AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Ray looked like she was about two seconds from passing out in her plate of food. Across the table, Dom’s parents chatted idly with my mother and Chloe, Ray and I seated opposite of them. I was starting to wonder if that might have been a mistake as I watched Ray’s half-lidded eyes stare blankly at her fork full of mashed potatoes.
The pressure was on tonight. The most important thing was convincing Dom’s parents that I wasn’t a playboy like my father, and with Ray looking like she’d rather be in bed, that wasn’t exactly helping things. Granted, that was entirely my fault.
“Hey,” I said quietly, placing my hand gently on her knee. “You okay?”
Sluggishly, as if everything was in slow motion, she turned her head to me as the mashed potatoes fell off her fork and onto her plate. “Huh? Oh. Yeah, I’m just tired.”
Grabbing the cloth napkin from my lap, I wiped my mouth before kissing her on the temple. “I’ll go get you a coffee.”
She looked up at me with wide, thankful eyes as I pushed my chair out, pulling my suit jacket down and into place before standing. “Thank you,” she said, but the way it came out was as if I was offering to save her from some wicked demon hell-bent on dragging her to hell.
It was just coffee.
“Are you heading to the bar, Wade?” Dom’s father, Alec, asked. His brows rose, confusion settling in from my less-than-professional attitude. Normally, at a gathering like this, especially one where talks of money and investing were on the table, I would have announced myself.
“Yes, sir. Just getting my girl a coffee,” I chuckled. “She’s a little too relaxed after her massage this morning.”
“I’ll join you.” He set down the glass of wine he clutched between his fingers and stood, his small beer belly bumping against the table. “It’ll be good to talk. Chloe said you wanted to chat with me, anyway.”
Shit. Okay. It’s happening now. “Sounds great.”
I went over the numbers in my head for the hundredth time that day as we made our way through the dining area toward the bar. Pitching was hard on its own, and although I’d done it hundreds of times and listened to thousands of them, it was still nerve-wracking. I needed this investment. Without him and his expertise, the project would be dead in the water.
“So, Wade,” Alec started, his gruff voice almost hard to hear over the live classical musicians. “You’re looking for an investor, I hear.”
Time to put on the charm. I chuckled, giving him my best smile as I leaned onto the polished wood adorning the top of the bar. “You’re not going to let me buy you a drink first?”
“It’s not really buying if you already own it.” He shot me a wink, one graying eyebrow lowering.
“Fair enough.”
“One old fashioned,” Alec ordered, snapping his fingers to get the attention of the bartender. The temptation to tell him to knock it off and not be rude was quick and sudden, but I merely gritted my teeth, offering the woman behind the bar an apologetic glance.
“On the house, Erin,” I added. “And one latte with an extra shot.” She nodded and scurried off to the other side of the circular bar. I turned back to Alec, his short form somehow feeling intimidating, and decided now was better than never. “Chloe was right. I am looking for an investor.”
“For what, exactly?” he asked, his mouth pressed into a thin line as if he were assessing me, assessing the damage I could do to his wallet. “I’m sure Chloe told you I can be a bit of a tough sell. But I’m willing to hear you out.”
I nodded. “Sure. So, I’m looking to buy the land that borders the east side of this property,” I explained. “The land itself is about fifty-one million for four-and-a-half thousand acres. The idea is to turn it into a mountain biking haven, and considering our land borders it, it would be a good way to get more use out of the main facilities here during the summer.”
Alec stared at me, his eyes unblinking, as a familiar sense of unease snaked its way up my spine.
“One of our ski lifts is right by the border, so we could use that at the beginning to get cyclists up the mountain. Later on, we could ideally build a couple more to open up more trails,” I said. Over-explaining had never hurt anyone, right? “There’s also an abandoned resort on the land though much smaller than the one here. I figured if we renovate and expand it, we can offer it as accommodations in addition to the other amenities.”
“So, would I be investing in both businesses as one?” he asked. He looked toward Erin, hard at work on the latte I’d asked of her, with irritation.
“No, sir, it would just be the new land and the resort we build. If you want to invest in the Colchester Ski Resort, we can definitely discuss that, but the valuation is going to be much different,” I explained. “This business has been going for a long time now with a proven track record. I think I can replicate it over there.”
“With half of the guests staying here?” he scoffed. “You realize that increases profits for the business you’re not asking me to invest in, correct?”
Shit. Shit. Shit. “I’d be willing to allocate the rooms booked under the mountain biking site to that business. I can dedicate an entire wing of the building to that.” He mulled it over for a moment, his eyes following Erin’s ass.
You need his investment. Don’t blow it.
“How much are you looking for?” Alec asked.
I took a deep breath. “Twenty million for thirty-five percent of the business,” I said. His eyes flared as he swung his gaze back to me. “I wouldn’t expect too much from you.”
“Twenty million isn’t much to you?”
