“Why not Colombus?”
Joesph’s eyebrows shot up.“What?”
“Why not set up a studio in Columbus.As you said, there is probably a market for it.”Mike leaned closer to Joesph.“And you wouldn’t have to starve for Jamie’s cooking.”
“You serious?”
“Why not?In Atlanta, you’re a pretty big fish, but in Columbus, you could be the biggest fish.It probably wouldn’t be as expensive to set up shop here either.”
Joesph pondered all this.“I don’t know.”He looked into Mike’s blue, blue eyes.“I’ll have to think long and hard about that.”
“Think about it: lower overhead could mean more business.With more business, your name and brand will be more pronounced.You might even pull business from Atlanta because you’re pricing might be lower.”Mike smiled, showing off his brilliant teeth.
Joesph cleared his throat.“Tell me again why you’re single?”
* * * * *
Jamie peeled off thepolo shirt and laid it across a chair.“Some view, eh?”
Salzy was standing at the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the skyline of Atlanta, looking out towards Buckhead.“It’s beautiful,” he murmured, barely audible.
“It’s pretty remarkable.”Jamie joined him at the window.“Come on, let’s get some sleep.I’d like to get an early start before it gets hot, and we’ll be going against the morning traffic.Traffic here is no joke.”
“Oh, I know all about Atlanta traffic.”Salzy turned back towards the room.“Which bed you want?”
Jamie looked at the two queen-size beds.“I don’t care.”
Salzy walked straight forward towards the right side of the room.“I’ll take this one then.”He pulled off the borrowed polo and draped it over the one Jamie had taken off.He let his jeans fall to the floor, his black boxer briefs the only thing he was wearing.
Jamie followed suit and went into the bathroom to brush his teeth.He looked into the mirror and froze.Is this gamble too big?Am I doing the right thing.He thought for a long moment, slowly returning to brushing his teeth.Another fifty years.His grandparents’ legacy would live on.He rinsed the toothpaste from his mouth.Yep, this was the right thing to do.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Joesph made his wayinto the diner’s kitchen.He was surprised to see that the crew that had been here deconstructing the wall where the beam was going had cleaned up after themselves.He was able to get to the drink station unimpeded by debris on the floor.There was a sheet of clear plastic covering the area, keeping the dust at bay.He slipped in behind it and started the coffee machine.
He paused a moment.“I’m sure Mike will want coffee and probably the construction crew,” he said to himself.“I’ll just make a whole pot.”Setting about getting a mug.There was dust in it, but not much.He wiped a few mugs out and replaced all but one.
