"That's what you're brewing in the back room of the tavern?" I asked.
He bobbed his head as he sipped his coffee. "Yeah. It started out as an experiment, turned into a hobby, and now a solid percentage of the monthly profits come from distribution agreements with bars and restaurants all over the region."
"Nice. Word-of-mouth demand is the kind of proof point that opens more doors than any data set," I said.
He peered at me, frowning. "I thought you worked on Wall Street. Stocks and bonds and funds and…the rest of that stuff no one understands."
"Yeah, I do," I replied. Then, thinking better of it, I added, "I mean, I did. Obviously, I'm not there right now because I work out of my childhood bedroom as everyone truly aspires to do. My firm is at Broadway and Wall Street and they let me do this remote thing because being in New York City is not essential when one has a decent Wi-Fi connection, and I make a lot more money than their cadre of #MeToo miscreants. But yes, stocks, bonds, funds, and the rest of that stuff. Hedge funds, in particular. Before hedge funds, I managed a handful of different international market derivative desks. Derivatives trading bores the shit out of me, so I got the hell out of there. I spent a little time in venture cap, but I found all the idealistic people asking for money to be exhausting."
He polished off the rest of his eggs, wiped his mouth on a cloth napkin, and retreated into the kitchen without a word. Since this was JJ, I didn't question it. The boy liked to walk away and come back when it suited him. True to form, he returned with the French press and topped off my coffee.
"Thank you," I said. He waved me off as if he couldn't be bothered with my manners. "I want to hear the rest of your pitch. How does the cider house figure in?"
"The idea is to make a destination out of the production facility. Tasting room, restaurant, gardens, tours, the whole thing. The location has to be worth the trip and it has to photograph well because, like you said, word of mouth converts to social proof." He rounded the table and tapped his fingertips on the blueprint. "This is one of the proposed floor plans. This one allocates space to a fine dining restaurant as well as a fast-casual venue, both focused on showcasing the products and goods from local farming partners. I don't think we can sustain two dining facilities but my partner wanted to get an idea how it would look."
I couldn't make sense of the blueprint, but I nodded anyway. "If you get this right, it's going to be huge for the local economy."
"That's a bigif," he said, laughing. "There's a lot of movement that needs to happen before the local economy feels a damn thing."
"And your investors? I know you mentioned a partner with a sense of whimsy and that troubles me. You shouldn't rely on someone like that. The kind of money I imagine you need is no problem for me. I'm willing to invest and—"
He brought his hand to my shoulder, drew it up my neck and into my hair. "I don't want to get into that with you. I need it to be separate."
"You need that separate from me?"—I tapped my chest—"Orme?"—I circled my hand between us.
"Yes and yes." He gathered my hair in his fist, held me steady as he barely brushed his lips over mine. It wasn't lost on me that we'd shared a bed and our bodies, but not a real kiss. This was the closest thing to it since high school and I didn't know what it meant that he was almost kissing me while asking me to stay the hell out of his business. "Please understand."
"I do, I mean, yeah, I get that. It's fine," I stammered. I did not get it and it was not fine. "You don't want to tell me who is bringing the capital to the table and I'm certain that makes sense to you, although I am going to offer you some suggestions because I invite myself into other people's problems. I know a number of investors who are big into food and beverage tourism ventures. I'm talking about people who open bars and restaurants every week, people who scout emerging foodie tourism markets, people who know the heartbeat of this business. Just off the top of my head, I can think of four or five investors who are actively looking for homegrown, niche market startups, especially ones with a sustainability angle. It's as easy as making email introductions if you're interested."
JJ was quiet while he rubbed his fingers over my scalp. I couldn't determine whether he was insulted or excited or his usual brand of grouchy. Then, "Thank you for…everything. I appreciate it. It's good to talk this out with someone who knows the town. But I have to say no. I'm all set."
I pressed my lips together and went right on staring at the blueprint I couldn't decipher. "Even if you won't take my money, I could help you. I could offer technical assistance on the financial side or connect you to talented branding and marketing people and"—I paused, glanced up at him as I found the words I never found for anyone else—"and I could fund this entire venture right now if you wanted to bail on that partner of yours. I could justgiveit to you."
He leaned forward, pressed his forehead to mine. Of all the touches we'd shared, this one made me feel the most exposed. "Bam, sweetheart, I'll give you all the rain checks for angry insult concussion sex you want. I'll let you bitch and moan about this town and I'll stop asking you why you came back, even though I think you want to get it off your chest. I'll set aside all the raisin bread I get from Vermont for you. But there is no way in hell I'd let you invest a penny in this project."
I twisted out of his arms as tears filled my eyes. I didn't know why I was crying, but I knew I had to leave immediately. "If you change your mind, you know how to find me," I called as I stepped into my shoes.
"Brooke, come back here and—"
I slammed the front door shut behind me.
Chapter Eighteen
Brooke
Duration: the measure of a bond price’s sensitivity to shifts in interest rates.
Annette:Hello, madam. You're awake early. Or was it a very late night?
Brooke:I'm always awake early. I make a lot of money in China. Their morning is our night.
Annette:Yes, this is true. However, I don't usually see you walking through the village first thing in the morning. Because you're usually so busy with China.
Brooke:Oh, yeah. I just went out for a walk.
Annette:You went for a walk? Since when do you walk?
Brooke:I walk. I walk all the time.
