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.Takeit? 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, notbuyit.”
My eyebrows furrow.
“I’ve beentryingto 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 avalues charter— a written promise to upholdeveryvalue Jude built, you and Elijah are in charge of every approval. Branding, training standards, every major decision. It’ll always be yourcall.”
I swallow deeply, taking in all the information. Everythingsoundsnice 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 restaurantisn’tmy 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 inhere, 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 thebestposition.”
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 ofmankindneeds 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.
