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“Thanks, guys,” said Tori. “I’m so glad to be able to talk to you about it. Obviously, we haven’t made any real decisions yet, but we think we’re going to do it.”
She looked at Xander and he nodded. He didn’t take over, though. He liked seeing her so eager to talk about it and was keen to hear what she had to say.
She looked at Taryn. “If we do this, we’ll be your neighbors. So, I think it’s only right to pick your brain from the beginning.” Her smile faded. “And to ask if you’d have any objections.”
Taryn frowned. “Objections? Why would I?”
“Because we wouldn’t keep it as a wine bar.”
“You’re thinking of a restaurant?” Taryn asked.
“No. A sports bar! There’s only a tiny food prep area – and I wouldn’t want to run a full-blown restaurant anyway. We’d stick with bar snack type food – it makes sense to feed the customers to keep them around longer, but we’re not talking about anything that would be competition for you.”
Xander hoped that Taryn wouldn’t have a problem with that. She struck him as the type who would be a formidable foe.
She took her time to think it over for a few moments, and he was relieved when she smiled again.
“That makes sense. We can probably complement each other. There’s definitely room for the both of us.”
“Phew! For a minute there I was worried that we were done before we even started,” said Tori.
Taryn reached across the bar and touched her arm. “That right there tells me all I need to know. The fact that you’d talk to me so openly means that we’ll do just fine.” She looked up when a big group came in. “Sorry, but I need to go and take care of them. How about you give me a call after you’ve talked to your mom? It’s probably best that you do that first, anyway.”
“Thanks, I will.”
“Dalton, would you give her my number?”
“Sure thing, darlin’.”
Damon produced a notepad and pen, and Dalton scribbled a number on it and gave it to Tori. Then, he took a second page and wrote another number, which he handed to Xander.
“Now you can get ahold of either of us whenever you want.”
“Thanks,” said Xander.
Damon slid another number across the bar to him. “Here’s mine, too. Happy to help if you want me.”
Dalton scowled at him. “This is your bar.”
Damon laughed. “I know! I’m not going anywhere. I’m just offering my help if these guys want it while they find their feet.”
“Thanks again,” said Xander.
Dalton jerked his chin toward a couple who were sitting at the other end of the bar. “That’s a guy you might want to talk to. Nate: I don’t know if he’s the one who deals with the leases, but he’s on the management team for the Plaza. I obviously don’t know the details of Rachel’s lease, but I’m guessing that you’ll need to talk to them about that.”
“Thanks,” said Xander. He wasn’t sure that he wanted to approach the guy right now – not while he was out for a drink with his woman.
He watched as Damon went to serve them another drink. Nate looked over and met his gaze with a smile. Xander nodded in return. A moment later, Damon came back and handed him a card.
“Nate said to give him a call when you’re ready.”
Xander grinned. “Thanks guys – for everything. Would you do me a favor, Damon, and put their drinks on my tab?”
Dalton chuckled. “I think you guys are going to fit in around here just fine.”
Chapter Nineteen
“Are you sure you don’t want me to hang around?” Xander asked.
