“Is that all?” I asked, unwilling to go through another round of Ludwig’s effects on my personality.
“Just one more thing,” Alice said. “Have you called Ashlyn Carter?”
“Alice, not the time, really,” I protested.
“Are you going to call her?”
I sighed and dropped my head. I had been wrestling with that all day, and still hadn’t made up my mind. “Please. Seriously.”
“Okay, I’ll stop nagging,” Alice said.
“Thank you.”
“Just don’t keep pushing it until it’s too late.”
“Good bye, Alice,” I said and hung up.
I walked back to my building, Alice’s words ringing in the back of my head. She had a point. If I kept putting this off for too long, whatever advantage I would have had with Ashlyn would be gone. I rode the elevator to the penthouse, my phone in my hand and Ashlyn’s number ready under my thumb, just waiting for me to press down on the call button. I didn’t manage to gather up enough courage to do it until I was inside my penthouse with a cold bottle of water in my hand and the setting sun in my face.
The phone rang for what seemed like forever, and eventually I got her voice mail. It felt nice to hear her voice, even if it was a recorded message, and when it ended with that annoying beep tone, I hung and dialed again. She didn’t answer then either, and I hung up before the voice mail picked up, frustrated and, in a way, embarrassed.
You just have to come to terms with the fact that she’s trying to move on. It’s over.
Only, I didn’t feel like it was. I didn’t want to accept it. I had a feeling that if I could somehow manage to talk to her, maybe even drive down to Ludwig and see her, I’d be able to fix this. I could convince her to give this a shot, whatever this was. She didn’t need to come to Austin; I’d figure something out.
Alice’s idea popped up in my head, and I mulled it over for a few minutes before picking up my phone again and dialing.
“Hank’s Garage,” came a familiar voice on the other end of the line.
“Hank, hi, it’s Chance Ridder.”
“Mr. Ridder,” Hank greeted with a chuckle. “My, my, didn’t expect to be hearin’ from you so soon. What can I do for you?”
“I’m interested in commercial real estate,” I replied. “Can you recommend a commercial realtor in Ludwig?”
“Hell, Mr. Ridder, there ain’t no such thing as a commercial realtor in Ludwig,” Hank said. “Hell, we ain’t even got a non-commercial one.”
“Well then, maybe you can help me out,” I said with a smile. “I’m looking for a space where I can locate a field office for my company.”
“A field office? In Ludwig?”
“Yes, something large enough to accommodate say, a dozen people or so,” I said, talking right out of my ass because I hadn’t given it that much thought. “Something on the main road with good visibility, one the ground floor.”
Hank went silent for a second, and I could almost see him leaning back on his heels with his eyes closed, deep in thought. “Only two places come to mind, but they’re pretty bent out of shape, need heavy renovations,” he finally said. “But they’re more shops than office spaces. That’s really all you can find on the ground level on Main Street. Nothing big enough for an office for a dozen people though.”
“That’s fine,” I said, my mind racing with the possibilities. “Could you find out what’s available, the cost, that sort of thing, and get back to me? I’ll make it worth your while. And it’s important that no one in Ludwig know that I’m looking.”
“Sure, my lips are sealed,” Hank said. There was a short silence before he continued, “If you don’t mind me askin’, Mr. Ridder, but why would you want to open an office in a town like Ludwig?”
I smiled to myself.
“Let’s just say Ludwig left a lasting impression on me.”
Chapter 16: Ashlyn
Life was slow in Ludwig during the fall. There was a lot less to do, and people were just generally lazy, with the urgency levels hovering dangerously low. And in this town, that meant something. It was almost as if life had come to a complete stand still.
My business always took a hit during the winter months, and every year around this time, I usually tried to get all possible repairs and renovations done while I still had the cash for it. The boiler at home was in dire need for replacement, and the truck was groaning with all sorts of ailments. I