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than behind a desk. Chris offered his hand. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Stayner.” Reaching into the pocket of his jeans, he handed him one of his business cards.
    After shaking his hand, Barry turned the card over. “You’re the president of New Generation Transport? That’s a pretty big operation.”
    Ten years ago, they’d started out with the truck Chris’s father had been hauling across the country for years and two others that they’d bought with the last cent they could collectively scrape together. Chris had a business degree, and his father knew what it took to own and operate a single truck. Together, they grew it into a business that handled shipments for three thousand customers coast to coast and employed more than five hundred people.
    Chris ignored the comment. He wasn’t there to talk about his transport business. He was there to talk about the business Katie hoped to start. “Tell me about this space.” He hooked his thumb toward the window.
    The older man looked confused, seeming almost perturbed that Chris was wasting his time. “I drove by your head office just the other day. Looked to me like it was about forty thousand square feet, maybe more. What would you need with a little storefront location like this?”
    “I’m interested in it for a friend. She’d like to start a pre-school. Would that work? I mean, are there zoning laws prohibiting that kind of business in this space?”
    “No, we had a daycare here about seven years ago.”
    “What happened to that business?” Chris knew that if that business owner hadn’t been able to make it work, Katie may have a tough time of it as well.
    “She passed away. Breast cancer.”
    “I’m sorry to hear that.” Chris’s cell phone buzzed, but he ignored it. He’d have the next ten plus hours to put fires out at the office. He needed to figure out whether the location would be everything Katie needed to make her dream come true. “You mind if I have a look inside?”
    Barry looked down at Chris’s black steel-toed boots. “There’s a bit of construction debris spread around. They had to remove shelving units the last tenant had installed and re-paint, but it looks like you’re well-equipped.”
    Chris dressed like any one of his drivers. He often visited his yards to check on shipments and check in with the drivers, and wearing a suit to work wasn’t his style. He preferred to be himself, and most days that meant faded jeans, steel-toed boots, T-shirts, and sometimes baseball caps. He followed the landlord and listened to him rattle off the dimensions. It was spacious and bright, which would be an important consideration for the kind of business Katie had in mind. “Washrooms and an office in the back?” He gestured down the narrow hallway.
    “Yeah,” Barry said. “Go on back and have a look.”
    Chris wandered down the hall, giving the kitchenette a cursory glance before poking his head into the two bathrooms and small office. Everything seemed to be fairly new, which meant their work would involve cosmetic changes to turn the unit into a kid-friendly space.
    “So, what do you think?” Barry asked when Chris returned from his short tour.
    “I like what I see. Can you email me the details? I’d be interested in buying, not leasing.”
    Barry scoffed. “Why doesn’t that surprised me?”
    Because they both knew he could afford to make an offer on the whole damn plaza if he chose. “I’d like to pass by after work to show my friend the place. Do you think you could have someone meet us here?”
    “We live around the corner. If I can’t make it, I’m sure my wife can.”
    “Great. When you email me the details, I’ll have a look and get back to you with a time.”
    “Sounds good.”
    If Chris didn’t miss his guess, Katie would fall in love with the place, which would seal the deal for him.
     
    ***
     
    When Chris passed the main reception desk in his building less than an hour later, he stopped. “Have you seen my dad