“Oh, sorry.”
He lifted his brows expectantly.
She swallowed hard, utterly embarrassed. “Guess I need you to tell me where the motel is.”
He smirked. “Right this way, Miss Potter.”
They walked the remaining blocks in awkward silence. Within minutes, they entered the brightly-lit parking lot of the Best Rest Motel.
Amie signed the necessary forms, secured the room with a credit card, and dropped her room’s keycard into to her purse. “All set,” she announced to Tom who’d waited outside in the cooling evening breeze.
They hiked back under the same uncomfortable quell.
Finally, they reached their vehicles. Amie pressed the button on her fob, turned off her car alarm and unlocked the doors.
“Thanks again for dinner.” She climbed into the driver’s seat. But when she tried to pull the door closed, Tom stood in the way.
Eyebrows raised, she stared up at him.
“Do you think we could talk for a little while? I mean, I wouldn’t want the sun to go down on our anger.”
“I’m not angry.”
“Neither am I.” He seemed sincere. “Still, I think it’d be good if we settled a few things.”
She tipped her head. “What sorts of things?”
In reply, he reached for her hand, helping her from the car. A river of warmth spread over her. That simple touch of savoir-faire made Tom Anderson more of a gallant gentleman than simple country boy.
Now, if only he wasn’t so melancholy...
“There’s a park not too far away. At this hour, it shouldn’t be crowded. We can hold a conversation there without being overhead.”
“Sure.” Amie locked up her car and set the alarm.
In maddening silence, they walked to a corner park. Several kids occupied the swings and a line of bike riders whizzed by after they crossed the bike path.
Amie couldn’t stand the wordlessness anymore. “Look, Tom, about what happened...I’m sorry. I should have kept my mouth shut. It’s just that Al’s insults upset me.”
“Why? He wasn’t insulting you. And besides, it’s no big deal. I’m used to it.”
“But you shouldn’t be ‘used to it.’” Amie dropped onto the hard-plastic bench.
“Can we forget the incident with Al? I’ve decided you’re right. Al will find out who you are soon enough, and he’ll know we’re not on a date.” Tom sat beside her. “I actually wanted to talk about the gas station. I meant to bring up the subject at dinner but wasn’t sure how to approach it.”
“Sure.” Amie crossed her legs and folded her arms. “What’s on your mind?”
“Well,” he hedged, “I wondered if you knew what you wanted to do with it.”
“No, not yet.” She gave him a hopeful grin. “Want to buy the place from me? I’m aware that Uncle Hal left you some money.”
“Are you nuts? I don’t want that place.”
“But it’s your home and you could fix it up.”
“Forget it. If I buy that dump, I’ll be trapped. Stuck in a dead end for the rest of my life.”
“A dead end in a dying town?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
“I see...”
Amie debated whether to tell Tom about her hotel idea, except she really didn’t want to be “trapped” either. Besides, even if she came up with the funds, which was an impossibility, she’d never have the time to oversee such an undertaking and work in Chicago.
But she couldn’t seem to completely let the idea go either.
“There’s a lot of traffic on Highway 45.” She spoke her muse aloud. Maybe Tom would want to build a hotel and she’d invest by offering the property on which Uncle Hal’s gas station sat. “I saw plenty of tourists heading north for the weekend.” He wouldn’t be stuck in a dead end if he had a new business venture to invest in.
“I don’t want to buy the gas station, Amie, so get that notion out of your head.”
“OK.” She uncrossed her legs and turned slightly to face Tom. “The truth is I really never had peace about selling anyway. In his last letter to me, the one I found in the safe deposit box today, Uncle Hal told me to raze the buildings on the property and…and build my dream.”
“You have dreams of building?” Tom’s brows shot up. “In Tigerton?”
She gave a nod. “Ever since I was a little girl I wanted to own and operate a hotel. Uncle Hal knew it.”
“A hotel?”
Amie grimaced, anticipating a reaction similar to her family’s. “I realize that it sounds crazy—and maybe it is because I’m actually contemplating it.” She shook her head.
“Building a hotel...in Tigerton?” He let go a long breath. “The Rock-A-Bye is just up the highway.”
“But, as you said, it doesn’t have amenities. It’s also filled up so I’m staying in a place outside of town.” Amie shook her head. “I don’t see another, larger hotel being a threat.” She chanced a look at him. “The idea is nuts, right?”
His expression turned contemplative. “I don’t know…”
Amie’s eyes widened. Was he actually considering it? “Do you think a hotel would be a profitable business?”
“Maybe.”
A spark of aspiration rose up in her, but it dwindled just as fast as it had been ignited. “The only trouble is I don’t have the time or money to build a hotel. I just have the property.” She wished she didn’t feel so disappointed. “But it’s a crazy idea anyhow.” She stared at Tom, waiting for confirmation. “Crazy, right?”
“Right.” Tom stood. Their meeting had obviously come to an end.
As they walked back to their vehicles, Amie sensed the only thing she was building was a good cry after she got into her hotel room. Why did she feel so…rejected?
“Well, um, I hope you have a good night’s sleep,” Tom said after Amie unlocked her car. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Yep, see you tomorrow.” She’d tie up loose ends and put the property up for sale. Building a hotel was a little girl’s fantasy—
And Amie was anything but a little girl.
5
“What a dumb idea. I’ve never heard anything more harebrained in my entire life.” Tom paced his living room, half expecting to hear Hal’s wise old voice, offering up advice. “Me, having a hand in running hotel? Right. I don’t know the first thing about it. Besides, a woman like Amie Potter wouldn’t even consider me for a business partner.”
Silence was his only response.
He collapsed into a faded, overstuffed armchair in the living room. Head back, he stared at the ceiling. Could the son of the town’s most memorable drunk and a guy from a dysfunctional family go into business with a woman from Chicago and expect to succeed? Would he gain the town’s respect or become the loser everyone believed he was?
Loser sounded about right.
Tom’s heart dropped like a bowling ball. His inner voice sounded a lot like Big Al’s taunts, not Hal’s fatherly advice or even God’s sound wisdom. He’d heard that diabolical voice in his head since junior high and somewhere along the line he’d bought it. Combined with the memory of his father’s beatings, ignoring it was difficult, if not impossible.
Meditate on things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely…
Well, maybe it wasn’t impossible. All things were possible with God.
Tom drew in a deep breath as a vision of Amie Potter filled his mind. She was lovely, that’s for sure, and so much like her uncle…
When Amie was around, Hal didn’t seem so far away.
But would she want to go into business with a guy like him?
Tom raked a hand through his hair. He took his faith seriously. He clung to that delicate thread of hope which kept his head together when circumstances threatened to blow his very mind. Hal, friend that he was, had always told him faith in Christ was the key to everything in life. And he’d been right.
A heartbeat later, Amie’s words from earlier this evening floate
d back to him. If God is for us, who can be against us? You could be anything you wanted to be.
Tom sat forward, his gaze fixed on the Bible on the coffee table. There again Amie was so much like Hal, always the positive thinker. But Amie’s anxiousness earlier this afternoon hadn’t escaped Tom either. Curious thing, too. After a few minutes of trying to figure out what went on inside of Amie Potter’s pretty head, Tom gave up. The woman wanted to build a hotel, for crying out loud. Yeah, that was crazy.
Or was it?
Tom reached for his Bible. He needed some Divine wisdom on this one.
~*~
Amie sat on the bed and toyed with the earring she’d looped around her middle finger. She’d spent the last couple of hours in prayer and searching the Scriptures, trying to determine her Heavenly Father’s will.
She’d found it, but now it was time to let her earthly father know of her decision.
Nervous flutters filled her insides just as Dad’s image filled her computer’s screen. “Good morning, Dad.”
“Well, honey, how are things going in northern Wisconsin?”
“Good, I think.” They exchanged a few more pleasantries and then Amie got right to the point. “I realize it sounds nuts, but since reading Uncle Hal’s letter, I can’t seem to get the idea out of my mind. I want to build a hotel up here.”
Dad’s brows shot up, but then a slow grin stretched across his face. “You know I’m all for an adventure, particularly if it pertains to business.” He reclined in his desk chair. His chuckles filled the motel room. “I don’t refer to these things as ‘business ventures,’” he said, using his fingers to make air quotes. “I call them ‘business adventures.’”
Amie smiled at the jest. “So I follow my heart even though my mind can think of ten reasons why this is a risky venture—adventure. What should I do?”
Dad shrugged. “I’ll support you any way I can.” He steepled his fingers. “Your mother, on the other hand, may not be as enthusiastic. She hated country living. When we met in college, all she talked about was moving to a big city and staying there so her children would have the opportunities that she didn’t.”
“That’s not exactly a newsflash.” Amie had heard the story a thousand times. “But I’m not talking about living here, although there are days when my life is so hectic that I’ve entertained ideas of moving somewhere quiet and more slow-paced.”
“In that case, try North Carolina.” Dad snorted a laugh. “I was there on business last week and even the fast food is slow.”
“Yeah, whatever…” Amie sat down on the rented room’s desk chair. “So, should I do it? Should I build my hotel?”
“Why not? You’ve got the property.” Dad’s forehead crinkled. “But you’ll need investors. That’s your first area of concern.”
Amie gave a nod. “I guess I can’t go forward even an inch without money, can I?”
“Nope. So that’s your first task, Princess.”
“All right.” Amie lifted some documents so Dad could see them. “Uncle Hal left me some of his investments. I don’t know what they’re worth, though.”
“Stocks? Mutual funds?”
Amie read each of them to her father who promised to do some research for her.
“I’ll also talk to Bill Reeser, my friend, the architect. I’ll see if he can come up with a few designs for us to look at.”
“Us?” Amie smiled and arched a brow. “Are you my first investor, Dad?”
“Your second—after your initial investment.”
“Oh, right. Well, whatever they’re worth, I’m willing to put them into the business.”
“Good.”
“But please let Mr. Reeser know that I want my hotel to include an antique shop, banquet hall, café, and indoor swimming pool.”
“Anything else?” Dad’s question rang with sarcasm.
“Well, rooms, of course.”
“Of course.” Dad rolled his eyes and lifted his hands in surrender.
“A veritable chip off the old block, aren’t I?”
“Sure are.” Dad’s forehead creased with his heavy frown. “Why an antique shop?”
“To attract tourists. Antique shops are big up here and Tom is fabulous at refinishing furniture. I’m praying he will be an investor. Maybe if I offer him rent-free space for an antique shop it’ll make the offer more attractive to him.”
“Hmm…”
“And after the tourists stop to go antiquing, we’ll have to feed them, so we’ll need the café. And, of course, the café will provide a continental breakfast to our guests, but it’ll be open to the community too. I thought the indoor swimming pool might appeal to the community also. We can rent it out for special occasions like kids’ birthday parties. The same with the banquet hall.”
“Take a breath, Amie,” Dad joked. “You’ll hyperventilate.”
Amie’s cheeks flamed. She’d been babbling again.
“For a girl who doesn’t want to build this hotel, you’re awfully excited about it.”
“I guess I am.” Why, Amie couldn’t imagine. She had a life in Chicago. She didn’t need another thing chomping at her time.
“Look, Princess, it’s not the worst thing in the world to be enthusiastic about a new business adventure. Just take it slowly. One step at a time.”
“I need investors first. Got it.” Amie smiled. “Will you talk to Mom for me?”
“Soften the blow, you mean?”
Amie grimaced. “Something like that.”
“Yes, I’ll speak with her. Don’t worry.”
“Thanks. We’ll talk later, OK? Ciao.”
Amie disconnected the internet call. She felt at peace with her decision—God’s peace that passed all understanding. And suddenly there were no doubts lingering in her mind. Building her dream was God’s will.
She grabbed her purse and left the motel room for her uncle’s gas station. Now, if only Tom Anderson would see it that way.
~*~
“I need to talk to you.”
They spoke the words in unison.
Amie smiled. “You go first.”
Tom opened her car door and Amie climbed out. He’d met her as she drove into the station. He looked rested and his outfit, a dark blue T-shirt and snug-fitting jeans, was much the improvement from yesterday afternoon.
He smiled. “No, no, ladies first.”
“Well, if you insist…”
“I do.”
“This might take a while. Could we talk over coffee...and maybe a sweet roll?”
Tom grinned. “You eat a lot for a woman, know that?”
“I can’t help it. Business matters make me hungry.” His easy laugh puzzled her. They hadn’t exactly parted on great terms last night. “Why are you so happy today?”
“I’m not. I mean, not particularly happy.” A hint of a smile still lingered on his lips. “You’re just extremely fun to tease.”
Amie groaned. “Remind me never to let you and my father in the same room together. He loves to tease me, too.”
Tom pointed toward the laundromat and his apartment. “I’ve got a pot of coffee upstairs and some doughnuts. We can talk there, if you want.”
She hesitated. “That’ll be fine. Thanks.” She had nothing to fear when it came to Tom. She knew that now. But as she followed him to the front door, a nightmarish recollection flashed through her mind. She did her best to tamp down the memory it, reminding herself of the Scripture verse she was memorizing except her efforts were shadowed by a statement from one of the women leading a Bible study at church. “Good girls don’t get raped,” Mrs. Alestro asserted. “It’s the girls who put themselves in compromising situations who end up getting hurt.”
Bile rose in Amie’s throat. The woman could have tried being more sensitive. Nevertheless, those words haunted her now. She’d naïvely put herself in a compromising situation three years ago and the result had been disastrous. But Amie didn’t think she was an especially bad girl. A sinner saved by grace, yes
, but not…bad.
Then why was she following a guy up to his apartment?
“Tom?” Breathless, Amie reached for his arm. Her panic was sucking all the oxygen out of the stairway. “Do you think we could talk somewhere else? I mean, it’s a nice day…”
Would he understand?
“Want to have coffee at the picnic table around back?”
She nearly collapsed with relief. “That’d be great.”
“All right.” His willing manner put her at ease. “Why don’t you go out back and wait for me?”
“Good idea. Thanks.” As always, Amie’s panic caused her limbs to tremble. Finding the picnic table, she sat and did her deep breathing exercises. By the time Tom showed up, carrying a mug of coffee in each hand and a box of chocolate doughnuts under one arm, Amie felt better. Her composure returned and she could breathe again.
Tom put down the coffee then plunged his hands into his jeans’ pockets, extracting packets of powdered cream and sugar that he set on the table. “Wasn’t sure how you like your coffee.” He lowered onto the bench opposite Amie.
“Cream and sugar—both.” She managed a smile, grateful that Tom didn’t treat her like some lunatic. Perhaps he hadn’t noticed her odd behavior.
“OK, so what’s your news?”
She ripped open a creamer and cleared her throat. “I’ve decided to build a hotel.” May as well be straightforward about it. “And I’ve decided that you will help me. Now, don’t argue, Tom. Hear me out, first.”
He arched his brows.
“I don’t mean to be presumptuous, it’s just that I need you...to run the antique shop in my hotel—our hotel.” She gave him a shy smile. “See, I, um, need your money, too.”
“Hmm…” Tom sipped his coffee.
“I realize I’m dumping all this on you and you’ll need time to think and pray about investing, but I honestly believe this will be a win-win for both of us.” She nibbled her lower lip, trying to discern his expression. Surprise? Insult at her audacity? Amie couldn’t guess. “It wouldn’t be a dying town if we have a thriving hotel. What do you think?”
“I think...” The warm breeze blew strands of his chestnut-brown hair across the side of his stubbly jaw. He shook his hair behind him. “I can’t believe what I’m hearing, that’s what I think.”
Her Hometown Heart. Page 5