Fractured [SHAWN MENDES]

~62~

"So as you can see," the perky realtor, Janice, said as she gestured her arms around the open space, "this beautiful old building would suit your needs to a T."

"There's no denying that," Taryn agreed.

The warehouse was huge and had two usable levels, each with fifteen foot ceilings. As soon as she walked into the century-old brick structure, a vision hit her. The main floor could house a brewery and the kitchen, then the upstairs, which had amazing rustic wood floors and full-length windows on every side, could be the bar and restaurant. There was a wrought iron staircase as well as two fantastic old elevators at either end of the building. The one near the front could carry patrons up to the top and the one in back could be used by the staff.

"The current owner would like to sell the building, but she's willing to rent it as long as there's a guaranteed three-year lease. You'd have to cover any renovations that would be required."

"I'm going to be applying for a business loan, so I'll need to get a contractor in to give me an estimate of how much it would cost to get this place ready. No bank will give me money unless I have all the expenses outlined. Do I need to be worried that it will be rented in the meantime?"

Janice shook her head. "It's been on the market for awhile without a bite. Most people aren't interested in places this big. I actually know an amazing general contractor who I'm sure would love to meet with you. He's the guy who converted the old gin distillery into luxury condos that were featured in Architectural Digest last year."

He sounded expensive to Taryn, but it wouldn't hurt to have him run some numbers. It's not like she'd be locked into using him. "Okay! If you can arrange a meeting, that would be great."

"I'll let the owner know, too. Meanwhile, you should make an accounting of all your assets since you'll need them."

"I, um, don't really have any. That's why I was going to apply for a loan."

Janice's smile disappeared. "The bank is going to require that you have at least twenty percent of the funds to start the process. They definitely won't give you a loan for the entire amount, because that's too huge a risk for them."

And just like that, Taryn's vision for the brewpub evaporated into a cloud of dust. "Oh. I didn't realize that."

"If you have a house, you could possibly use that as collateral."

"I don't. I rent."

"Hm, well then you need to either find an investor or shelve this idea until you have enough money saved. Maybe you know someone with money they'd like to put into a great business opportunity?" She suggested this in a way that made it clear that Janice knew Taryn was dating Shawn.

"I want to do this on my own."

"Oh honey...that's admirable, but you need to take advantage of opportunities if you have them."

Taryn bristled. "Don't bother calling the contractor. This obviously isn't going to work out. I'm sorry I wasted your time."

An hour later, she walked into the bar where Earl and her mom were sitting at a table having lunch together. There were only a handful of customers since it was a cold and dreary February day, which made most folks want to stay in.

"How was it?" Tricia asked enthusiastically.

"Perfect. Like it literally checked every single box for my dream."

"That's great news, kiddo!" Earl remarked with a wide grin.

"Not really," Taryn sighed. "The realtor said I need a lot of money to put down on the loan, and as we all know, I'm broke. I don't know if I'd qualify for the size loan I'd need to make it work, even if I did have some money. The cost of adding a kitchen and buying everything to transform it would be ridiculously high. I think I need to start smaller. I could open a bar like you did, Mama, and then maybe I'd build up enough equity to move on to my dream."