“We’re heading out to explore a little town on the Susquehanna River, Warfield’s Landing.”
Stevie laughed. “I’m geographically challenged. Exactly where is the Susquehanna?”
Nic slanted her a teasing glance. “And that my dear, is why we don’t let you drive on our “Girls’ Day Out” trips.”
“Hah! I happen to know you don’t let me drive because Karyn’s legs are too long to fit in my VW bug!”
This was an ongoing joke among the three of them. Nic was 5’4”, Stevie topped her by about three inches, but Karyn was a statuesque 5’10. Even sitting in the front seat of Stevie’s compact car, Karyn’s knees ended up near her ears.
Nic filled Stevie in on the trip to the Alexandria Police Department the day before while she drove from Alexandria into Arlington to pick up Karyn. She pulled into the parking lot of Mallory and Turner. Stevie climbed out of the front seat. Karyn tended to get carsick so she had front seat privileges. Stevie would ride in the seat behind the driver.
Karyn came out the front door. A statuesque brunette, she was casually but elegantly dresses, her dark hair pulled back at the nape of her neck. She was carrying three hard hats by their chin straps. Hers was pink. It had been a joke gift from Thomas when they officially opened their architectural practice. The other two were the standard safety yellow. She lifted them to shoulder height and wiggled them, getting Stevie’s and Nic’s attention.
One of the M and T Project Managers was walking with her. Karyn made a brief introduction, and he left.
“For once, I plan to be prepared. You mentioned an abandoned school?” This was directed to Nic. “No one will be climbing around and looking without the proper head gear.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Stevie was straight faced, with a deadpan delivery. Nic just smiled and shook her head.
Karyn put the hats in the back, beside the cooler, helped herself to a can of Diet Dr. Pepper and got in the front. She opened the can and held it aloft, giving their ceremonial toast. “To Girls’ Day Out.”
Nic and Stevie raised their diet drinks, echoing her... and they were off!
*****
As Nic merged in with the traffic heading north on I-95, Karyn pressed for details. "Tell us what you found out about the place!"
“I saw the building on Wednesday, when Daniel and I were across the river in Port Deposit. Last night, I had a chance to get online and find it. It IS for sale.”
Stevie leaned forward in her seat and put her hand on Nic’s seat. “Inquiring minds want to know... why are you thinking about spending Secret Stash on an old school?”
Stevie, Karyn, and Thomas were among the trusted few who knew about the millions that Nic had inherited from her famous artist father. So far, she hadn’t spent a penny of her inheritance.
Nic preferred to support herself, even if the first years out of grad school had been challenging. In the last couple of years, her painting had been gaining recognition and starting to sell. She’d had a small number of successful gallery shows, sold paintings through the gallery where Stevie worked, and sold an occasional painting off her website.
“Yeah... this is a big change for me. I haven’t made any firm decisions about it, but I’ve had some ideas floating around in my cluttered artist’s brain.” That got a laugh from both Stevie and Karyn.
"Seeing this school building across the river got me to thinking. The hardest transition for me to make as an artist was going from grad school to being a working and selling artist." She glanced in the rear view mirror at Stevie. "If you remember, we met while I was working at that ad agency in DC. The first couple of years out of grad school, it was a real balancing act to support myself and still be doing my art. That's where the school building comes in."
Karyn said, "I'm not sure what you're getting at here."
"To be honest, I'm not quite sure myself. I want to look at the school and see if it could be converted into living quarters and studio space for artists.” Nic paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts.
“I’m thinking that if we could provide a free place for artists to live and work, maybe including a stipend for food and other living expenses, freshly minted MFAs would be able to make the progression to working artist faster and less painfully.”
“So you’re thinking that this school could be converted into what... artist condos and studios?” Karyn sounded intrigued.
“That’s the idea.” Nic nodded. “While Warfield’s Landing seems like it’s off the beaten path, my online research shows that it has a small but vibrant downtown and gets a fair amount of tourist traffic. It’s very close to I-95. Richmond, Virginia; Washington DC; Baltimore; Wilmington, Delaware; and Philadelphia are all an easy drive. They’re not close enough to commute daily, but for appointments or short-term... it would be plenty doable.”
Excited, Stevie asked, “Are you thinking about having a gallery for the artists to display and show?”
Glancing in the rear view mirror, Nic smiled at Stevie. “Yeah. It would be similar to the Torpedo Factory, except that the artists would be fresh out of school and live there, as well as work there.”
“Would you have classes?” Karyn asked.
“Probably not, unless...” Nic thought as she spoke. “Maybe weekend art workshops? We’d need someplace for the participants to stay. We could bring in professional artists and let the artists in residence participate, along with offering spots to the general public.”
“So you’re thinking living space, studio space, classroom space, and gallery space?” Karyn was clearly intrigued.
“That would be the ideal situation. Obviously, it depends on the building and there are a lot of details to work out, even before we can tell if it’s feasible.”
“Now that would make it worth dipping into the Secret Stash.” Stevie nodded her head emphatically and slid back into her seat.
*****
They’d made good time. Nic wheeled the minivan off and under the interstate, following the signs for Warfield’s Landing. The road, called Tumpline Road, ran alongside the Susquehanna River on the right.
“What on earth is a Tumpline?” Karyn asked.
Stevie laughed and sat forward again. “I know,” she teased.
“How?” Karyn asked as she and Nic exchanged grins.
“Fourth grade. I wrote a report on American Indians. A Tumpline is a strap worn over the head. You can carry heavy things with it because it distributes the weight using the spine.” She looked back and forth at Nic and Karyn who were staring at her, silent.
“What? What?” At that, the other two burst out laughing and being a good sport, Stevie joined in. “Just wait until you have to carry a heavy sack. You’ll be begging me for advice!” That sent all three of them into another bout of laughter.
Now that the mystery of Tumpline Road was explained, they could enjoy the sights.
Right after passing the charming sign announcing Warfield’s Landing, Tumpline Road moved away from the river. Nestled in the space between road and water was a small condo complex for boaters, similar to the one across the Susquehanna in Port Deposit.
Next was a charming, old fashioned garage, convenience store, and gas station combination on the other side of the street, facing the river. It was housed in a couple of buildings that dated back at least 80 years. They were surrounded by a large gravel parking area. The convenience store had originally been a farm house and had a couple of additions grafted on. Now, Nic saw four old men sitting on the porch, watching the world and the river pass by.
Again, the road curved away from the river, allowing small, quaint commercial building to line both sides.
Stevie pointed out the Riverside Cafe, on the right side of the street with its back to the river.
Karyn looked carefully. On the passenger side, she had a better view than either Nic or Stevie. “It has a patio in back, with tables and chairs. We can sit there and watch the river.”
“Let’s plan on eating lunch there,” Stevie su
ggested.
Nic could feel her excitement rise. Warfield’s Landing was just like she had imagined.
As she drove along the small main street, Nic saw several empty storefronts with For Sale Signs displayed. They were old buildings with commercial space on the first floor and living space on the floors above.
After passing several commercial blocks, Nic spied the old school. It was on the side away from the river. There were no buildings directly across from it on the river side, just some large old shade trees. Nic flashed on an image of picnic tables under the trees... maybe a park bench or two?
She pulled the car off the shoulder, under one of the old shade trees and the three of them climbed out. She unlocked the rear doors so Karyn could grab the hard hats and distribute them.
The three of them stood by the car and looked at the sad old building. Nic thought it exuded loneliness, as if it missed the students who had once filled its halls. “It’s beautiful.” She was pleased. It was exactly what she had envisioned. It hit an emotional chord. She wanted to fix it up, give it a new life, fill it with art and creativity.
“At a glance, it looks like it’s in pretty good shape.” Karyn the architect was on the job. “And it has a basement!”
“A basement? That’s a good thing?” Stevie asked.
“Yep.” Karyn smiled. “That gives us an easier way to run the utilities from room to room. If Nic wants apartments and studios, they’ll need more than just electric.”
“I want apartments and studios, and maybe more.” Nic laughed. “Let’s go.”
There was a lot of undergrowth, but the large windows made it easy for the women to peer in. They could only see in the first floor, of course, but a step back to look at the building facade confirmed that the upstairs window corresponded directly to the placement of the downstairs windows.
“I think that the odds are great that the second floor mirrors the first floor.” Karyn said.
“That would be perfect!” Nic was thrilled. She pulled Karyn across the street so they could see the whole length of the building.
“So it looks like there are seven classrooms on each side? And here are the offices at this end. Does it have offices upstairs, too?”
“It looks like there are seven classrooms on each side on the first floor, along with the offices, and maybe eight classrooms per side on the second floor with no offices?” Karyn pointed to a difference in window size about halfway along the side. “I think that might be a staircase. In which case, the restrooms are probably across the hall.”
She shielded her eyes and squinted at the roof. “Unfortunately, I can’t see the roof, because it’s flat. I’ll probably regret saying this, but the roof is likely to be the biggest issue. If it’s in good shape, the odds are high that the rest of the building is good.”
Karyn looked over at the river and back at the school. “I’m sure this whole town is classified as a flood plain, but the school is on a rise, maybe...” She calculated. “Maybe about 10 feet above the road, so probably 15 to 20 feet above the river. I’m not seeing any sign of flooding, so I’d say there’s a good chance it’s okay.”
Excited, Nic grabbed Karyn’s hand and pulled her back across the street to the school. She glanced around for Stevie but didn’t see her. “Let’s talk options.” Once again peeking in the first floor windows, she looked at a classroom. “From the windows, the classrooms seem to be the same size, right?”
Karyn gave Nic a long look, then said, “We’re a long way from making hard and fast decisions here, sweetie. I hate to tell you that we can do something without having been able to do a walkthrough, let alone a proper inspection.”
Nic laughed. “I’m starting to sound like a difficult client, aren’t I?”
Karyn grinned at her. “Yes, you are!” She shook her head. “You know Thomas will NOT be happy if I make promises we can’t keep.”
Nic pressed her face to the glass as she tried to see details. She stepped back and took Karyn’s hand. “You know I would NEVER hire anyone but Mallory and Turner — Design and Construction to do this for me.”
Karyn looked at her searchingly. “You’re that serious? You’ll use Secret Stash for this? Because, I assure you, that’s the only way you’d be able to afford it.”
“Yes, I think I am willing to use my Secret Stash for this. I’m not comfortable spending the money personally, but to help other artists over the long term? Max set up his Foundation to do that. I see this as an adjunct to what the foundation does.”
“Alright, then...” Karyn thought a bit. “The first thing we need to do is find out what kind of shape this place is really in, and then how much the owner wants.”
While they’d been talking, Stevie reappeared, an attractive woman in tow. The woman’s brunette hair was pulled up in a French twist, her Chanel style suit an attractive rose, and she was wearing lovely but practical flats.
With a ringmaster’s cadence, Stevie spoke. “And here we have, Ms. Julia Livingston, Real Estate Agent Extraordinaire, and Listing Agent for this magnificent property.”
Gravely, she made the introductions. “Julia, this is Nic Bannerman, Brilliant Artist and here is Karyn Turner, principal in the firm of Mallory and Turner—Design and Construction.”
The women shook hands, smiling. Julia gestured at Stevie with a thumb and asked the other two, “Is she always like this?”
“Pretty much.” This came out in perfect unison, invoking a laugh from all four of them.
Julia held up a set of keys. “Did you want to see inside?”
Karyn and Nic exchanged glances. “You bet!” Nic answered.
“Let me get my flashlight, tape measure, and notebook.” Karyn reached out a hand for the van keys and hurried across the street, clicking the remote as she went.
*****
Julia unlocked the front door of the school building and they entered.
There was a broad hall running the length of the building. Wide stairs with a landing half way up split the classrooms, leaving three on each side at the front of the building and four at the back. Just as Karyn had guessed, the restrooms were directly opposite the stairwell.
Despite being in the center of the building, the hall was filled with light, provided by high windows running the length of each classroom, much like transoms. Along the walls and underneath the narrow windows were vintage metal lockers.
“What would you ladies like to see first?” Julia held up the keys and jingled them with a smile. “As far as I know, I have access to everything.”
Karyn was now in full architect/contractor mode. “I’d like to start at the top, in case there is roof damage.”
“We can do that, and I can also tell you that the roof was replaced about 10 years ago, so from what I know, it’s in pretty good shape.” Julia led the way down the hall to the staircase.
The roof access turned out to be hidden in a storage room. Soon, they were standing on the roof and looking around.
While Karyn prowled about making encouraging sounds, Nic admired the magnificent views. One side of the school faced the river. With no buildings across the street, river views were unobstructed for all of the classrooms on that side of the building.
On the other side of the building, the school property backed up to undeveloped woodland. This meant that the classrooms on the off river side also had lovely natural views.
“This is beautiful.” Nic said to Julia.
Julia pointed to the wooded area and said, “That land back there, as well as the three lots across the street along the river are also available. Buying them would allow you to maintain the natural views.”
“That is certainly something to think about...” Nic’s natural frugality asserted itself. “Of course, price would be a consideration.”
“Of course,” Julia agreed. “But I can say, all three parcels have been on the market for a while and there has been limited interest.”
Karyn came up behind them. “Is it possible to see the basemen
t?”
Julia beamed. “It sure is.”
CHAPTER 11
Lunch in Warfield’s Landing, MD
Nic’s head was spinning. She’d been serious about the project, but never in her wildest dreams had she expected things to move this quickly.
Last night, revved up about checking out the school today, she’d impulsively called Glenn, Max’s best friend and executor. Her birth father’s friend was slowly becoming her friend, too. They’d had a “What if...” conversation. To her surprise, he’d been excited and supportive of her idea. Even more of a shock, he’d told her that they could move on it immediately, if she wished. Since she’d be using her inheritance, she didn’t need permission from anyone.
Now she was seated at a big round table on the patio of the Riverside Cafe. They’d spent about an hour looking over the school.
Karyn was currently on the phone talking with Thomas, pacing along the edge of the patio. They were arranging to get a building inspector out as quickly as possible. Since Thomas or Karyn would need to accompany the inspector, the logistics were tricky.
No surprise to Nic, Julia and Stevie had bonded and were chatting away happily. That was Stevie for you... everyone was a friend. It made her very good at retail and was also an advantage with her degree in Arts Management.
Nic, stared across the river, enjoying the view of Port Deposit. Talk about having your life change in an instant.
“Nic, Nic.” Stevie nudged her, hard. “Julia and I have been talking. She has a storefront available, with four apartments over it. I walked past it when I went to get Julia. We need to look at it. I think it has potential as gallery and office space and... the apartments would create an additional income stream. I think we ought to go look at it over lunch.”
“Look at what?” Karyn had just finished talking with Thomas and was taking her seat.
Stevie filled her in.
“That sounds like a good way to go.” Karyn agreed. “If we aren’t trying to use the school for everything, we can maximize it as living space, studios, and classrooms. I like the idea of having the gallery space off site. That gives you the option to offer studio tours, rather than making them mandatory.”
Dreams Claimed (Warfield's Landing, #1) Page 6