Two characteristics were fairly easy for Jasmyn to admit about herself to herself without thinking she was obnoxiously tooting her own horn.
One, her memory was good.
Two, her heart was good. She felt compassion for most of the people she knew, including the townspeople who were not so nice to her after she sold the land.
Her memory and heart combined made her a good waitress. She hoped they would make her at least an average business owner who gave to the community and paid her own bills.
The only drawback now sat across the wide conference table from her and Quinn in a downtown Rockville office building. His name was Nick Bloome. He did not have a room in her good heart, not even a corner in a closet. And in his presence, her good memory was turning to oatmeal.
He smiled his phony smile. The straight, white teeth she used to admire seemed yellow. The uniquely shaped nose—broken twice when he was a wrestler—that had intrigued her now, almost, nauseated her. The thatch of unruly black hair looked plain messy on a guy in a black suit and gold tie.
He said, “Jazzie, you with us?”
She blinked, long and slow. Why had she agreed to this? True, he was the best local business consultant. True, Danno was his client and highly recommended him. True, she and Quinn needed his input and expertise. But still…
“Sure.”
Quinn stood abruptly. “Will you excuse me, please? I’m going to the ladies’ room.” She sent a glare in Jasmyn’s direction and scooted out the door, closing it firmly behind herself.
A clock ticked. A distant train whistle blared.
At last Jasmyn looked at him. “I don’t think this is going to work. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. I’m sorry.” His brown eyes—the ones that used to seem so romantic—reminded her of a doe’s. Not a buck’s. A doe’s.
He was soft. Nothing at all like Keagan.
“I’m sorry for everything.”
By that, she supposed he meant for dumping her when he got Becka Piehl pregnant. Surely he wasn’t sorry for his marriage and his one and one-on-the-way children or for his successful business.
She sighed. “Nick, I’m not angry or hurt anymore. It was for the best for both of us. But there’s this…” She waved her hand between them.
“Baggage. I understand.”
“I think I’ll leave now.” She stood.
“Wait. Please.” He gathered papers and folders together. “I need to tell you something. You’ll hear it soon, but maybe not soon enough. You did not hear this from me, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Two gung-ho type guys wanted to buy the Pig.”
“Danno told me that.”
“Well, when he told them that you had dibs, they made other plans. You know the empty lots on the other side of the bank?”
She nodded.
“These guys are building two restaurants. Somehow they’ve managed to keep things hush-hush. In a couple of weeks, the town council will most likely approve their plans. They’re set to go after that. And no, they’re not working with me.”
“Two restaurants?”
“First a sports bar, big screens, the works. They plan to open in time for the Super Bowl. By summer they plan to open a second one, a family-friendly, hamburgers, pizza, indoor playground, rah-rah-siss-boom-bah place.”
Jasmyn sat back down. “Wow. In Valley Oaks.”
“Worth a drive from the interstate.”
“It won’t have the history or the small-town ambience the Pig is known and loved for.”
“Or the sauce.”
He shook his head. “Nope. No sauce.”
“So you’re saying we shouldn’t buy?”
“I’m not saying that.”
“Do we have to pay you to say that?”
He smiled. “No, Jazzie. Speaking in generalities, if you paid me, I would show you numbers and they would show that you had a fighting chance. And it would be a fight. It would be a long shot, but a shot nonetheless. There’s nothing like Danno’s place.”
“Maybe for good reason.” She shrugged and stood again. “Thanks, Nick.”
“You’re welcome.” He moved around the table, opened the door for her, and shook her hand, holding it and the eye contact a tad longer than necessary. “Good luck.”
She hurried down the hall, grabbed Quinn as she emerged from the ladies’ room, and steered her through the well-appointed office.
“Jazz, what happened?”
She didn’t answer until they had gone through the glass doors and were almost to the car. “The short version is that Nick just made up for every mean thing he ever did to me.”
Jasmyn and Quinn treated themselves to the Chinese buffet across from the Rockville mall.
“What are we going to do?”
They took turns asking the question.
Quinn said, “Get jobs at the new place.”
“Which one? Screaming kids or screaming sports fans?”
She wrinkled her nose.
Jasmyn said, “Or let’s just go for it. We’ll stop at the bank this afternoon. Sign some loan papers.” With the amount she had tucked away there, she assumed asking for a loan would not be a problem. “We can just slide on in and keep things as is. Nobody will even notice Danno’s gone. We don’t shut down for redecorating. We can do that some other time.”
“At least, supposedly, business would continue as it is.”
“It should.”
“Do we tell Danno?”
“Do you think he knows?”
They stared at each other a moment, and then they shook their heads in unison.
“Nah.” He would have told them.
Jasmyn said, “This is all starting to feel complicated.”
“I wish I could blame it on the crazy year you have going, but it feels the same to me. It’s another red flag. A huge one.”
“I want to take a long nap.”
“Don’t check out on me yet, hon. We’ll talk to Danno. He’ll know best. He might even be able to keep the place open long-distance, and we could just run it for him while he’s gone.”
“Maybe.”
“There’s always the beauty shop idea. Or Andrew’s dad’s auto shop.”
They had joked about combining the two shops. One-stop car and hair repair.
Andrew had graduated a few years ahead of them. He went off to college and landed a big-time job in Chicago, something to do with software. When his mother died and his father got sick, he returned to Valley Oaks to care for him and his auto shop.
That was when he and Quinn got together. When his father passed away some months back, Andrew had begun to work more from home for his old company and less at the shop. Lately, he’d worked from the office…in Chicago.
Jasmyn said, “What’s really going on with Andrew?”
“Who knows? Let me count the days since he’s been in town. Or since we’ve talked on the phone long enough to get past the weather report and how busy he is.”
“I’m sorry.” Jasmyn thought of how the two had hit it off, how perfect Andrew was for Quinn.
“His dad’s partner is finally ready to buy him out, and Andrew’s back in love with Chicago.”
“Does he talk about moving there permanently?”
“No, but there’s nothing to keep him here anymore.”
“Quinn, stop. You’re here. He loves you.”
“It’s a tough competition. Me versus Chicago. What would you choose?”
Their eyes met and they each set down their chopsticks.
Quinn said it first, “Me versus California?”
“It’s not exactly the same.”
“Close enough. With Danno, your job, and your house gone, there’s only me here for you.”
They sat in silence, old, close friends whose minds—Jasmyn figured—were running the same circuit.
At last Quinn said it only because Jasmyn would not voice it first. “I could go with you.”
“You have your mom and dad and brothers and sisters and your grandma’s house, and you’re halfway to getting a beautician’s license.”
“Three-fourths.” She bit her lip. Quinn never cried but she clearly was on the verge. “Jazz, you know you’re more family to me than they are.” Her hushed voice quivered.
Jasmyn wasn’t sure if she wanted to laugh or cry or take that long nap.