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I pointed to profit and loss history and projections. Experience. The power of my name as a brand and a selling point…
“And we always come back to the same thing,” he said. “You need a large chunk of land and a lot of money to build something like this. You said the situation had changed?”
“It has.” I’d printed the real estate listing for the building we were in now, grabbed specs, floor plans, and everything I could think of. I flipped to that new information now. “We have the opportunity to purchase an existing structure.”
Davenport’s brows knitted together.
That wasn’t right.
“I’m familiar with the property.” His cheer vanished behind a flat tone. “More specifically, I’m familiar with the disrepair most of it is in.”
My enthusiasm dipped a notch, but I didn’t let the reaction show. “Nothing structural, though.” I hoped. Please don’t let the place have the kind of issues that would require tearing it down. “I realize it needs more than a fresh coat of paint”—I flipped to another new section of the plan—“but you’ll see here we also have plans to renovate the rest of the building. Bring the classrooms back up, the gym, and put other activities in place.”
Colin had some brilliant ideas around restoration and rebuilding. He’d even provided some preliminary sketches. One of the best things about talking to him about this part of the plan was the way his face lit up when he went into detail about what he’d do, given the chance. Colin inspired and embracing his muse was a beautiful sight.
Davenport placed his hand on the pages of my business proposal before I could flip to Colin’s concepts. “Managing and maintaining a rec center is a very different idea than running a swim school and pool. You were already looking at costly insurance, utilities, and upkeep. This adds new layers to all of it.”
“I understand that, but—”
“Do you?” He met my gaze and held it. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do and why. You’ve put together a fantastic business plan since we started speaking. However, with these new ideas you can’t just slap a few pages in the middle of your proposal and call it done. Especially when you’re looking at a dilapidated piece of property that no bank is going to give you a loan for.”
I didn’t appreciate being cut off or talked down to. “You’re missing the vast opportunity here.”
“I assure you, I’m not.” He stood. “Take some time to think about what I’ve said.” He stepped around the desk, to the door, and held it open. “And enjoy the rest of your day.”
What just happened? “I’ll rework the proposal to include the rec center, and we’ll talk again in a week or so.” I stood and gathered my things, but I wasn’t leaving on this note. “Should I schedule with the girl up front or drop you an email?”
Davenport shook his head. “Lose this building and-slash-or come back with fifty percent down, and you’ll find a lot of doors open up. Regardless, lose the rec center idea.”
My thoughts were stuck in a loop. I didn’t know how to deal with the brush off, and I wanted to argue and tell him how wrong he was. However, I refused to let him see me upset or give the impression of begging. “Thank you for your time. I won’t be scheduling future meetings.”
“I understand.”
I didn’t. As I walked back to the parking lot, I tried to figure out how any of this made sense. My idea, the proposal, was brilliant. His point about updating the P&L was a good one, but nothing else he’d said rang true.
I climbed into my car, disbelief spinning toward anger. It was time to stop piddling around with consultations from a man who was looking for reasons to sayno. A few tweaks this afternoon, and I was going directly to bankers. Fuck him and his bullshit brush-off.
Next steps spun through my head as I headed back to Daria’s. I’d let Colin go full-force on redesign ideas. We’d make this entire concept leap off the page.
This route was unfamiliar, and as I drove, I vaguely registered the new scenery. Mostly small local places I hadn’t seen before that looked like I might want to visit later. A sign with a stunning hand-painted script caught my eye. It was advertising high end drawing pens on clearance.
Colin had been eyeing those for a long time, putting it off because we were being frugal. I made a hard right into the parking lot, and a short while later emerged with the new gift in hand. The pens weren’t as cheap as I’d hoped, but I could suck it up financially for a few weeks. Seeing him smile would be worth it.
Plus, if he didn’t know this place was here, I’d need to bring him by.
Excitement at the idea of brightening Colin’s day blended strangely with my frustration, and by the time I parked in Daria’s driveway, unspent energy thrummed inside, screaming for a physical outlet.
I could head back to the pool, but I wasn’t in the mood to spend more time in the car first. I could throw on a pair of shorts and go for a run.
The light clang of dishes caught my attention as I walked through the front door, and I followed the noise to find Daria in the kitchen. Her back was to me, and her dark hair fell in loose waves around her shoulders, begging to be pulled…
New plan. I’d engage her help to burn off this excess adrenaline. “Lunchtime?”
She jumped and whirled to face me. “Fuck, you startled me.” Her shaky laugh was the perfect complement to the pink spreading across her cheeks. “And yes, I was thinking about it.”
“Not sure if you have something specific in mind, but I have a suggestion for something delicious if you’d like some company.”
“What are you thinking?” Daria asked.
