Chapter 128

"Sure," I said as I watch him walk into my trap. The place had last been a women's boutique. There were still racks for clothes attached to the walls. "I have no idea what to do with those racks since we wont be dealing in clothes."

"It likely won't take much to turn them into shelve displays," he said.

"That's probably true," I said smiling as if he were a genius. "Take a look out the back door."

"Holy shit come look Allen. That view is beautiful," Jeremy said.

I looked out the back door and saw the sail boats running up and down the bay. "To be honest we don't have the boats every time, but we have the cars going over the bridge in the rain sometimes and the lights at night are beautiful," I said. Sorry you won't be here to see that. Mel's dinner and all."

"Now that you have won Jeremy over, let's go look at the pub," The Brit suggested. He knew what I was doing.

"Okay," I laughed. "You can't blame a girl for trying." On the way out I gave Jeremy a copy of Wilson's floor plan.

It was only a few steps to the next building on the corner. The door to the old bank building was built on the corner of the building so it didn't really face either street but was placed at an angle to each of them.

Since it had been a bank, the doorway emptied into a large room which had once been the bank's lobby. I had no idea how many times it had change decor. But it was down to sleazy 5&10 by the time it went empty. It had probably sat empty for at least five years.

"Well the good news is there is very little to be done structurally to it. The walls will need painting and that awful carpet taken up. Whatever is under it has to be better. If not you can have those flooring guys come in and put down new floors pretty cheap. There is an elevator you are going to want to turn into a closet." Allen said. "There is lots of really nice wood work. You can make a bar where the old teller's counter went. You will need to have it rewired but that's not all that expensive. There is room to put tables out in the lobby and room for the refrigeration and keg storage behind the bar. All in all I think 25K would come close to getting it done."

"So what is the bad part," I asked. "You are going to have a stairway to nowhere. The other two units had a stairway to a second floor hall between them. I have no idea what is up there, but this stairway leads to nothing useful to a bar."

"To be honest I didn't see the upstairs Wilson went up and did the floor plan but we were concerned with down here. Let's go up and see what is up there," I suggested.

It had obviously been used as offices for the executive of the bank and probably nothing more than storage since. There were four large offices. I could see where each room might have had two desks except for the front office over the door. It had wood paneling everywhere. It was obviously the manager or president's office.

In keeping with the times there was one large communal bathroom on that floor. There was also a large metal fire escape. It would need to be inspected for sure. "I would guess from the layout It is going to have to be one large apartment. It will take just the right person to rent it.

"I'm no builder but I think a deck would be easy to put up here and use the bar entrance as your emergency exit. A little imagination and you could make a nice apartment or maybe even two up here," Jeremy suggested.

"I expect a deck to replace the rusty old fire escape would work really well. It would give the tenants a view of the bay for sure. The business will have to be renovated for that view as well. It won't be cheap but it has to be done," I suggested.

Yes I totally agree with a view like that it would almost criminal not to showcase it," Jeremy said.

For two more hours we walked around the property discussing changes I needed to insist on being make. Finally we were finished. Jeremy and Allen went back to the hotel for change for dinner. I expected they also went to walk on the beach. I went back to the barge. I was surprised to find that Mel had turned the office into a prep kitchen. Okay not all the office just the reception area. She was busy chopping crap and making sauces on a cook top that came from somewhere, I had no idea where. It was a unit larger than the single burner we had in the barge. I had no idea where it came from, but I expected to get a bill for it.

"So how you doing?" I asked.

"I'm doing fine. I think I'm getting a handle on what we want to do at the restaurant," Mel said.

"Good should I ask or wait to be surprised?" I asked.

"Wait to be surprised," she said.

"Then I'm off to shower and I'll be on the deck if you need any help," I said.

"Oh I have Wilson. He said it would be okay since it was Saturday," she suggested looking a little worried.

"Yes of course, it's alright," I said. I had no idea but somehow all the activity at the marina made me sad. It didn't make me depressed, angry, or feeling put upon. It just made me sad somehow. I had no explanation at all, it just did.

After my shower I put on the skinny jeans and Russian commando knockoff tee shirt. I felt better after the shower. I took a bock beer out to the deck and sipped it. I was thinking about the pub in County Seat and the night we had drank dark beer there just the four of us. The Brit, Andrew, Liam and I. Now Liam was dead, Andrew in god only knew what condition, and The Brit and I ready to try out Mel's new restaurant food. It didn't make any sense to me.