Todd assured her that the house was basically sound, though it needed a great deal of work. The plaster in most of the rooms was either stained or falling off the walls in hunks, and the ceilings sagged.

Shay liked the house; it had personality. The kitchen, while much in need of repair, was large enough to accommodate the needs of a catering service, and the spacious dining room could be converted to a reception area of sorts. The pantry, almost as big as Shay’s kitchen in her rented house, would make a suitable private office.

“I have some rough estimates on the renovation, if you’d like to see them,” Todd offered.

Shay was pleased by his thoroughness. Here was a man who would go far in the business world. She reviewed the estimates submitted by various construction companies as they drove to the other potential site. The amounts of money involved were staggering.

The second site was a small restaurant overlooking the water. The ceiling had fallen down, coming to rest across a counter still equipped with a cash register. Debris of every sort was scattered on the floor, seeming to pool around the bases of the tattered stools that lined the counter. The smell of mice was potent.

“It does look out over the water,” Ivy ventured. She’d been very quiet all along.

“That’s about all it has going for it,” Shay replied. “If I were going to open a bistro or something, I might be interested, but I don’t think a view is going to be any particular plus for a catering service.”

Todd nodded his agreement.

Suddenly, Shay was very tired. After all, it had been a crazy day. “I’ll need some time to think this over, Todd, but I’m interested in the other place. Do you think I could get back to you in a few days?”

Again, Todd nodded. “You might want to get some other estimates. The ones I gave you were meant to give an idea of what would be required.”

Shay looked down at the sheaf of papers in her hand. “Do you recommend these people, Todd?”

He held the door open and Ivy sort of skulked through, just ahead of Shay. “I’ve dealt with all of them at one time or another and they do fine work. But you should still get other estimates, it’s always good business.”

They stopped at a pizza-to-go place and, as Shay waited at the counter for her order, she happened to glance through the front window. Ivy and Todd appeared to be having some kind of serious consultation in the car. Ivy’s head was bent and Shay found her irritation with her friend fading away.

Ivy was a meddler extraordinaire, but she meant well. She was happy with Todd and she wanted everyone else she knew to be happy, too. Still, Shay thought the young woman deserved the lecture she was probably getting at that moment.

The pizza was ready and Shay was distracted from the scene in the car for a few moments. When she reached it, carrying the pizza, Ivy and Todd were sitting as far from each other as they possibly could. Shay let herself into the backseat, wrestling the huge pizza box as she did so and, of course, made no comment on the chill inside the car.