Chapter Fifty-Six
Joesph sat there staring at Jamie. “But... how?”
“Look around you,” Jamie motioned around the small apartment. “And you saw the condition of the diner.”
“Well, yes. But that still doesn’t explain how.”
“My grandfather was a very shrewd businessman, as it turns out. My grandparents never spent much money on anything.” Jamie pointed to the sofa.
“That thing was bought second-hand, and it’s been here since I was a young teen.
They only had that old truck.” Jamie took a deep breath.
“You have to swear you won’t tell anyone. Please, just swear.”
“Okay. I swear.” Joesph leaned forward, both hands grasping his mug of coffee.
“When my grandparents took over the diner, which was more than fifty years ago, they had the option to buy the land around it.” Jamie closed his eyes for a moment. “I had no idea. I’m not sure many people did.”
“So, what you’re telling me is that they bought a lot of land and the land has that much value? If that is the case, then you’d have to sell the land, right?”
“No. My grandfather, being very smart, gave the semitruck mechanics, the ones next door, the right to build a garage, which they added onto when I was younger. He gave them reduced rent for ten years, but the rate went up after that. They only rent the land, and if they leave or fold, the building remains with the property. He did that with the truck wash and a few other smaller stores. They all have long leases, but if they move or go out of business, the buildings remain. They all pay rent every month.”
Joesph’s eyes were as big a saucers. “And they never spent that money?”
“I don’t think so.” Jamie rubbed both of his eyes with the heels of his hands. “They even set up an account for me, and I had no clue. I mean, they did pay some of my tuition for culinary school.”
“How much are we talking about here?”
Jamie let out a short laugh. “More than the credit union can insure. I had to open up two other accounts to bring the balance down on all the accounts they had. One for the renovations on the diner and another to send the staff on their vacation.”
“Holy shit!” Joesph was blinking rapidly as he consumed all that information. “And... there is more? I mean, it’s not like that isn’t enough, but... hellfire.”
“Yeah, there’s more. My grandfather set up a few other accounts with a financial advisor and an investing firm.”
“Aw, that makes sense now. And it’s with Payton Mason’s firm. I get it now. That’s why he came down here to talk to you.” Joesph’s jaw went slack for a moment. “Damn, that means, if he came here to see you, it must involve a lot of money.”
“Yes. A lot of money,” Jamie said softly. “I could retire and still have money left in the bank.”
“Holy smokes.” Joesph shook his head. “That’s... just unbelievable.”
“Tell me about it.” Jamie shook his head. “I didn’t even know about the money when I decided to move down here. It was more of... me wanting to save my grandparents’ legacy with the diner. I didn’t want to close it.”
“I can see that. It’s like a part of you.”
“It is. It was when I found out about the money that I decided to invest in the future of the diner. Do all the renovations, and why I called you.”
“And here I am not getting paid to do those renovations.” Joesph cocked an eyebrow.
Jamie had to laugh. “I had planned on paying you... privately. In cash so you didn’t have to share it.”
Joesph shrugged. “I didn’t ask you to do that, nor do I want you to. I did it out of my love for you, my best friend.”
“Now... what about you’re setting up shop here. I’ll be the backer. Maybe do a profit-share–type deal?” Jamie leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, smiling.
“I don’t know. I’d have to like... find a place, see about renovations if needed. And find a place to live.”
“How about just building something new?” Jamie leaned forward, resting his forearms on his laptop. “There’s plenty of land just down the road. You’d have good road frontage.”
“I think you’re crazy.” Joesph got up to refill his coffee, silently asking if Jamie wanted a refill.
“Yes, please.” Jamie smiled as Joesph refilled his mug.
“Maybe do a deal like my grandfather did for the other businesses around here. You can rent the finished building at a reduced rate for ten years, and then when you’re up and running, we can negotiate a fair price for rent, and I still can be a shareholder?
What do you think about something like that? ”
“That means...” Joesph sat back down, his brows furrowed. He looked directly at Jamie. “That means I could design the entire building to my specifications.”
Jamie nodded. “That’s exactly what it means.”
“What about a second story with an apartment like you have here?”
“Sure. Sounds good to me.” Jamie took a sip of his coffee.
“And...” Joesph narrowed his eyes at Jamie. “It also means that I’m going to do something about this apartment. It’s just... awful.”
Jamie let out a deep sigh. “You’re right. I keep looking at that bathroom, and it’s really starting to annoy me.” He pointed to the stack of boxes piled up in front of the one rear window that looked out over the veranda. “I need more room. Not sure how to manage that.”
“Oh honey, I’m so far ahead of you.” Joesph cackled. “I’ve already designed it and even got Mike’s approval.”
“Mike’s approval? What about my approval?” Jamie glowered at his friend.
“Now don’t go getting all huffy with me! I got Mike’s approval about the structure. That’s all.”
“The... structure?” Jamie was confused. “As in?”
Joesph opened his laptop. “I’ll show you.”
Jamie stood up and went around the table to see what Joesph had come up with. When Joesph opened the files up on his computer and set it up to do a slide show, Jamie had the lean against the counter at his back.
“Oh. My. God,” was his only comment.
“Good morning, is there coffee?” Salzy asked from the screen door.
“Yes, there is coffee,” Joesph answered. “Come in.”
“What’cha looking at?” Salzy meandered over next to Jamie.
“Wow, what’s that? It’s really nice.” Salzy reached behind Jamie to get a mug and pour himself some coffee. “It looks really expensive.”
“It’s Jamie’s new home,” Joesph answered. “I designed it when there was some downtime on the diner.”
“No way!” Salzy leaned in closer. “It seems a lot bigger.”
“That’s because it is.”
Jamie stood there saying nothing.
“Wow,” was Salzy’s only comment.
“But... how?” Jamie asked finally.
“We can go over all the details later.” Joesph turned to look at Jamie over his shoulder. “The big question is, do you like it?”
Jamie blinked a few times. “Yes. I really like it. I love it.”
“Now that was the response I was looking for.” Joesph closed the files. “I think it suits you and your lifestyle.”
“Perfectly.” Jamie smiled and nodded. “It’s perfect.”
“With everything you’re doing,” Salzy slurped his coffee. “This is gonna become a high-rent district. I mean, just doing up the diner is one thing, but if you add this...”
“I hadn’t thought of that,” Jamie said. He looked down at Joesph, smiling. “And adding a new building just up the street is going to add even more value.”
“What new building?” Salzy asked as he sat down.
“Joesph has decided to move here, to Columbus. Set up his own business, and he’s going to build a new place for his venture.” Jamie nudged Joesph. “He’s going to be our neighbour.”
“Yeah!” Salzy shouted, jumping up from his chair, spilling coffee on the table. He reached over and gave Joesph a big hug. “It’s like a whole new family. That’s such great news!” He hugged Joesph again, making him spill some coffee on his silk pyjamas.
“Oh, look what you did!” Joesph stood, reaching for a kitchen towel. “Now I’m going to have to wash these. Do you know how hard it is to wash silk. By hand!”