Page 115 of Never To Be Mine

“Not just sell them. Feature them. They want to make it a permanent menu item, not some limited-time thing they can quietly drop when the publicity dies down.” He talked faster now, the words tumbling out. “They’ve already got their marketing team working on a campaign. They want to lean into the whole thing—the controversy, the publicity, all of it. Turn it into a story about innovation and giving customers what they actually want.”

My father picked up the phone and started scrolling through the email. I watched his expression shift from skepticism to surprise to something that might have been approval.

“This is a real offer,” Dad said quietly. “They’re serious about this.”

“They are.” Hollis looked at me. “I know I screwed up. I know the timing was terrible and I should have thought things through. But this could be the opportunity we’ve been waiting for. Not just for B Well, but for Young at Heart. A nationwide chain. Millions of customers. The kind of exposure that takes most brands years to build.”

Kari leaned over to read the email over my father’s shoulder. “Holy shit,” she breathed. “The numbers they’re talking about are crazy.”

“I know,” Hollis said. “It’s a lot. And it’s all contingent on you two agreeing to the partnership. But if you do, if we can make this work, it puts all the bad press to rest. Better than any statement or apology could. We turn the whole thing around.”

I sat back in my chair, my mind racing. This was insane. Twenty-four hours ago, I’d been convinced our burger launch was dead in the water. I’d been trying to save our company and thinking about how I could help Hollis with his. Now Hollis was sitting here telling me we had a deal with one of the biggest fast food chains in the country.

“Why did they agree to this?” I asked. “What’s in it for them?”

“Good publicity for one thing. They get to be the first major chain to offer a plant-based option that doesn’t suck. They’re betting that it’ll bring in customers who normally wouldn’t eat there. They’re going to market to vegetarians and people that want to go a healthier route without being the odd guy out. It’s the demographic they’ve been trying to reach.” He leaned back. “Plus, I might have mentioned that if they didn’t want to work with us, I’d take the burger to their biggest competitor.”

My father actually laughed. “You played hardball with Curly’s?”

“I had nothing to lose at that point.” Hollis shrugged. “Figured I might as well shoot my shot.”

“This would require significant production scaling,” Dad said, still reading the email. “We’d need to ramp up manufacturing, quality control, distribution logistics.”

“I know. That’s why I need Young at Heart. I can’t do this alone.” Hollis looked between us. “But together? We could actually pull this off.”

I watched my father’s face as he processed everything. I could practically see him running calculations, weighing risks, considering logistics. This was who he was at his core, a businessman who could spot an opportunity even in the middle of a crisis.

I held my breath. I knew what I thought we should do, but I held back. I wanted my dad to make the decision.

“This could work,” Dad said. “But we’d need to move fast. If we’re going to do this, we need contracts signed, production scheduled, marketing coordinated. No room for error.”

“I agree,” I said.

Dad tapped his finger on the table. He looked at Hollis like he was trying to see the truth. “And you’re sure about this? You’re ready to commit to this level of partnership? Because once we’re in, there’s no backing out. We’ll be locked into supply agreements, exclusivity clauses, the whole thing.”

Hollis didn’t hesitate. “I’m sure.”

My father nodded, then turned to me. “Juno? What do you think?”

I looked at Hollis. He’d spent the last day figuring out how to fix the mess he’d made. Not just for himself, but for all of us. He’d taken a disaster and turned it into a potential gold mine. That took creativity. It took the kind of entrepreneurial instinct that couldn’t be taught. He was committed to his business.

“I think we’d be idiots not to take this deal,” I said.

Dad smiled. “Then let’s make it happen.” He stood and extended his hand to Hollis. “Welcome back to the team, partner.”

Hollis shook his hand, then looked at me. “Can we talk? Privately?”

I nodded, my heart suddenly pounding. “Yeah. Let’s go to my office.”

We left my father and Kari to start making calls, and I led Hollis down the hallway. Neither of us spoke until we were behind closed doors. The moment the door clicked shut, he turned to me.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “For all of it. For not thinking things through and putting you in an impossible position.”

I wanted to talk to him and really hash things out, but we were in the office and his little bombshell meant we had a lot of work to do.

A lot.

“I understand,” I said. “I’d like to talk more, but can we do it later?”