Downtown Billionaire Read online

  Hannah Jo Abbott

  Downtown Billionaire

  Copyright © 2020 by Hannah Jo Abbott

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

  This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

  First edition

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  Contents

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  EPILOGUE

  About the Author

  Also by Hannah Jo Abbott

  CHAPTER ONE

  “You’re kidding, right?” Andrew Hartley’s mouth dropped open and he stared at the man behind the desk. “That can’t be right.”

  “I assure you that it is. Didn’t you know about your grandparents’ finances?”

  Andrew shook his head in shock. “Obviously not. I mean they own a lot of property in town, and they always lived pretty comfortably, but I didn’t know it was that much. We live in Pine Haven, Alabama, who has a billion dollars?” His voice rose and he held his hands out, showing how unbelievable that was.

  “They did. And now, as the heir of the estate, you do.” The lawyer tapped the papers in front of him with his pen.

  “But…but…how?”

  “You know Briar Foods?”

  “Doesn’t everyone?” Andrew said. “They’re only the largest canned and frozen food manufacturer in the country.”

  The attorney nodded. “Your grandfather was childhood friends with Mr. Briar. He invested in the company to help his friend get started. The value of that stock is worth over a billion dollars. And the Hartley family’s real estate holdings contribute as well.”

  Andrew’s head spun and he wasn’t sure which way was up. He had gotten the call a few days ago that the lawyer needed to discuss his inheritance. His grandfather had died almost a year ago. But the attorney said this was stipulated to be given to him eight months after his grandfather’s death if he was still abiding by the stipulations given in the will. “I just can’t believe it. What am I going to do with that?” he asked.

  “Whatever you want to. That part isn’t up to me, and your grandparents didn’t give any specifics. The will states that if you are living in Pine Haven, have reached your twenty-eighth birthday, and still go to church every Sunday, that you will inherit their money and the buildings in town.”

  “Do my parents know about this?”

  “No one knew about this.”

  Andrew rubbed his forehead, wondering how he would tell his parents this kind of news. But who else would he tell? He wasn’t in a relationship and some of his friends might be put off by hearing that he had inherited that large of a sum. No, he would tell his parents, but besides that he would keep it to himself.

  After signing a number of papers and taking more deep breaths than he could count, he walked out of the office and onto Main Street. A few cars passed by, but in the middle of the day on a weekday, the street was pretty quiet. He wasn’t sure what to do with himself, so instead of going back to his office, he ambled down the sidewalk.

  Andrew thought of his grandparents and all the times they had said, “We really shouldn’t spend that money,” or “We’ll just wait and see if we can afford it in six months.” He thought about the older cars they drove and how they asked him to come over and help patch the roof on their house when it leaked. The thought made him laugh out loud. Grandma and Grandpa had billions in the bank and they had their teenage grandson out on the roof. That part seemed perfectly fitting. He had known that they had enough money, but they were the most frugal people he had ever met. Maybe it came from living through the Great Depression. And maybe it was how they came to have money anyway. Either way, it made them seem a little more endearing.

  He smiled as his heart filled with gratitude to his dear departed grandparents and he whispered a prayer that he would be wise with what he had been given.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Lacey Franklin paused outside her apartment door and tugged on her tennis shoe. It felt funny when she took a step, so she turned her foot over and saw the small hole in the bottom. “No!” She yelled to no one but herself. “I can’t buy new shoes right now. Ugh!” She had been preparing to go for a run, but now she went back inside and pulled the shoe off. She walked to the kitchen and threw it in the trash can with a flourish. Then she went to the pantry, pulled out a bag of potato chips, and flopped on the couch. She flipped on the TV and talked to herself. “No one cares what I look like anyway, who needs to go running?”

  Her phone rang and she answered with her mouth full. “Hewwow?”

  “Lacey?” Her best friend Mallory’s voice came over the phone. “What are you doing?”

  Lacey swallowed. “I’m eating a snack. What are you doing?”

  Mallory laughed. “Just calling you from my New York apartment. Fresh in from my honeymoon.”

  Lacey would have rolled her eyes if it were anyone else, but she was so happy for her friend she would put up with the mushy, overly excited call. “Nice! How was Paris?”

  “Amazing,” Mallory’s voice was dreamy. And why wouldn’t it be after two weeks in Paris in lavish hotels with a hunky billionaire husband?

  “Aww, I’m glad for you. How’s Pete?”

  “Pete’s great. But he’s gone to the office.” She giggled. “He’s been good at slowing down and enjoying life, but I think two-and-a-half weeks off from work was pushing his limits.”

  Lacey smiled just picturing her friend sitting in her apartment waiting for her husband to come home from work. “That’s great, Mallory, I’m happy for you.” And she was, really. But she couldn’t help but glance around her small apartment. From her seat on the couch she could see the kitchen, the hallway and the doors to both her one bathroom and one bedroom. The size didn’t matter so much, but everything in the place was hers and hers alone. No roommate, no husband, not even a cat. Not that she wanted a cat. But the days were dragging since she finished teaching her third grade class for the year. She had a few days of professional development training over the summer, but the rest of her break was wide open.

  “Why don’t you come and visit soon?” Mallory seemed to read her mind.

  “I might do that.” Lacey thought of her holey shoes and her skimpy bank account that needed to keep her afloat through the summer months and wasn’t sure she could make that happen. “I’ll have to check my calendar.”

  “You do that and just let me know what works for you. We’ll also be in Pine Haven before long. So I can see you then.”

  “Sounds good, I miss you.”


  “I miss you too. We’ll talk soon.”

  As Mallory hung up, Lacey picked back up the remote that she had dropped on the floor. Maybe I don’t have anybody to spend time with, and maybe I don’t have the money for a summer trip. But I do have my own place and sole-control of the movie choice, she thought. She told herself she was happy with her situation as she decided to lose herself in a sappy romantic comedy and think about the rest of her summer later.

  * * *

  Andrew wandered down Main Street, pausing to stop at buildings along the way. His family owned just about every third building. Everyone in town knew that The Hartley Company had been a big influence on growing the town in its early days. But no one had guessed that the small town family had the resources Andrew knew about now. He had dreamed for several years about revitalizing the downtown area. He figured if his family started with their buildings, the other owners would follow. He could just see new businesses, restaurants, and shops moving into the spaces. Only a few months ago, he had told his parents, “With updates to the buildings we could really turn the area into a wonderful new space, not only for locals, but a tourist destination too.” At the time, he had been hoping to find investors to start the venture with him. What he hadn’t dreamed was that he actually had the money to do whatever he wanted.

  Now he felt like he was looking at each space with new eyes, because what he wanted to do was possible. And the new question was, where to start? He had an idea, but wanted to talk it over with someone who was a pro at business investments.

  “Excuse me, are you lost?” Hudson Jennings walked across the sidewalk and met Andrew with a grin.

  “You know, I just might be.”

  Hudson clapped him on the shoulder. “Nah, I think you know exactly where you’re headed.”

  Andrew smiled at the man who was just a few years older than him. But with years of experience in investing in companies and seeing them grow. When Andrew had approached him to discuss some business ideas, the two had become fast friends. “Do you mind if we walk and talk? I have a few things I’d like to get your thoughts on.”

  “Sure.” Hudson fell into step with Andrew as they walked towards the end of the sidewalk.

  “So you know my family owns most of these buildings.” Andrew gestured toward both sides of the street.

  “I’ve heard rumors about that.”

  Andrew grinned. “It’s true.” He pointed. “This one here, and those two with the blue shutters across the street, and a few more down that way.”

  “I see,” Hudson rubbed his chin as if waiting to hear what Andrew would say next.

  “For a long time I’ve wanted to do a sort of face-lift of the buildings. A few of them have tenants, but not all of them. I think if we do some work and try to revitalize the downtown area we could make some great improvement. Ultimately, that could bring in new business and draw people to downtown.” He rushed all the words out and let out the breath he was holding.

  Hudson looked thoughtful. “Sounds like you have a lot of ideas. What buildings, and what specific improvements are you wanting to make?”

  “Take this building, here.” Andrew turned and faced the building they stood in front of. “It was built in the 1940s and has only had a few updates. The plumbing is old, the heating and air are outdated. I don’t even think it’s wired for the Internet. I don’t want to change the structure of this because it’s historical, but if we could update the inside and set it up as an office building, or a storefront, or even a restaurant…really there are plenty of opportunities.”

  “Alright, what else?”

  “There are other buildings in town. And even property where we could build something new, specifically around the town green.” He pointed across the town square where a large lawn spread the width of a football field. “We could have an entertainment area or park, or something.”

  “Mmhmm.” Hudson looked from The Green, as everyone referred to it, to the buildings on Main Street, and back again before he looked at Andrew. “It sounds like you have an overarching idea, but nothing really specific. Does that sound right?”

  Andrew sighed. “Yes, exactly. That’s why I wanted to talk to you. I have a ten-thousand-feet vision, but I don’t know how to bring that down to earth to come up with an actual plan.”

  Hudson squared his feet and faced Andrew. “Let me ask you this. Are you asking me because you’re looking for investors?”

  “No, I’m not. I thought I might be, at one point. But I’m just asking your opinion because I need help from a friend.”

  “That’s fine. And I would be happy to talk with you as an investor, I just wanted to know what we were talking about here.”

  “Of course.”

  Hudson put his hands on his hips. “Here’s what I would do. Start with one building. Pick an idea that seems the most beneficial, or the most profitable, or just means the most to you. Think about your goal for one building and let that be your starting off point. And ask yourself what your real goal is. Is it to just update some plumbing and electrical? Is it to make Pine Haven the next big thing? Is it to draw in new local business or big companies?”

  Andrew shook his head quickly. “I don’t want to lose the small town feel of Pine Haven.”

  Hudson smiled. “I hope not. That’s what brought me here from New York, in the first place. I’m sure you want to keep the heritage of the town. But just think about what your goal is and then pick the place you want to start.”

  Andrew knew right away what that place was. “Thanks Hudson, I think I know what I need to do.”

  “Great,” Hudson patted his shoulder. “Now then, since that’s all settled, why don’t we talk about you joining our trivia team on Thursday night?”

  Andrew smiled. “What kind of incentives can you offer me?” He was known as a trivia buff, and for the Thursday Trivia Night at the coffee shop, he was a sought after team mate.

  “The best company of the night! Our table is fun, if nothing else. I can also promise that you’ll get your time in the spotlight since most of us aren’t very good at answering the questions.”

  “Who else is on your team?”

  “Me and Shannon,” he spoke of his wife. “And whatever friend she ropes into joining us that night.”

  Andrew laughed. “I’ll think about it.”

  “Next week?”

  “Sure, why not?”

  “I’ll hold you to it.”

  Hudson and Andrew said their goodbyes, and Hudson went back the way they had come. But Andrew wasn’t done with his planning just yet.

  He came to the end of the sidewalk and crossed the street to The Green. A few kids were playing on the playground and a group of teenagers were tossing a frisbee back and forth. A family was spread out on a picnic blanket enjoying the early days of summer. A twinge of jealousy washed over him as he wondered if he would ever have someone to share a picnic with. But he pushed it away and continued to the other side of The Green where a small, brick building sat. A sidewalk, barely wide enough for one person, led up to the door and he made his way there. The door stuck when he pulled on it, but a few yanks and it came open with a noise much too loud for the library inside.

  He let the door close behind him and as he walked through the entryway, the familiar scent tickled his nose. If anything could smell like books, it was this building. He walked past the circulation desk, which no one sat behind. He glanced over it to see the computer that was out of date and the paper cards that were still used for check out. He shook his head as he made his way to the shelves of books in the back section. The entire library fit in the room that wasn’t much bigger than his living room at home. He was glancing at the books, most of which were worn, when he heard a noise from the back shelf. It sounded like someone dropped a stack of books. He took the three steps to the back and peeked around. “Are you alright?”

  A young woman with her back to him sat in the middle of the stack of books. Andrew guessed that was the noise he had
heard. A step stool was in the middle of the aisle and Andrew glanced from the woman to the top shelf, where he saw that the entire row was empty.

  She laughed. “Yeah, I’m fine. I guess I’m a little too short to put books back up there.” She turned to look at him.

  Andrew realized who it was. Lacey Franklin had attended the same high school, and he’d known her from a distance for years, but didn’t think she knew him. For just a second he thought she recognized him, but he told himself that wasn’t true. He smiled, seeing that she was alright. But his words stuck in his throat. “Do you…umm, do you need help?”

  “I’m pretty sure I’m supposed to be asking if I can help you.”

  “Oh?” He raised his eyebrows.

  “Of course,” she jumped up and smiled as she proudly pointed to her name tag that read, “Library Staff.”

  “Oh, I see.” He cleared his throat, hoping his nerves wouldn’t show through his voice. “Surely, no one will mind if I put a few books back.”

  “Sure,” she bent and picked up a few books and handed them to him. Andrew stepped up on the step stool and easily reached to place them on the top shelf. They made quick work of putting things back in order and then he stepped down.

  “So now that’s done. Can I help you find anything, Andrew?”

  When she used his name, he lowered his eyebrows and snapped his head to look her in the face.

  Her eyes went wide and she quickly said, “Isn’t it Andrew? Sorry, sometimes I get names mixed up.”

  “No, you’re right, it’s Andrew. I’m sorry, I um, I just didn’t…”

  She waved a hand in the air. “That’s alright, I just know you from town. We went to high school together. I’m Lacey. I’m a friend of Pete and Mallory’s.”

  “Yes, of course.” He told himself he should tell her he knew her, but he was afraid that would make it more awkward. “Umm, I…” He stuttered as he looked at her. He could feel his brain locking up, leaving him no words.

  “It’s alright, I’m just good at remembering faces. Especially ones I like.” Her eyes went wide again. “I mean, of people who are nice to me, I mean nice.” She covered her face with her hands. “I promise I’m not a stalker. I just remember people. You were at Pete and Mallory’s wedding, so if you’re friends with them, you must be nice.”