Pushed

Chapter 14

Standingin the kitchen the next morning, I ran my hand along the cool, stainless steel countertop, hoping it would calm my nerves before the meeting. I glanced at the clock for the hundredth time. The meeting with Tina would start in five minutes, and I had no idea what to expect or who would be there.

I should be as giddy as a kid in a candy store for being included in this meeting, but instead, I’m as nervous as a soufflé waiting to rise in a power outage.

The opportunity to own my own place was finally here. But Tina’s parting words kept spinning through my head. What perfect solution could she possibly have come up with?

Instead of excitement, all I felt was dread. Like I’d been told I would receive a Michelin star, only to find out it was actually a plastic sheriff badge for catering a kids’ cowboy party and serving the best hotdogs ever.

The meeting was scheduled for the morning while the restaurant was empty. I made coffee and muffins for everyone, even though I had no idea who or how many people would be attending.

Right on time, Tina walked in with two men in suits. “Good morning, AJ. Something smells delicious.”

“I made some pumpkin pecan muffins. There’s also coffee and tea to drink.” I gestured to the table. “Help yourself.”

“AJ, this is my husband Rich, and our attorney, James Holden. We’re waiting for one more person to join us.”

“Is there anything else I can get anyone while we’re waiting?”

“This is great, AJ. I appreciate you doing this for us.”

They each took some coffee and a muffin and talked about how Mr. Quince was doing. Tina updated me while we waited. “He’s too stubborn to let this stop him. But he sure did give us a scare.”

“Is he okay with selling this place?”

Mr. Holden pulled a stack of papers from his briefcase and set them on the table in front of him. “He signed the papers giving Tina power of attorney, and agrees it is time to let this go.”

“I’m sure that was hard for him.” I poured myself a cup of coffee and stirred in plenty of cream and sugar.

Tina picked at her muffin. The stress of her dad’s illness was apparent in the bags under her eyes and the pinch of her brow. “It was, but if everything goes the way that I hope, I think he’ll be happy in the long run.”

The door burst open and in strolled my impending doom. Jasper. I should have known he’d try to weasel his way into this meeting. The conniving cad.

“Good morning, everyone.” Jasper flashed his million-watt smile. His charm was turned up so high this morning, I wished I’d brought shades. “Sorry, I’m late. I had an urgent call I had to take on the drive over and had to wrap it up in the parking lot before I came in. I just moved my office to Moonlit Lake and have a few kinks to work out.” He took off his jacket and hung it over the back of the chair.

Tina rushed over to offer Jasper coffee and a muffin. The effects of his charm knew no bounds. “We’re so glad you could make it. This is my husband, Rich, our attorney, Mr. Holden, and well, you know AJ, of course.”

Jasper greeted them all and sat down. “I’m glad I didn’t miss out on warm muffins.” He grabbed a muffin and a cup of coffee and sat in a chair right next to me. It was all I could do not to scooch my chair away from him. But this was a business meeting, and I needed to keep my emotions in check.

Tina placed her hands on the table. “Alright, let’s get right to it. As you both know, we’ve decided to sell the Moonstruck and would love for it to go to someone who will keep my parents’ legacy going. We want someone with strong culinary skills and also someone with a solid business background to give the place the best chance of thriving in this day and age.”

My stomach balled into a knot and made me queasy. I took a deep breath to try to settle my nerves—puking at a business meeting was not a good omen, especially as the chef.

Tina had already told me I didn’t have everything she was looking for, but still insisted I come to this meeting. What was she thinking?

I brought my attention back to what Tina was saying. “We didn’t really want to sell to some faceless corporation but weren’t sure what to do. Then we heard about your engagement, and the solution became clear.”

The bite of muffin in my mouth suddenly went down the wrong pipe. I hacked out a cough then quickly swallowed a sip of coffee to clear it, only to spray muffin and coffee across the table with another cough. Jasper, being the suave scoundrel that he was, slapped me on the back to stop my hacking. Guess I should be grateful Mr. Smooth Operator didn’t stab me in the back. Not yet anyway.

But was Tina saying what I thought she was saying?

“We propose a trial period. We’d love for the two of you to take over the restaurant for the next three months. If things go well and you can show improvements in profits compared to this quarter last year, we’ll sell to you both. But if this doesn’t work out, we will entertain offers from other restaurateurs. I know we could get more money that way, but we’d really like to sell to a couple who will run it like my parents did, albeit with a modern twist.” She paused to look at us both. “You would be free to make changes to the menu, staffing and some minor updating to the dining room. But no major purchases until after you assume ownership. What do you say?”

Free rein to make the changes I’d been trying to talk Mr. Quince into since I started. Not to mention all the ideas I had that I didn’t dare bring up to him. There’s so much I could do with this place if given a chance.

Was this my chance?

There was so much going through my mind, I didn’t know what to say. This was the opportunity I’d been hoping for, but I had to share it with Jasper. I was being handed the keys to the secret pantry, only to discover it was stocked with nothing but expired ingredients and moldy cheese.

It was time for me to make my stand. “I hear what you’re saying, but I truly believe I can handle the place on my own. I’ve practically been running it already.”

Rich explained in a calm and clear voice. “Yes, but we want the restaurant to thrive under the new ownership. Not just continue limping like it has.”

“But I have so many ideas to make it better.”

Jasper leaned forward, resting one elbow on the table and looking like the most charming, capable man in world. The kind of man people never said no to. “And I have the business expertise to make it thrive. I guarantee it will be thriving by the end of the trial. No matter what chef I have working with me.”

This man’s arrogance knew no bounds.

It seemed no matter how either of us argued, though—the writing was on the wall. If I wanted a chance to prove myself here, it would have to be with Jolly Green Jasper. After all, they were only offering us this opportunity because they believed we were engaged. My gut clenched again, threatening to send my muffin back up. Again.

What would happen if they found out it was all a lie?

Mr. Holden picked up the papers in front of him and handed them to us. “I have the terms all laid out in these documents. Take a look at them, and if there’s anything you disagree with or don’t understand, let me know.”

Jasper cleared his throat. “As you know, we aren’t married. Yet.” He winked at me. “Is there a clause for what happens if our relationship doesn’t work out? Not that I want to jinx us. Right, Princess? But it’s a contingency that needs to be considered and understood before signing.”

“If that should happen before the trial period is over,” Mr. Holden explained, “the contract would be void, and new offers would be considered. After the trial ends, you have the option to buy together or let it go. You would be purchasing as partners, and don’t need to be married. But would both be listed as co-owners. How you arrange the partnership between the two of you is completely up to you.”

I stroked my finger and thumb along my jaw. “If by the end of the trial, one of us wanted to go forward, but the other didn’t, could that person buy it?”

“That person would be welcome to make an offer,” Rich clarified. “But we are still adamant on selling to someone with both culinary and business experience. And you’d be going against other restaurateurs for the bid.”

Jasper picked up the papers and tapped them against the table to straighten them. “Alright. Obviously, my fiancée and I need to talk this over, right Princess? And I’d also like to have my brother Storm look over the contract before I sign anything.”

“I would expect nothing less.” Mr. Holden gave a curt nod and closed his briefcase. “The Moonstruck will continue operations as usual until you have both signed the contract. At that time, you can run it as you see fit. Ninety days later, we will all meet again, and you will present your report on the state of the restaurant and show us how it has fared under your management. The work you have put in, and the value you have added to the place will be factored into the purchase agreement. If for any reason a deal isn’t made, you will both be paid for your time as managers.”

“Can we have a few days to think about this? It’s a lot to take in.” My mind felt like it’d been dropped in a blender and pureed. The man beside me would be the co-owner of my dream. He would most likely want to turn this place into an Instant Noodle Nook. My entire body shuddered.

Tina offered a hopeful smile. “Certainly. We’ll give you until the end of the week. Contact me as soon as you’ve made your decision.”

Jasper put his arm around my shoulders and squeezed. “We sure will.”

Tina, Rich, and Mr. Holden stood and shook our hands.

“Thanks for the muffin and coffee, AJ.” Tina said, patting me then Jasper on the arm. “We’ll let you two talk about this, and we’ll be in touch.”

As soon as they left, I sank back onto my chair and dropped my head into my hands. “This is a disaster.”