I don’t miss the way Bray’s eyebrows shoot up into his hairline. I head to the couch and Mr. Wilde hands me the newspaper.
“Jeez. You didn’t say it wasThe New York Times.”
“Didn’t realize you were going to take me up on the offer. Anyway, I’ve done all the hard ones. Only two clues left.”
I grin. Yeah, because everyone leaves the easy questions until last. I scan the clues. Crosswords aren’t really my thing, but I’ve been known to get a few right answers. I look to see what letters we already have. “Eight across. Lunacy.”
Mr. Wilde sits up straight in his seat and takes the paper from my hand. “I think you might be right. I was thinking lupine, but it doesn’t fit. Lunacy works.”
I shrug. “Like you say, you saved the easy ones until last.” I glance around, looking to see a sign that Iris’s in the house. I really want to speak to all three of them together.
“Is Iris here?”
“Iris!” Bray shouts. “Your boyfriend’s here!”
I grin at being called Iris’s boyfriend. I can’t remember the last time I was anyone’s boyfriend. I can’t remember the last time I wanted to be. But I definitely want to be Iris’s boyfriend. I want to be her everything.
The creak of the floorboards tells me Iris’s heard her brother. We’re going to dinner this evening. This time at the Club. Not because I don’t like Pizza Meet Ya, but because it’s good to have a change sometimes. I think I’ve eaten just about everything on that menu twice over now.
Iris appears in a Vivian Cross t-shirt and leggings. Her wet hair is pulled back and piled on top of her head, and it reminds me of the first time I ever laid eyes on her at the theater. She’s stunning. Effortlessly elegant.
But I know more about her now that makes her even more beautiful. She’s kind and clever and makes me think. I knew she was special as soon as I saw her. I just didn’t understand how special.
“Jack?” Iris asks. “What are you doing here?”
“I actually wanted to talk to all three of you about something. Before we go out to dinner. About the farm,” I clarify, beforeMr. Wilde gets out his shotgun. “Next time, I’ll bring my bank balance printout,” I say, directly to Mr. Wilde.
“What?” Iris asks. “What bank balance?”
“I’m kidding. Not kidding, but it’s an inside joke. Or not a joke. Anyway, I have my laptop in my car. I’ve been researching a few things about the farm. If you all have time, I’d love to show you something.”
“The farm?” Bray asks. “What kind of thing?”
“Just give me thirty minutes. That’s all I ask.”
“Sure,” Mr. Wilde says, getting up from the couch.
Bray and Iris share a look. I’m pretty sure that Mr. Wilde isn’t always so welcoming to people wanting to talk to him about his business.
I grab the laptop from the car, and when I come back inside, the three of them are at the kitchen table. I pull up the presentation. “I’ve really enjoyed working at the farm. It’s a great, efficient operation you have. But Iris was telling me that margins are tight.”
“That they are,” Mr. Wilde says. “But that’s business.”
“Absolutely. I’ve been asking around. Everyone thinks very highly of you as employers. You have a great internal brand. I had an idea of how you can make that an external brand.”
Mr. Wilde glances at his son and daughter, who are sitting either side of him. I’m not sure if he’s seeing if they also think I’m full of shit. But I need to cut to the chase.
“I think you could build Wilde’s Farm into a national brand of organic frozen fruit.”
I go through my presentation. I talk about the market and how organic produce is in increasing demand. How the freezing operation would take considerable capital investment, but how much could be charged for the fruit once frozen, bagged, and sold to supermarkets.
“You want us to take a partner?” Bray asks, sitting back in his chair. “To pay for the new equipment and everything?”
Iris’s shaking her head before I even have a chance to respond.
“No,” I say. “This is a family farm, and that’s how it should stay. I know that’s important to all of you. I’m suggesting you take out a loan. That way you get all the upside when the business does well. A partner would take a portion of the upside. The bank just wants its money back with interest.”
Iris’s expression is brighter, and she sits forward in her chair. “But we can’t just start freezing all our fruit. We don’t have contracts with supermarkets for frozen fruit.”
