Chapter 21
Jaxson
“Ithinkthe limo business should be sold,” I say, following behind Gramps, as he walks through the villa, making sure the movers grabbed everything they want to take withthem.
“And why is that?” he asks, spinning around to faceme.
“Well,” I stammer, “it’s just that I noticed the number of clients are dwindling, and it will cost more to keep the business up and running than it will to sell it. Besides, the other drivers have already mentioned they had to go elsewhere part-time since we just don’t have the hours to givethem.”
Gramps looks up at me, his eyes full of scrutiny, and says nothing but, “Hmm, interesting,” then turns on his heels, continuing his sweep of thevilla.
Following close behind him, I wonder what his replymeans.
We finally end up in the kitchen, a few minutes later, the café-style table being the only piece of furniture of theirs left in the house. Some furniture pieces I ordered have already arrived. More will cometomorrow.
He pulls out a chair and takes a seat, gesturing for me to do thesame.
His mouth opens, but nothing comes out at first other than a long sigh. “How was your date last night?” he asks, tapping his fingers on thetable.
I lean back in my chair, a smile emerging at the thought of me and Lauren last night. “It was great, Gramps. Thanks for recommendingShang Palace. She lovedit.”
He nods. “Good, I’m glad it went well. She’s a great gal, and one of Chic Limos most loyal clients. Most of the others, on the other hand, have gone to Uber’s black car service.” He takes in a sharp breath. “The subject of selling the business is something I have been battling now for months, years really. I thought if I stepped back, allowed someone—you—to come in and tell me I needed to sell, the decision would come easier”—he lowers his gaze—“but turns out, itdoesn’t.”
I square my shoulders and say, “Gramps, if you really want me to continue to operatethe—”
“No no”—he waves a dismissive hand—“you’re absolutely right. The cost of operations far exceeds profits and I have to learn to let it go. Cut my losses now, before it drains my pockets. And I know, if I sell, the next person will most likely run into the same problems. So I think it’s best to just close the business and sell the towncars.”
His revelation could not have come easy; it takes a lot to pour yourself into a business, especially one from the ground up, so to speak. At the same time, no one should waste time spinning wheels on something that won’t yield a return. Times are changing and what once was obviously a thriving opportunity, is now just anexistence.
“Sorry, Gramps,” I say, now drumming my fingers on thetable.
“Oh, no…don’t you feel bad. I probably needed to hear a second opinion, confirming what I had already known to be the right decision. Will you take care of selling thecars?”
I nod. “Of course. And, I’ll reach out to the drivers. But, I think perhaps you can reach out to the few remainingclients?”
He lifts one bushy brow. “And Lauren Blake? What about her? She depends on the service; she’ll never Uber. And she won’t drive her own car although I never bothered to ask herwhy.”
“I’ll figure out something with Lauren, even if I have to pick her up all on my own everyday.” I smile, knowing that’s probably exactly what I’lldo.
Gramps passes me a probing look. “You really like her, don’t you? I can see it in your eyes, at the mere mention of hername.”
I can’t hide my grin. “Yeah, I think I do like her. A lot in fact. But she’s a hard case tocrack.”
Gramps leans in and says, “So areyou.”
We bothchuckle.
“What are you going to do now, Jaxson. I mean, this is your house now, seeing as how we did give you this early inheritance. So I am assuming you’ll stay, even though the business is out of thepicture.”
I shrug. “You know, I don’t really know yet. I mean, I won’t worry too much about money. I have some in the bank and get paid for residuals in shows I was in. But who knows what I want now. My agent keeps calling. Maybe I’ll call him back to see what he wants. I know for sure I am not doing another version ofDate Me, Then MarryMe.”
Gramps laughs. “Yeah, please steer clear of thatgarbage.”
We sit and chat about Nana’s new art gallery, their new house, and my plans to take a train ride to visit them soon. Then Gramps makes calls to all of the clients, other than Lauren, to make them aware that Chic Limos is no longer open for business. I can tell what a relief it is for him to let go. Then he sets out to head back to the South of France, eager to begin his new chapter withNana.
The sun beamsdown on my face, as I sit in the vegetable garden, contemplating what a NYC boy like me is gonna do with all these veggies. Sure, they’re good to eat, but I’ll be damned if I turn into garden boy. It’s close to noon now, the time ticking away slowly, especially since I didn’t have a certain lady to drive around today. She’s working from home, but I assured her I’d be available in case she needed a lift somewhere. Gramps hasn’t told her about the business closing; he left that conversation for me. Not that it will effect her. I’ll drive her wherever she needs togo.
Yep, I’ve got it pretty bad for Icy HotPrincess.
And spending time with her last night, only made it worse. I wanted so bad to finish that kiss as we stood on that deck overlooking the city. But I didn’t. I want to give her more time to warm up to me. Something tells me she still has hopes for her and the jerk who stood her up. We all tend to fall for those who are so verywrong.
God knows Idid.
Hopefully time will show Lauren Blake, Mr. Right from Mr. AllWrong.
