Blue glared at Rocky and puffed out his chest. “Jo couldn’t be in better hands.”
“I really am fine,” Jo assured Rocky. “I’ll let you out the front door. We can talk more about the projections tomorrow.”
When she turned back to Blue, she said, “You didn’t have to run him off.”
“Yeah, well, sorry I interrupted your—whatever that was.”
She stopped short of saying they were only friends because what if someday they weren’t? Anything could happen, not that it had yet. There was a time, not so long ago, when she would have bet on Blue. Yet look where they were now. She wasn’t sure why he’d even bothered to come here.
She returned to the stool in front of the laptop. “Why did you stop by?”
Blue sat beside her and glanced at the laptop screen. She didn’t close it. She was tired of carrying this burden alone, and if their makeup dinner had yielded anything, it was that she would be honest with him from now on.
“How bad is it?” he asked quietly, disregarding her question.
Jo unwrapped the sandwich and took a bite. She chewed slowly, buying herself a few seconds.
She would speak as plainly as she could, without drama. She didn’t want Blue’s sympathy or for him to solve her problem. She only wanted him to understand the situation.
She put her sandwich down. “Here’s where I am. The manufacturer I was dealing with took my money and gave me inferior coffee. I severed the contract, and Rocky’s lawyer friend is working on recovering what he can, but I’m not counting on it. So now I have a second mortgage on the diner and nothing to show for it. The diner is profitable, but not enough to cover both the first and second mortgages. The new coffee project must generate revenue as soon as possible. That’s what Rocky is helping me with.”
Blue was quiet for a few moments. She could see him processing the situation, the way he did when he was on a call and assessing a scene, taking it all in before responding.
“I didn’t like seeing him here with you.”
“Well, do you know how to read this monster spreadsheet?”
He shook his head. “Wish I did. Bottom line, how much do you owe?”
She told him, no longer embarrassed at the situation as she would have been before Rocky helped her.
Blue didn’t flinch, but his hand formed a tight fist.
“Relax, I’m not asking you for money.” Still, he looked tense.
“And the crowdfunder—when does that launch?”
“Soon. I’m working on the campaign page and promotional ideas with Maileah. Junie has suppliers lined up for merchandise, and Rocky built these financial projections. But even if it fully funds on day one, which it won’t, the money takes time to come through. And I need to order coffee beans and supplies before I can fulfill orders.”
Blue tapped the screen. “What about the line of credit I see on that spreadsheet?”
“I have a meeting at the bank next week.” Jo took another bite of the sandwich. “The bank might lend to me, or it might not. My debt-to-income ratio isn’t great right now, thanks to the second mortgage.”
Blue only nodded. He was listening, which she appreciated.
Then he said, “Jo, I have an idea. And I need you to hear me out before you react.”
She pushed the sandwich aside. “I’m listening.”
“What if you didn’t have to carry all of this?” he said. “The diner, the mortgage, the coffee line, all of it. What if you could step back and take a breath?”
Jo narrowed her eyes. “What on earth are you talking about?”
“You could sell the diner.”
The words landed between them like glass splintering.
“Sell the diner?” she repeated, making sure she’d heard right. She could feel her blood pressure rising.
