Read Online The Imperfection of Swans by Brandon Witt - Free Book Online Page B

appear to be in good condition. They need refinishing, but everything seems sturdy.”
    Casper shook the banister as he walked up behind Kevin, careful to do so without him noticing. Sure enough, the thick mahogany didn’t budge. At the top of the stairs, Kevin flipped another light switch, and it took a few moments for Casper to see the room past the mounds of garbage and disgusting furniture that filled the space. “So… this is where the bakery would be?”
    “Yeah. Told you it was bad.” Kevin had an anxious tone behind his words.
    Casper walked around, stepping over the messes. Once he was able to ignore the filth, his excitement returned, growing even more strongly. The layout was exactly the same footage as the first floor and had a set of three long windows that matched the two sets below. Again, from what he could tell, the floor seemed in decent shape, safe at least. He looked up, and his heart leapt. Tin ceilings! Granted, in worse shape than below, but still. Maybe he could talk Kevin into leaving them alone up here.
    “I love it.”
    Kevin blanched. “Seriously? You’re okay with this?”
    Casper continued to take in the space instead of addressing Kevin directly. “Yeah. The bones are classic, and with a little elbow grease, it will be amazing.” He glanced at Kevin in time to catch the disbelieving expression on his face. “Okay, a lot of elbow grease.” He pushed a mildew-ridden couch a few inches with his foot. The wood floor underneath still looked fine. “You said this was some old lady’s apartment? How did she live like this?”
    “No idea. It’s disgusting.”
    “Did she die up here?”
    Kevin laughed. “Smells like it!”
    He wasn’t sure how he’d missed it. Well, yes, he was, the place was trashed. Over in the far right corner was a horrible refrigerator and oven. “Oh, look at that. Although I guess since she lived up here, that makes sense. I’d wondered how much trouble it was going to be to get the equipment I’ll need installed.”
    Kevin carefully made his way over to the fridge. “You’ll probably hate me for doing this to you.” With an evil grin visible on his face before he covered it with his hand, he opened the door.
    The instant stench nearly caused Casper to gag. “Oh my God, shut it! Shut it!” He quickly covered his own mouth.
    Laughing, Kevin obliged, then hurried across the room, nearly tripping on something sticking out from a pile of garbage.
    Casper took a shallow breath, careful to breathe through his mouth. “At least we know where that smell was coming from.”
    “Yeah, that’s gotta go.”
    “You think?” Casper adjusted his glasses, almost surprised they weren’t fogged over from the stench. “I’m sure we’ll have to update the electric and gas lines, but at least we know the cooking equipment can be up here. Although I’m certain getting them up to code won’t be cheap.”
    “Oh, that’s an expense I hadn’t thought of.” Kevin let out a sigh that was tinged with panic. “I bet that’s a sensation I’d better start getting used to.”
    “Don’t worry, I’ll help cover stuff like that, especially when it comes to things for the bakery.”
    “I couldn’t ask you to do that, not as a renter.”
    “Actually you probably can. I bet that’s what most businesses do down here. I’d also bet none of these businesses own their buildings. They all rent, and they all have to pay for whatever updates and changes they want on their own.”
    Kevin looked uncomfortable at the idea.
    Casper’s heart sank suddenly. How he’d not thought about it yet was insane, despite his excitement. “However, there is one thing we need to look into before we go further. We’ve got to find out how this place is zoned. Having a bakery here might not be a possibility.”
    “No. We’re good. As soon as I brought up the idea of having you rent this floor, that was the first thing Mom checked on. One of the benefits of opening a business on this street.