The news that Alexander had been tempted at the idea of purchasing the warehouse lot was welcomed with an understanding nod from Tate, smiling at the image the man painted of his own quaint abode. It was a stark contrast to the almost baron lot the two had moved into, an asphalt hard stand area which housed a plethora of old scrap metal and cargo chests. The most Tate could even consider a garden of sorts were the very rare dandelions that had sprouted on the front verge amongst the patched grass. It was better that way however as Tate had absolutely no idea on how to cultivate or maintain plants let alone a garden.
"It's not a bad place at all, perfect for us at least. Trying to convince her of that seems to be a bit of a challenge." Tate explained before he paused to throw his shot of espresso down his throat followed by taking a bite of a hash brown.
Willow had taken an opportunity to take in Mr Gladstone as the man told them of his shop, raising a brow when his fingers seemed to pluck the business card from thin air. Watching him as he handed the card over to Tate, Willow sucked down a sip of her milkshake, green eyes switching between the two men as Tate hurriedly wiped his hands on the sides of his jeans before reaching over to take the card, examining the embellishments as he nodded and slid the card into his wallet.
"That sounds pretty good, I'll have to stop by sometime and have a look."
"He's old enough, maybe you can sell him." Willow commented with a small snort, a glimpse that despite being quiet, she held the very same humour often seen from her uncle. Before she had a chance to divert her attention away, Mr Gladstone had addressed her directly and she shifted in her seat awkwardly defensive.
"The milkshake is fine I guess, the ones back home are better." She commented as Tate tried not to outwardly sigh at her attitude.
"Sorry Alex, Willow left her manners back in Chicago." Tate interjected as he picked his wallet back up and rifled through it briefly, producing a few crumpled notes and handing them to Willow.
"How about you take your croissant and get outta here, go down to one of those grocery stores and grab some stuff for home." Looking between the men, Willow shrugged, taking the notes from Tate, whisking up her satchel and using three napkins to hold her croissant. Pushing the chair in under the table she threw out a casual
"bye' as she walked around them and headed for the door.
Watching his niece leave without so much as a glance of hesitation, Tate let out a nervous groan when she disappeared from view, turning his attention back to Alexander.
"I am really sorry, she has a huge chip on her shoulder at the moment," he admitted, taking another bite of his hash brown.
"She didn't exactly get much say when I decided to move out here and she is fighting me on it every step of the way. She is a good kid, she is just going through a bit of a rough spot," he explained, feeling like he might as well have been explaining himself at the same age. He understood what Willow was doing, he had been through the same sort of deal many times over and he wasn't angry at her for it. Though normally being asked to talk about themselves would have earned someone a very short and abrupt answer, Tate indulged a little more than usual perhaps more so because Alexander seemed rather easy to talk to.
"I needed to move somewhere out of Chicago, somewhere where we could have a bit more privacy and Willow can focus on going to school, making decent friends. Doncaster from all accounts seemed to be a very quiet and little known place so when I saw the old warehouse up for sale I figured I would put in an offer. I got a call to say we were accepted and well...now here we are. We got in late last night so there is a bit of unpacking to do before we can really settle in. I'll be opening up a gym downstairs and advertising a mechanical repair business but that won't be until I've got everything unpacked of course."
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@EddiEddi
