Abby moved to the edge of her seat. “Aren’t you supposed to be on my side?”
“This isn’t about sides, babe. This is business, and if you’re going to be a business owner, you need to see it from all angles.”
“Is that what you’re doing? It’s like you flicked a switch, and suddenly you’re as curt and business-minded as Deirdra.”
He cracked a smile. “I do have my business hat on. I want to make sure you know what you’re getting into and that you’re protected, but I apologize if I sound harsh. I don’t mean to. But I would hate to see something come between you and your sisters, especially since you and Cait are beginning to form a friendship.”
“I thought there was no room for emotions in business.”
“There’s not, but the part of me that cares about you doesn’t turn off when I have my business hat on.”
She flopped back in her chair and sighed. “I love that. But I hate this.”
He scooted closer and put his hands around her waist, pulling her to the edge of her seat again. “I have a few suggestions.”
“Are they as sucky as all the stuff you just told me?”
“I have a great sucky suggestion,” he said seductively.
She smiled despite the cloud now hovering over the Bistro.
“We’ll table that particular suggestion until you’re in a better mood,” he said.
“Good choice.”
“I ran the numbers, and I estimate you’ll need roughly two hundred thousand to make this place what you envision.”
Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head. “Two hundred thousand?”
“It’s not that big a number, and you’ve got forty-five, so you need about another hundred and fifty.”
“Thousand,” she said incredulously.
“Yes. I have a few bucks in the bank I can invest to help you out.”
“A few bucks? This is more than a few bucks, Aiden, and you don’t mix business and pleasure, remember? I’m not taking your money. Can you imagine what that would be like? I’d be forever in your debt.”
A slow grin lifted his lips. “I do have creative repayment options.”
She rolled her eyes. “No. I need to do this on my own, and we only just met. I could be a crazy woman who will drop everything and abscond with your money.”
He chuckled and held up his hands. “Okay, have it your way. In that case, I think you should have your attorney approach the investor who wanted to purchase the property and pitch an angel investor deal instead.”
“Maybe your calculations are wrong.”
“They’re not. It sounds like a big number, but do you want this place to take off? Or do you want to run it hand-to-mouth?”
“I want it to be a success, but that’s way too much debt to take on.”
“It takes money to make money, babe.”
“Yeah, but that’s huge money. I can’t do that. It’s too much. What if I started smaller? I could set up ten or fifteen tables and see how it goes the first year?”
“That would lower your overhead, but it would also lower your income, and you’d still need two months of operating expenses up front. We’d have to run the numbers, but I’m not sure it would reduce your overhead significantly enough to make the kind of difference you’re looking for. And for Pete’s sake, Abs, whatever you do, don’t slight yourself. Make sure you hire another cook or two so you can take a break. I assume you’ll want to enjoy living here again and have a real life, which it sounds like you missed out on back in the city.”
“Ohmygod, Aiden. What was I thinking? A hundred and fifty thousand?” She felt sick. “Maybe Deirdra was right and this place is a money pit.”
“In the grand scheme of things, it’s not that much money to make your dreams come true.”
“Maybe not to you since you deal with finances every day. But it is to me. I don’t even know how angel investors work. Do they get to tell me how to run the business?”
“No. That’s why I said an AI instead of a VC.”
“VC?”
“Venture capitalist. Angel investors are typically silent partners, but VCs aren’t. Financially they both work the same. They both take a percentage of interest in the company, and they usually take all of the profits until the initial investment is returned, and then they take an ongoing percentage.”
Her shoulders slumped. “What’s the use if I’m giving up my profit?”
“You wouldn’t give up all of your profits forever. It comes down to if you want this business and how you want to run it.”
“I definitely want it.”
“Okay, well, if you go the angel investor route, you can define the terms and pitch a deal you can live with. I can help you with that—negotiate down the percentage and try to make sure you keep a percentage of the profits while they’re earning back their investment. With the right investor, there are all sorts of ways to broker a deal like this.”
“I don’t know. It’s all overwhelming. I need to think about it and talk to Deirdra and Cait. This is their business, too, and we’re talking about a lot of money and a commitment that would last as long as we own the restaurant.”
“Yes, but better to do it right than to get started and lose your pants.”
Despite her mind going in a million directions she didn’t want to think about, she couldn’t suppress her smile as she said, “Losing my pants sounds like a heck of a lot more fun.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
ABBY LAY IN bed staring at the ceiling Thursday morning, dissecting an idea for the Bistro that had been percolating all night. She and Aiden had spent the last few days cleaning the Bistro and endless hours going over budgets, forecasts, and all of the options for obtaining the money ad nauseam. She’d even gone online and researched restaurant expenditures, and everything Aiden said was right on the money. But any way she looked at it, the amount of additional capital she needed felt like an elephant sitting on her chest. Her mind was spinning with the complexity of the situation. They’d spent the last few nights cooking dinner together, listening to music, and getting to know each other better. Two nights ago they’d gone for a ride along the coast, and last night they’d bundled up and gone for a romantic walk to try to clear her head. She enjoyed every minute they were together, but the only time she’d been able to stop thinking about financing for the Bistro was late at night, when they’d tumble into bed and get lost in each other’s arms, making love until neither one could think at all. If only we could do that every time my mind went crazy, she mused.
Aiden rolled onto his side and pulled her against his naked body, kissing her softly, stirring a flurry of anticipation inside her. She’d never found sex very exciting, but with Aiden everything was different and thrilling, from their talks and romantic walks to his kisses, dirty promises, and the fulfillment of each and every one of those delicious promises.
“Did you get any sleep?” he asked, running his hand down her back.
“I don’t know, a little maybe. But I have an idea, and I think it’s a good one.”
He gave her butt a squeeze and said, “I have a good idea, too.”