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I'm sitting in a coffee shop in downtown Denver and I don't know a single person here. Everyone walking by on the sidewalk outside is a stranger. I don't know anyone for miles and miles.
I don't have to worry about someone coming up to me and asking for help with something or asking me if I'm serious about Cherry. I'm pretty much invisible. Even the barista, taking my order, barely looked at me.
It's the break I told Cherry I want and I should be enjoying it.
Instead, I'm thinking about Cherry and wishing I was there to help her and Josephine with the farm. I'm worried about who will break up the fight if Bert and Myrna get into it over the parking lot again.
I'm worried because it's Saturday, and it snowed overnight, so the kids are going to be pushing to sled on the sledding hill and the locals are going to pitch a fit.
Logically, I know the town will survive without me, but… Damn it. They aren't going to survive without me. I hold that town together.
I tap my fingers on the table. My meeting isn't for another hour, but I don't know what the hell there is to do in this city.
I'm right next door to the office building where I'll be discussing the expansion opportunity and the last thing I need is to get lost and end up being late for the meeting.
Instead, I text Cherry again to ask how the day is going. She's meeting Josephine at the farm about now, so she probably hasn't answered me because she's busy. Also, because I'm just her fuck buddy and don't merit constant communication.
It's only been a week and a half that I've been in her bed, but it felt weird to sleep alone in the hotel last night. I had the urge to call and talk to her until I fell asleep, but that felt too much like a boyfriend thing to do.
Another crowd of people walks into the coffee shop and the volume increases exponentially. It's too loud and stuffy in here. I take my coffee and head outside.
Traffic races up and down the street and people fill the sidewalk, all in a hurry to get to one place or another. There are a lot of shops in this beautiful downtown area and the foot traffic indicates it would be a great place for my candy store.
There's no seating area or park in sight, so I walk to the end of the street, turn around and come back, people watching and getting a feel for the place. While also checking my phone every two minutes to see if Cherry's gotten in touch.
On my five millionth walk up and down the street, I see two men in suits standing outside the building we've discussed as a possibility for the candy store. One of them I recognize from multiple virtual meetings, the other is a tall, lean man with dreadlocks. Even though this has been in the works for nearly a year, I didn't believe it would ever really happen.
Mitchell Branton smiles and sticks out his hand. His tan is a little too perfect to be real, his hair is carefully mussed hair, and his smile is too white. "Xavier. It's good to finally meet in person."
I shake his hand. "Thanks for the opportunity."
"Thank you. My team and I love what you're doing with candy and this re-branding you've done is perfection. It's exactly what I needed to convince some more hesitant members of the team to back you."
I don't remind him that his advice had been to cut out all the Christmas from my store to make the brand more universally appealing. I don't tell him he's the reason my sales sank last quarter. It's a flashing red sign that I shouldn't work with this guy, but I haven't gotten any better offers. I might as well hear him out.
"I had help. An amazing brand designer named—"
"This is Vincent Treat. He's the realtor who's going to be showing us this place today."
My phone vibrates in my pocket, but I ignore it. Hopefully, it's Cherry checking in. And hopefully, I'll have good news to share with her after this meeting.
"Nice to meet you." Vincent's smile is distant, professional, not wanting to get too involved. His expensive-looking suit, cut to fit his body precisely, makes it clear he's good at his job. "Are you ready to see your new store?"
He unlocks the door and Mitchell and I follow him inside. The interior is dim, the front windows aren't huge like in Yuletide, but the space is enormous, with lots of room for candy displays. There's even a kitchen in the back.
"This is great," I say after Vincent has given us the tour. "I can't believe it's going for so little, considering the location and the size of it."
"It's a bit more than I projected." Mitchell clears his throat. "Rent is about three times what we'd hoped, but if you're going to make this expansion work, you're going to need a location that brings in a good revenue."
I stare at him. "That's not what we agreed to. I can't cover that kind of rent." And taking more money from him would mean giving him a bigger chunk of the business. I don't trust him or his advice enough to want to give him more control of my business. "I've saved for years for this expansion, and I'm not going to go that far into debt to make it happen."
"We'll need to bring in more players." Mitchell is way too relaxed about this idea, talking like he'd already decided on this track. "But it's totally doable and I guarantee you'll see profits within the first three months that will more than cover the rent."
I cross my arms over my chest, my stomach sinking. "There's no way this place is going to be available long enough for me to find other investors."
"He's right." Vincent looks at his phone, navigating quickly with his thumbs. "I had two calls about it while I was showing you around."
"Look." Mitchell steps way too close, his breath smelling like onions and stale coffee. "Don't worry about a thing. Between the two of us, we've got enough for the first month and the security deposit."
