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Before she could reach him, Remi swung her around. “I looked for you at the tenth and twentieth high school reunion. Why didn’t you show up?”
“You were the popular one. Not me. Nobody missed me.” She smiled up at Remi. They were in the same grade, and he’d been protective of her from the first day we all walked to school together.
“I missed you.” He stepped back, openly admiring her. “You looking good, Spirit. Real good.”
“We have work to do,” I interjected before Remi made his move. She was mine, and I would make that even more transparent to my brothers once the meeting ended.
Spirit finally looked at me and straightened her shoulders, and the warmth she’d just shared with my brothers became cold. “Jace.”
Shit. She really didn’t like me. “Spirit.” I decided to use her real name. I noticed that she seemed to appreciate it when Remi did it. “Take a seat, and I’ll explain.”
She took a seat next to Langston. “No need. Seeing the three of you here, I think I know what LB Industries stands for now: Legendary Brothers, right? You are the board, so I don’t have a chance to be heard.” We’d become known as the Legendary Brothers in the sports world once it became evident that Langston was destined for the NBA.
Langston quickly said, “We all own the company, Jace doesn’t have the final say.”
I narrowed my eyes at my brother, who’d just told me yesterday that he approved my proposal. “Yet, neither of my brothers can present proposals to help your restaurant thrive.”
She pulled several manila folders from her leather bag, “I did some slight revisions on the business plan I first presented to you. I can have the restaurant open at four instead of in the morning. Our focus will be on Happy Hour and dinner. We won’t need more staff, and I’ll make enough profit to breathe. You can find another location and build the restaurant you want.”
I hunched forward. “You’re that close-minded to cannabis that you won’t even consider it? Or are you that stubborn that you’ll bite the hand trying to feed you because you’re stuck on something that happened in high school?”
She sat up straighter, and her voice squeaked, “What?”
“I said what I said. You’re allowing the past to interfere with a hell of a proposal.”
“You’re asking me to make my church-going grandmother’s vision into something she would never agree to.” She pointed to the folder in front of him. “You haven’t even opened the folder. Are you that stubborn that you can’t consider another option?”
I pushed her folder away from me. “Told you if I invest, it’s my numbers.”
Remi, who’d been studying the folder's contents, shook his head slowly. “This will only save money in the short term. You’ll lose more profit eventually by only opening in the evening. Your area gets foot traffic all day. People walk back and forth on that strip, and you’ll lose potential customers.”
She looked at Langston, so hopeful, I almost relented. But I knew the business and didn’t want to see her fail. She had the perfect location to become one of the hottest spots in Houston. Langston looked at her. “What is your opposition to changing the name? I get not wanting to have a menu with cannabis-infused dishes, but what’s wrong with Embers, especially when you want to add a bar? Café and cocktails don’t usually go together.”
“My grandmother gave me that name. Do you know how it feels to actually live your dream, and then it vanishes before you can truly enjoy it? I studied culinary in France before deciding that I needed to be practical and worked for years in a career I hated. Once I gave up my job and found the perfect space for my restaurant, I called it Café Kimble in honor of the woman who gave me my love of cooking. I am proud, but not how you think, and it’s not because it’s your idea.” She finally looked at me.
I inhaled and exhaled before calmly replying, “I mean no disrespect to you or your grandmother, but Café Kimble doesn’t go with the ambiance or the menu. Maybe we can list those items without cannabis under that name on our menu. Even if we scrap the weed aspect of the restaurant, the name doesn’t work with the planned renovations.”
Her pretty brown eyes sparkled as she rose like the regal queen she was. “Then I guess I’ll find other investors to believe in my vision. Thank you. It really was good seeing everyone from the neighborhood.”
We were stunned as she hugged my brothers and nodded at me. Once, she walked out of the room with her head held high. Remi said, “Go after her. Fix it. Now.”
I tightened my jaw and rushed out and into the elevator as it closed. Spirit looked up surprised and immediately crossed her arms protectively. “Listen, no one is going to invest. We only did it because we knew you. Your business plan won’t cut it, not for that neighborhood. Your soul food place is a good idea for the Third Ward, where our people hang out, but not in Midtown, where all walks of life pass through. Midtown is one of the most diverse and trendiest areas in the country, and we have to change with the market. I don’t know how you lucked up with this property, but it’s a potential gold mine. Within a year, two tops, you’ve repaid me. Then it’s truly yours.”
Dully, she stared at me.
“You have nothing to say?”
“You were a quarterback. What if your dream team asks you to be on their team but as a kicker? You’re not the captain anymore, but have to follow someone else. Would you still join the team or stay where you are with the team that knows your value and respects you as a leader, even if it’s a losing team?”
The elevator landed on the ground floor, and I pressed stop to block her path. “We’re not getting off this elevator until you agree to let me invest in your restaurant.”
“Then I hope you don’t have to pee because I can hold mine for eight hours.” She quirked a brow and triumphantly smiled.
“You’re so damn beautiful. It’s insane no man has snatched you up and locked you down and thrown away the key.” I leaned against the wall opposite her.
Spirit tilted her head, assessing me from head to toe. “Is that your go-to when you want a woman to do what you want? Make her feel good. Kiss her. Tell her she’s pretty.”
“Waiting for a thank you.” I grinned.
