Not a problem,” he assured me.

We said our goodbyes and headed in different directions—Miles to his office, Cooper and I back to where we’d parked that morning. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful summer day—a perfect day for ice cream. As we walked, Cooper checked in with me.

“Are you sure you want to rent that place?”

“Coop…” My tone was a warning.

He held his hands up, palms toward me, as if he were defending himself. “I’m just asking. I want you to be sure. You’re going to be working and living at this place, apparently. You want to love it.”

A deep sigh escaped me. “I don’t want to look forever, and there just aren’t that many open commercial buildings in Maplewood. What if I wait for something that never comes?”

He opened his mouth to speak but before he could respond, a woman’s rich voice called my name. “Sam!”

I spun to see who’d called for me. “Mayor Axlerod.” We stopped walking and waited for her to catch up.

“Sam, I ran into Miles. Sounds like you’ve found a place to rent?” I nodded, but Cooper interjected.

“He’s settling .”

Mayor Axlerod frowned, her eyebrows dipping. “Settling?”

I cleared my throat, shooting Cooper a look, eyes narrowed, before turning back to the mayor. “Cooper isn't convinced it’s the right place, but I’m going to sign for it.”

“What’s wrong with it?”

I opened my mouth to respond but Cooper jumped in. “It’s going to need a lot of work to bring it up to Sam’s vision.”

The mayor didn’t speak for a moment, just placed her index finger on her chin, before dropping her voice to a low murmur.

“Let me give you a little insider secret. There’s a storefront on Maple Street that’s going to come on the market later this week.

It used to be the candy shop, years and years ago. ”

“Are—are you sure?”

She nodded solemnly. “I signed off on it just yesterday. We expect whatever opens there will have great foot traffic, which I’m sure you know is important for a budding business.”

“That would be… perfect. ” My mind raced with possibility.

That building had an apartment above it, too, where the owner had lived when he ran the candy shop.

I’d been inside that shop dozens of times as a kid and I could remember it as clearly as anything we’d seen that day. It really would be perfect.

“Score,” Cooper said, gently punching my shoulder. “You need to call Miles back.”

I nodded. “Yeah, definitely.”

Mayor Axlerod gave me a warm smile. “I have somewhere to be but let me know if you have any issues at all. I’m happy to help you navigate this new venture.” With that, she left, heading down the street.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket. As I did, Cooper nudged my shoulder. “I’m going to go grab a pastry from Special Blend while you get in touch with him. Do you want anything?” When I shook my head, he gave me a thumbs-up. “Be back in a few.”

Standing on the sidewalk, I let anxiety get the better of me and dialed Miles’s number. He answered right away.

“What’s going on, Sam?”

A beat passed and I hesitated. Was this really happening? “I ran into the mayor a few minutes ago. She tells me the old candy store is about to go on the market.”

Miles was silent for a long moment and I started to second-guess myself, mind racing. Maybe I’d misunderstood. Maybe it was a different property. Maybe maybe maybe.

Finally, he spoke. “I wasn’t a hundred percent sure that was going to happen, but it sounds like it’s a done deal if the mayor is telling you about it.”

“Can you take me to see it?” I knew how eager I sounded. I wanted this place.

“Absolutely. The only thing is… it’s going to be a few days before I can get the details and the keys and get permission to get inside. Do you mind waiting?”

“I don’t mind.” I’d wait as long as it took. I wanted that property.

As we hung up, I decided I’d head toward Special Blend to catch Cooper.

Maybe I’d get a muffin or something to celebrate after all.

A moment later, the jingling of a bell let me know that someone was exiting the arts store, the Wild Palette, on the other side of Special Blend as I was approaching, and the next thing I knew, I was face to face with Gabe.

I froze.

“Sam!” He smiled, but it looked a little uncertain.

Embarrassment flushed through me. The post-bet dinner had been so great. My crush had grown exponentially, especially when he’d wiped chocolate off my face with his napkin. Did he know I had a crush on him? He had to know, right?

I rubbed the back of my neck and tried to sound ultra-casual. “Hey, there.”

“How’s your Saturday treating you?”

With a laugh, I let myself relax into telling him about the morning Cooper and I had spent looking at properties.

“I think we found the one. It’s perfect, but I can’t afford to buy, so I’m hoping to sign a two-year lease.

The real estate agent seemed optimistic that it would work out and so did the mayor. ”

His smile was bright, lighting up his eyes. “That’s awesome. Who’s your real estate agent? I think I’m going to need some help.”

“Making the move to Maplewood permanent?”

He shrugged. “Nothing’s decided yet.”

“Well, Miles Rogers is the only real estate agent in Maplewood, so he’s your guy.” How would I survive this crush if the hot dad stayed in Maplewood?

“Miles Rogers? Huh. I used to know a guy with the same name.”

I chuckled. “He moved here from Burlington, actually, so it might be the same one.”

“I’ll definitely give him a call then. Can you share his number?”

We took a few moments to exchange numbers and get Miles’s contact info in Gabe’s phone. When we were done, I realized something was different about Gabe. “Where’s Ellie?”

His smile wavered. “Jennifer and her boyfriend broke up and she came home early, so I’m free to explore by myself today while she catches up with Ellie.”

“Lucky you.”

Gabe let out a short little laugh. “Something like that.” A moment passed. “I’m actually heading to the inn to see if I can get a room for the rest of the summer. Now that Jennifer’s back, there’s no need for me to house sit anymore.”

I spotted Cooper heading toward us then, a bag of baked goods in his hand. “Did I hear something about the inn?”

“Gabe’s heading there to get a room. Apparently Jennifer’s back in town,” I said.

He shifted from foot to foot. “Yeah. I didn’t want Ellie to get the wrong impression, all of us under the same roof at night again.”

“You could stay with Sam,” Cooper said quickly. “He has an extra bedroom.”