Walking up to the table, I shake each of the men’s hands firmly, introducing myself.
“Excuse my outfit, everyone. I was so eager to get here that I left my suitcase on the curb at the airport. Of course, today happened to be the day I spill my drink all over myself,” I add, giving them both a flirtatious smile.
They all laugh exuberantly, and I see Luca nod once, impressed.
“And I’m Anderson,” a voice resounds behind me. “I can attest that Ms. Rossi here did indeed spill not one, but two drinks all over herself on the way here.”
I smile, but inside I’m fuming. “It was just the one,” I grind out.
The men laugh louder, and I turn to glare at Anderson. So, this is how it’s going to go, huh? He’s going to throw me under the bus this entire trip?
Okay. Two can play this game.
He gives me no reaction except for a small gleam in his eye as he sits next to Luca… leaving me with the odd chair out and farthest away from all of them. The waiter brings over the prix fixe lunch menu and my eyes balloon at the price per plate, but I set the menu down and grin. I’ve never owned a business, nor have I been to very many business lunches—but I could be sophisticated. Luca and I weren’t well off growing up, but we were taught basic manners. I can play the part.
Luca orders first, substituting the potatoes for more vegetables. I, on the other hand, ask for extra cheesy potatoes au gratin, to which Luca rolls his eyes. Anderson hands the menu back and asks for the grilled salmon a la carte.
“It’s prix fixe,” Luca interjects before Anderson has finished ordering. “They’re not offering their normal menu for lunch, but of course you probably already know that.” His voice is amused yet resigned.Interesting.I wonder if Anderson always proves to be a difficult customer.
Anderson gives the waiter a small smile and reaches into his coat pocket, pulling out a hundred-dollar bill and slipping it into his hand slyly. “I think they can work something out for me.”
Luca rolls his eyes and looks away. I tilt my head and study Anderson. It’s like everyone—including Luca—panders to him.
“Of course, Mr. Møllen,” the waiter answers, giving us all a toothy grin. I have to try to keep the bile from rising in my throat.
Soprivileged.Sopompous.
“Also, a gin and tonic with Hendrick’s.”
Oh ho ho.So, the accuser becomes the accused.
“It’s one in the afternoon,” I comment, cocking my head to the side.
Anderson’s eyes slowly find mine, and the hatred burning behind them makes me feel like I’m being burned.
“As I was saying, a gin and tonic with Hendrick’s, please,” he repeats, handing the menu to the waiter.
“Not a fan of steak?” One of the men, whose name I’ve already forgotten, asks him.
Anderson gives him a tight smile. “No, not a fan of steak.” He looks up at the waiter. “In fact, why don’t you bring a round of drinks for the table?”
The two men seated with us perk up. He’s trying to get on their good side.
“Well, that should make our proposal all the merrier,” one of the men says.
“Proposal?” Anderson muses, leaning forward. “I like the sound of that.”
“We want to offer our partnership. We know how well Gather is going on the retail end, and we want to be there when you take over the restaurant scene. The market is ripe in Maui. Lots of tourists, lots of fresh food. There aren’t very many plant-based dining options.” He looks at the other man. “50% ownership, and we’ll fund the front end.”
Anderson turns to Luca, who seems to be thinking it over.
“The plant-based movement is huge,” I chime in, placing my hands on the table. From my market research this past week, I’ve come to the conclusion that Gather is ripe for the picking. Health food is lucrative, no matter which direction you go. There’s too much awareness surrounding it. I look at both of them. “I think marketing it as a high-end vegan restaurant will lure in the wealthy tourists, but it’s the locals we want to capture, so utilizing the local farms will be important. We want Gather to be engrained with everything the locals value.”
“Exactly,” the other man says.
The drinks come, and the conversation turns to business numbers. I pay attention, though it doesn’t really make sense to me. I know one of the reasons Luca brought me here is to get to know Anderson and the kind of work he and my brother do together. I don’t understand financials, and I only chime in when Luca asks me a direct question about SEO and optimizing our Google Analytical impact. The waiter brings our plates out, and I scarf down my food as quickly as humanly possible, almost forgetting where I am and what I’m supposed to be doing. I completely forgot to eat my plane snacks during all the Malfoy commotion, and I barely ate breakfast, so everything tastes like the best food I’ve ever eaten.
“Here is where Luca and I disagree,” I hear Anderson say, his voice louder than it had been seconds ago, rising above the general clamor of the room enough for me to notice. I stop chewing mid-bite and look at Luca, whose face is tight. “I think opening a restaurant that serves food could set us apart from the rest of the places that only ever focus on retail and grocery,” he adds, leaning back in his chair. “We’re nothing special on paper. There are hundreds of other companies who sell juice, smoothies, and vegan food. And we got lucky when we landed the deal with Whole Foods in 2017, I’ll admit. We probably couldn’t do that today.”
