“I’m not trying to say anything. I’m telling you I was not in that restaurant waiting to meet you. I don’t use a dating app. I don’t need to.”
“So, your two truths…”
“Oh, no. Both of the things I told you are absolutely my two truths. Well, more like absolute life rule. But truth works too.”
“Hold on. Why would you let me go on and on about myself and being on a date if you weren’t there to meet me?”
She had an excellent point, and I didn’t have a good answer. I went with a total guy response. “It was fun.”
“Wow. Okay, then. We should get started.” She insisted, but I caught something else in her eyes.
Shit. Was she going to cry? Shit.
“These are the preliminary terms.” I handed her a copy of the contract. “If you would take a few minutes to read them over, then we can go over the points one by one to see how far off we are. That’s when the real fun begins.”
She grabbed the stapled stack of documents. “What am I liable for if this idea falls apart?”
I leaned back and thought for a minute before I answered. “Clarify what you mean by falls apart.”
“For whatever reason, the deal breaks down. Am I financially responsible for repaying Morgan Financial Holdings?” She scanned the document.
“If I understand what you are asking, you are not financially responsible if the coffee shops don’t turn a profit, as Morgan Financial is entering the partnership as the financial investor. The only way you would be financially responsible to Morgan is if you were to negotiate with us and take our offer to another investor to sign a deal. According to the terms of the agreement, it prohibits you from starting a business in the coffee industry within the City and the surrounding burbs for a period of three years should the deal go south.”
Jurnee nodded and flipped to the last page. She picked up the pen and began signing the line with her name.
“What the hell are you doing?” I shouted.
She froze. Looking up at me, the confusion on her face was clear.
“You cannot sign a document without A) reading it carefully, and B) having your attorney read it as well.” I tried to grab the contract from her, but she placed both hands on the paper to keep me from taking it.
“I asked you if I had to pay any money back. What else is there to discuss?”
“Are you a child? This is a major partnership you are entering. Did you even look to see what your percentage of the profit will be? Do you even know how many stores the contract is for? What about the timetable? Did you look at the timetable we are proposing?” My frustration grew with each question I asked her.
She shrugged her shoulders and looked at me. “I trust you. I didn’t even expect Graham Morgan to be interested in my idea. I’m just happy to have the opportunity.”
I was speechless. Who was this person, and where did she come from? No one I had ever sat across the table from had ever said that they trusted me.
“This is business. There is no room for trust.” Are you naïve or just stupid? You don’t seem stupid. Trust in business. Come on.
She stood and softly asked, “Would you excuse me for a minute?”
“Yes. Of course.”
I watched her walk out of the room before I reached for the contract as her phone chimed.
718.344.5653 - Hey. Just wanted to let you know that I’m thinking about you, and I’m looking forward to meeting you in person tonight.
Who the hell is this?
718.344.5653 - I’m not a crazy stalker. I’m just excited to meet you in person. I’ve never been to the Russian Tea Room either, so this should be fun. See you at 7pm.
Why do I care who the hell this is?
I looked at the door and picked up her phone. Re-reading the text messages, I listened to see if she was coming down the hallway. I quickly typed out a response.
Jurnee - Thanks for the messages. Unfortunately, I have to cancel. Something has come up. I will contact you when things settle down. I can’t get any texts, so please don’t reply.
I paused when I heard Jurnee talking to someone outside the door.
Man, do not hit send.
Send.
What the hell am I doing?
Too late now.
Deleting the text messages, I replaced the phone in the exact position it was in. Then, I grabbed the