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“Sofia,” I whimper and try to get up, but Roger pushes me back down. I shake my head, the belligerent drunk that I am. “No. Sofia’s waiting. I have to go.”
“You’ll go in the morning, buddy,” Fritz says, and he no longer sounds mad.
“Okay,” I say, hugging a pillow to my middle.
“Fuck, man,” Fritz says.
“Yeah. Fuck,” Roger agrees.
I drift off again to dreams of Sofia.
TWENTY-FOUR
Sofia
“David?” I say when he picks up the phone.
“Hi, Sofia. Great to hear from you. Have you come to a decision about franchising?”
“No, um. I was wondering...if you still wanted to buy, would you be willing to be only part owner?”
“Yes! I didn’t include it in the proposal because you seemed pretty set on not selling.”
“I know—”
“Listen, I’m in town. Why don’t we sit down and chat in person?”
“You’re here?”
“Yeah. KC is a booming market with tremendous growth potential.La Oficinaisn’t my only interest in town. I’ll be over in an hour.”
That surprises the hell out of me. After looking him up, I know David Price is a wealthy and important restaurateur and club owner with business interests from coast to coast. And now he has his eye set on the heartland.
“Actually—um, I don’t want my staff to see you just yet. Can we meet elsewhere?”
“Sure.”
“There’s a café on Westport Road I really like. I’ll see you in an hour.”
* * *
David looksevery bit the ruthless businessman he is when he shows up. He wears a blue pin-striped suit, is clean-shaven, and keeps smiling like he has already won—though the single diamond stud on his ear seems out of place. For the first time, I’m unsettled about a business deal. What am I getting myself into? Is he as nice as he seems, or am I about to sell half of my bar to the devil? My hands get clammy, and I wipe them on my jeans under the table.
Suddenly, my stomach warms up into a wave of nausea that I am sure isn’t Spawn’s doing.Breathe, Sofia, I coach myself.You’ll be able to buy a house. Spawn can have a yard and a dog, or whatever it wants.I want Spawn to have the stability of growing up in the same house, not moving around like I did all my life growing up. I can do this for him or her. I just have to get through this meeting.
David sips his coffee, all while studying my face. “So, what are you thinking?”
“I, um—” I clear my throat. “My circumstances have changed. Would you be interested in part ownership?”
“Yes. I very much would, though I’d still like to franchise on top of that.”
I smile. That is a good chunk of change on its own. This could work. “Amend your proposal and email it to me. We can negotiate from there.”
“It’ll be in your inbox by the end of the week. I’ll even throw in a sweetener,” he says and flashes me those shiny pearly whites. “I’ll only propose a 49% buy. You can retain control over everything, and the Price Group can includeLa Oficinain its roster.”
I tilt my head to the side as I take in his features, trying to read him. His posture is relaxed, his smile natural as it spreads to his eyes. The offer for me to retain control is unexpected. My greatest fear in selling is having corporate goons sucking the soul out of the place, but he is giving me reassurances that none of that will happen.
“It’s sounding too good to be true, David. I’m not sure that reassures me—”
