Page 69 of Dark Verse

“Good morning, Ray,” Alice begins pleasantly.

Her smile turns into a yawn.

“Morning, Alice. Late night?” I ask, noticing she hasn’t removed her sunglasses yet, despite being a big believer in eye contact, even in online interactions.

“Excuse me. Yes. We went to the ballet last night before heading over to some after-party that silly spouse of mine talked me into going to. Turns out I am officially too old to be dealing with twenty-somethings after dark.”

I laugh, her words reminding me of Nan. I think my nan and Alice would get along swimmingly.

“Well, I would pretend to be offended, but half the time I can’t deal with twenty-somethings after dark either, and I am one.”

“You’re an old soul.”

“An old soul with the skin of a twenty-something-year-old.”

“The best of both worlds.” Alice laughs before draining her little cup. “All right, caffeine has been effectively delivered.” She turns her camera, the sunlight dimming slightly with the new angle. “Show me what you’ve got.”

I begin pulling up the main spreadsheets that I’ve been working on. Any detail someone could ever want to know about House Band Featuring is contained in these documents. There are the summary revenue sheets. I know Alice and the board are very interested in them, so I bring them up on my screen first and give her a quick overview.

“Overall, this location has been remarkably successful, given the financial reality we were walking into when Headliners acquired it. We started intense promotion as soon as I started, and we are already beginning to see the consistently larger crowds, which tells me the previous owners were likely not using or underutilizing their promotional tools. But now that the locals know we are here and provide high-quality entertainment, we are seeing steady crowds and even a few regulars.

“I’ve had the time to do more research on the area and confirmed that another large housing subdivision has been approved by the city. I’m not sure when they will be breaking ground, but those houses will be within a fifteen- to twenty-minute drive. Given that, I have every reason to believe that this location will continue to be lucrative.”

“All good news. That’s why you’re the best, Ray. Always going above and beyond, looking at five-plus years in the future for an area. The board will love to hear that more residents will be moving in soon enough. Run through some of the details with me.”

“Certainly,” I say, pulling up a different spreadsheet. “So you know I’ve always liked tracking even the most minor details to paint a fuller picture of a venue.”

“I’m convinced it’s one of your favorite pastimes,” Alice says with a good-natured smile. “Oh, just a moment, Raven.”

Waving to someone off camera, she mutes herself for about fifteen seconds.

I see a man’s hand dip into view, handing Alice another small white cup.

“What did human beings do before discovering coffee?” she asks, taking a sip that must be the equivalent of half of what’s in the cup.

“According to legend, before the modern-day methods of roasting beans, 9th-century Ethiopian farmers and monks would eat and create tea from the cherries of a tree that was the grandmother to all modern coffee bean trees.”

As I speak, I look up from my computer screen to see Hendrix standing in my doorway, holding a small box of the office supplies we ordered for the venue.

Is that true he mouths as he gently places the box on the floor beside me?

I nod. It’s always a good time to drop culinary tidbits on my coworkers, and thanks to my upbringing, I’m filled to the brim with plenty of them.

“Cool,” Hendrix whispers, leaving the office once more.

“I always learn something fun with you, Ray,” Alice says.

“I live to serve,” I answer sarcastically, taking a large sip of my coffee before continuing.

I run through all the most important numbers with her over the next fifteen minutes. Everything from the cost of renewing our liquor license and upgrading the entire sound system to staff wages and other expenditures. Although I still can’t see her eyes because of the dark sunglasses, Alice nods along slowly as I speak.

“Do you have any questions?” I ask when I’m finished with my presentation.

“Yes, tell me about the staff. Do you think any of them are good candidates to be the location manager?”

“I would recommend we keep both Danica and Hendrix on staff. Danica has the skills to take on the administrative duties. Hendrix is from the area and has deep connections all over the Front Range, not just with local musicians but with other artists as well. I see lots of possibilities at this location beyond evening concerts.”

“Any of them good revenue streams?”