Chapter 46 Tobias
Tobias
What is Paul Hartman doing here? And what does he have to do with Gwen— oh.
I look from Gwen, to Hartman and back to Elijah.
“Tobias, it’s so nice to see you back and doing well.” Paul smiles at me, extending his hand.
I still stand there speechless as I shake hands with him.
Elijah thankfully jumps in. “It’s his first day back. Still getting re-acquainted with everything.”
Paul throws up his hands and takes a step back.
“I totally get it. Well, I don’t actually get it since I’ve never fallen through a frozen lake before but.
..” He glances at all of us, taking in the awkward energy shift and before he finishes his poor joke, he claps his hands and rubs them together. “So! We’re doing this, or what?”
My head swiftly turns to Elijah. “Doing what, exactly?”
Elijah licks his lips and turns my body towards him, as if it’s only us in the room. Damn, I love that about him.
“T, you in the hospital gave me a lot of time to think. I think I reacted quickly when you brought up Hartman’s offer.
” He glances at Gwen and Paul before looking back at me.
“I should never have put this all on you after my dad passed. Honestly, it wasn’t fair of either of us to throw this whole place on your shoulders. ”
“You had to go to school, I understood—”
“No.” He shakes his head slowly, giving me a look I’ve only seen a few times on him. Only when he’s really really sorry for something he’s done. “You’re only one person. It wasn’t fair.” He moves his hand and instead grooms the back of my hair down.
I bite the inside of my cheek and look over at Paul who’s looking at me like he’s an excited kid in a candy store.
“And…you’re going to take the restaurant? You can’t.” I shake my head. “This is a family business. This place means something—”
Paul steps forward. “Woah, woah. Take it? You’ve got me all wrong. You really didn’t read any of my emails, did you?”
I feel my cheeks warm. “Uh…no, not really.” I cringe.
Gwen rushes over, picking up some papers that I didn’t notice on the desk.
“After Elijah filled me in on what was going on, I got into contact with Paul and we discussed his intentions.” The pages crinkle under her fingers, and the sound makes my chest tighten as I stare at all the long words. “He’s looking to invest into the restaurant, not buy it.”
My eyebrows furrow.
“I’ve been trying to tell you. I want to feed money into it. Give it the love and attention it deserves to make it shine even more. Spread the word so everyone around the country will know the name ‘Jude Thorne’” Paul adds over her shoulder.
Gwen continues. “I consulted with one of my firm’s lawyers and we’ve put together a legal agreement.
” She flips through the papers that I seriously can’t comprehend right now but I’ll take her word for it as she points to highlighted paragraphs.
“Every new restaurant must sign a values charter — a written promise to uphold every value Jude built, you and Elijah are in charge of every approval. Branding, training standards, every major decision. It’ll always be your call. ”
I swallow deeply, taking in all the information. Everything sounds nice but…
“How much of the ownership will you be taking?” I ask, holding my breath.
Paul straightens his posture, clasping his hands together. “Forty-nine percent,” he says firmly.
“Bullshit,” I bite.
Elijah grabs my wrist, tugging me to the side. Not completely out of ears reach but it’s good enough.
“You’re okay with this?” I ask, feeling hot all of a sudden. “What happened to, ‘He’ll take everything out of Jude’s Place that makes it Jude’s place’? Remember saying that?”
His eyes flash over to Paul who gives a straight lined smile. “Yeah, of course I do, but—” Elijah slides his hands up and down my arms, moving me even further away from them. “Honestly, T? Yeah. I love this restaurant so much, you know that.”
“Exactly—”
“But, the restaurant isn’t my dad.” Elijah interrupts.
My breath catches in my throat. I wasn’t expecting to hear that.
“This restaurant burned down before my dad even walked in here. These walls aren’t him.
This floor isn’t the floor he walked on.
” I see tears brimming his eyes now, and I suddenly feel like eating all my words.
“This has been his restaurant because we made it his restaurant. As long as Jude’s in here—” He presses his hand against my chest. “No one can take that away from us.” He brings his hand to his own chest. “He’s in here, T. ”
I mean…I understand but I’m also taken aback.
I admit, when I first heard Paul’s offer, I was more open to it due to the fact that I was under so much pressure. But now, with Elijah here…what if I can be better?
“I mean…we don’t need his help.”
A smile stretches across his face. “T, this is the best deal to make sure his dream grows in the right way. We’ll be able to breathe and live while it continues to thrive. We’ll be putting the restaurant in the best position.”
I look down at my feet, feeling a pain in my chest. “I just…I feel like saying yes would be admitting defeat. Like I’m giving up.”
Elijah lifts my chin back up so I’m looking into his eyes. “Really? Because I think dad would be extremely proud of you for accepting the support.” He sighs. “Everyone in the history of mankind needs help sometimes.”
I think about that for a moment. Jude always taught me that asking for help was a powerful thing.
I guess it would really help. I’ve been under so much pressure and honestly…the sound of having someone else deal with the financials and growth doesn’t sound too bad.
“You sure?” I ask again.
He slowly blinks, nodding his head. “He’s always with us. Yes, I’m sure.”
I turn back towards Gwen and Paul who have been chatting quietly over by my desk.
“I have an added condition,” I state.
Paul’s lips quirk as if he’s proud. “Lay it on me,” he says, folding his hands over his chest.
I march over to the desk, eyeing the piece of paper. “I want a Jude wall at every location,” I say, pointing to the script.
Paul’s eyebrow arches as he searches my face. “A Jude wall?”
“Yes,” I nod. “In memory of Jude. It’ll be a booth where people can eat, with pictures of him, ones we’ve lost, and notes to them on the wall.” It’s been something I’ve wanted to do here but haven’t had the money to invest in it.
His brows knit as he looks down at the paper. “Like a memorial booth?...I don’t know…”
“It’s a non-negotiable. Or else, we walk.” I shrug.
Paul shifts on his feet, glancing between Elijah and me before his shoulders sag in quiet defeat.
“You know…I went to high school with Jude. We played on the same soccer team.” He exhales softly.
“Been a busy man, so I haven’t come by as much as I should.
But from what I remember, that man had a way of making you feel seen.
” He smiles to himself, lost in a good memory.
“If anyone deserves to be remembered…it’s Jude Thorne. ” He nods firmly. “Okay, I’ll do it.”
I feel a happiness spread over me as Elijah rushes over to stand beside me.
“And Too Experienced by Barrington Levy needs to play in the restaurant every ten hours!” Elijah jumps up beside me. “Write that down too.” Tapping on the paper.
Paul’s eyes dart to him curiously.
Elijah shrugs. “It was his favorite song.” He adds, making me smile.
Paul nods his head, scribbling these notes down onto both copies of the contract.
“Alright. Let’s do this,” he says, handing the pen over in our direction.
Elijah and I take one last look at each other. It’s as though we have our own conversation in our gaze.
One last check-in.
And then, we both move.
He signs first, and then I sign after him.
Paul gives a small chuckle behind us, shaking his head.
“Most people your age are still figuring out who they are. But you two? You already know what you stand for and I’ve gotta say…that’s incredible to watch. They don’t teach that in business school. That comes from life,” he says, picking up the papers and handing us our copy.
His voice turns soft as he looks between both of us. “You’ve both lived a hell of a lot of life already. You’ve taken pain and turned it into purpose. That’s rare. That’s what I’m investing in.”
He reaches out to shake our hands which we accept.
“Congratulations, gentlemen. You’ve officially turned Jude’s Place into something bigger than a restaurant. You’ve turned it into a story the world’s going to want to be part of.”
He gives Gwen a quick nod.
“I’ll walk you out,” she says with a smile, moving toward the door.
“I’ll be in touch with you two after the New Year.” He waves at us, saluting before exiting the room.
They both leave the room, delicate notes of “All I Want for Christmas” twinkling through the air before the door clicks softly shut behind them.
I stare at the door for longer than necessary, mentally replaying what just happened.
“Hey,” Elijah’s smooth voice pulls me from my thoughts.
I turn towards him but he doesn’t say anything, just plants a soft kiss on my lips, calming my brain and reminding me that this is all that matters. This is all that will ever matter.
“We just invested a whole chunk of money into this restaurant. How do you feel?” Elijah asks, looking at me with excitement in his eyes.
A laugh bursts through my lips. “Really fucking good,” I say honestly.
I feel like a weight has just been lifted off my shoulders and for once…I can finally breathe.
“Really fucking good.” I repeat softer. Elijah leans his head on my cheek and we stand there for a while in silence, just basking in the stillness.