I looked at the blue door and wondered whether that had been Chloe’s intention all along.

PART 11

Three months into the center’s planning process, we received another piece of bad news.

The landlord had an offer from a commercial tenant willing to sign a longer lease at a higher rate.

He wasn’t breaking an existing agreement; he was telling Mrs.

Alvarez that the building’s future was uncertain once the lease expired.

My first instinct was to use part of the inheritance to purchase the property at whatever price he named.

I called Leah, the adviser, and explained that I was ready to make an offer.