The Art of the Flip
Amber had a long day planned today. She had to go to Blue Serene Lake Resort and make sure the docks were up to her standards; she needed to then check on the third phase of her boutique. One of the rooms there was going to be the Blue Poppy, and another was going to be the Botswana Agate State Room. She was rather excited about them both. She had to see to the teahouse design and then check on the bakery.
After the Blue Serene, she was to meet Dan for lunch, then they were going to go to the warehouse to oversee the construction for their new laser tag endeavor. Finally, she had to go to the second Trace Progressive property she was currently overseeing; it was a large business center. They had already begun the remodeling and placed the new schematics on the Trace Progressive website. They would have an exclusive nail-facial salon that would have a full liquor, meat and cheese, bread, and dessert bars with a central lounge area featuring charging centers, TVs, and luxurious seating. They would rent out the rest of the spaces.
Just as she thought this, she received an email.
"Good morning, Mrs. Lance-Trace. My name is Edith Simmons and I saw the new business center that Trace Progressive is remodeling. I am very interested in opening a high-end scent gallery and I feel location A1 in your business park would be perfect."
Amber's eyes widened. A scent gallery would be a fantastic addition to the high-end business center they were planning. She quickly replied to Mrs. Simmons—without finishing her email—and scheduled a meeting for the next day.
Everything went smoothly at Blue Serene Lake, with the icing on the cake being the arrival of the bookends from the Himalayas. They were so beautiful that she had been stunned into silence for a long while. The dissection of the fossil had been beautifully accented with lapis lazuli that shone a beautiful blue against the vibrant, shiny bases of ebony with bright gold veins.
She videoed the unboxing and sent it to Dan. She then made a decision and took them to the Blue Poppy room and reverently placed them on a wide shelf in the sitting room that looked out over the lake. This shelf offered books on the Himalayas, minerals found there, lapis lazuli, and the ancient geography of the region. They were all books that Amber had rebound in lavish materials to give them a luxurious feel.
She met Dan for an early lunch at Calvin's restaurant. They had the restaurant's—now famous—breakfast. They had a variation of Shakshuka with grilled avocado and crusty sourdough and flatbread from BonBons Sereins bakery.
Amber looked up at Dan. "It is almost like being in the Mediterranean all over again."
He smiled. "Calvin truly is a good chef. The avocado is very good. I need to order him some sea buckthorn and see what he can do with it." His eyes gleamed with the idea and Amber giggled quietly into her food.
After lunch, they drove to the industrial park. The warehouse was a hive of activity, with the hum of power saws and the smell of fresh paint filling the air. As they stepped onto the polished concrete, Mark Jacobs hurried over with a tablet.
"Mrs. Lance-Trace, we have a slight bottleneck," Mark said, looking concerned. "The outdoor 'Urban Jungle' course is hitting a snag. The sensors for the perimeter wall are getting too much interference from the neighboring metal siding of the warehouse next door. Every time a truck passes, the system thinks someone has been tagged."
Amber didn't hesitate. She walked out to the courtyard, her heels clicking with authority. She studied the high-tech mesh fencing and the way the afternoon sun bounced off the galvanized steel.
"It's a reflection and grounding issue," Amber said, her biochemical and engineering background merging effortlessly. "We don't need to move the wall. Spray the interior of that perimeter fence with a matte, non-conductive polymer coating. It will dampen the signal bounce. And for the sensors, let's recalibrate the infrared frequency to a tighter band. It'll ignore the external vibration from the trucks."
Mark blinked, scribbling notes. "Brilliant. I'll get the tech team on that immediately."
They moved back inside to the second mission area, designed like a futuristic cyberpunk city. Amber paused by the "Bank Vault" objective. "Mark, why is the ventilation shaft positioned so low in the wall?"
"It was for easier access during maintenance," Mark explained.
Amber shook her head. "No. This mission is called 'The High Heist.' The shaft needs to be elevated so players have to use the magnetic climbing pads we're installing. It adds to the immersion. If it's too easy, they won't come back to beat their high scores. Move it up six feet and integrate it into the catwalk system."
Dan watched her from the sidelines, his Solos capturing the way she commanded the space. He whispered into his microphone for the vlog, "You guys see this? She's a force of nature. Every detail matters."
Finally, they reached the café area, which Amber had dubbed The Fuel Station. She had insisted on a dual-access design. One side opened into the high-energy neon glow of the laser tag lobby, but the other side featured large, industrial glass garage doors that opened directly onto the street.
"I want the warehouse workers from the surrounding blocks to feel like this is their local spot," Amber explained as she showed Dan the layout. "We're doing heavy, protein-rich 'Power Bowls' and artisanal coffee. The interior side is all sleek and neon for the players, but this street-facing side has reclaimed wood and warm lighting. It's a refuge for the workers."
She pointed to a central glass-enclosed kitchen. "They can watch the sourdough being baked fresh. People work hard in this district, Dan. They deserve more than a vending machine or a greasy food truck. If we give them quality, they'll become the heartbeat of this location during the week, while the gamers take over on the weekends."
Dan reached out and squeezed her hand, looking at the bustling construction with a sense of awe. "You're not just flipping a building, Am. You're building a community."
She leaned into him for a brief second before her phone buzzed again with a construction update. "I'm just making sure our investment is foolproof, Dan. Trace Progressive doesn't do 'mediocre.'"