Page 35 of Keeping Kama

Kai stopped typing on his keyboard, glancing over at her. “Are you sure about that?” He double checked his watch. “Derek is coming by in ten minutes. He’s bringing some proposals about the farm tours.”

Defensively, Leia crossed her arms and said, “I thought you told me earlier to stay out of it.”

“I know, but I’ve had a little longer to stew over it. I’d like you to stay and hear Derek out so you can give me a second opinion,” replied Kai.

Dropping her purse next to her desk, Leia sat back down. “I’ll stay. But I can only be here for another hour. I need to run to the grocery store and clean my apartment.”

Raising an eyebrow, Kai said, “Since when do you go to the grocery store? You usually just take fruit from the fruit stand and eat whatever Mom makes you.”

“You make me sound like a child,” replied Leia.

“Is that what I did?” asked Kai.

Their conversation was interrupted by the squeaking of the screen door. Derek popped his head inside. His gaze skidded to Leia, and Derek smiled warmly at her. Heat flooded to her middle, making her hands shaky.

As he stepped inside, the screen door slammed behind him. “Leia …” Her name dangled in the air. Derek added, “Hello, Kai.”

Kai clocked Derek then Leia and knowingly smirked.

Leia rolled her eyes at Kai, giving him a pointed look before she returned her gaze to Derek. “Kai asked me to stay. He said you’re giving him some information on starting farm tours,” stated Leia.

Scratching his chin, Derek strode the rest of the way inside with a messenger bag slung over his shoulder. His appearance was significantly more casual than their first business meeting together. Derek wore a plain blue T-shirt and khaki shorts with leather flip flops. The only thought that popped into her mind was dang,she kissed that!No wonder she wasn’t worried about the future.

As he lowered himself into the chair facing Kai and Leia, Derek replied, “Great idea. You can give me your opinion too.” He set his messenger bag down beside his chair then dug out his laptop and placed it on his lap.

After Derek was settled, he shot Leia a sizzling glance. The air crackled with palpable energy. Leia forced herself to look away because she was hot and flustered.

Slamming a hand on top of his desk, Kai said, “You two kissed. Didn’t you?” His gaze darted between the two of them. He wagged his finger back and forth. “There’s a weird energy thing going on.”

Clumsily, Leia shifted in her seat then jutted her chin. “I don’t think that’s any of your business.” She folded her arms protectively across her body.

Derek’s eyes dilated. “I don’t know how to respond.” He flashed Leia a panicked gaze.

Kai rolled his eyes. “I knew it.” He threw up a hand. “I knew there was something between you guys.” He pointed at Derek then Leia. “Everyone deserves a little fun now and then but,” he pointed at Derek, “we need to keep things professional, okay?” Kai raised an eyebrow.

“Of course.” Derek cleared his throat, making his Adam’s apple do that mesmerizing bobbing motion. “Should I show you my presentation about the farm tours now?” His hands lingered on top of his laptop.

Casually, Kai leaned forward. “Let’s see it.”

After Derek scooted his chair closer to their desks, he placed his laptop on the corner of Kai’s desk facing them. The screen displayed a PowerPoint presentation already cued up. Derek dove into explaining everything to them. The first slide had a list of their lost revenue over the past several years. Leia cringed at the numbers, doing their books, she wondered how she had been so blind to their financial situation. But Leia had only made orders for supplies, cut checks for the employees, and tallied up the daily sales from the store. Kai hadn’t ever asked her to compare expenses to revenue. Kai needed a real accountant.

Onto the next slide, Derek explained how the farm tours could help to recoup the loss and make the farm successful again. He walked through the startup costs, time frame, and other practical parts of making it a possibility.

Kai interjected and asked, “How many tours a week will we need to have in order to make the farm profitable again?”

Rubbing his chin, Derek replied, “I believe one tour a day with ten to twenty guests, where the guests get to pick some of the fruit and eat a meal prepared with the things grown on the farm. I believe it would be enough to get you out of the red and into the black.” He gestured toward Kai. “Now, if you up that to say maybe three or four tours a day, I believe that would give you enough profit to eventually become successful enough to hire more employees, maybe even pay off my company’s investment so you can completely own the farm again on your own.”

“I like the sound of that,” said Kai.

“I don’t know,” piped in Leia. Shaking her head, Leia continued, “I worry about the amount of traffic this would create through the farm. I fear it might damage the surrounding native plants, and the whole place will become crawling with people.”

“I’m glad you mentioned that, Leia.” Derek clicked to the next slide. “I do believe we need to be careful to maintain the integrity of the land. That’s why I would suggest smaller more manageable groups of ten to twenty people max. Most people come with their families, so you would only have maybe three families and cars parked at a time. Then you aren’t overwhelmed with visitors. In addition, the smaller groups help to create demand while preserving the land.”

Derek then explained the actual tour, cost, time, and everything else involved. After clicking to the last slide, Derek closed the PowerPoint presentation and asked, “So, Kai, what are your thoughts or questions?”

Blinking, Kai glanced toward Leia. “What do you think, little sis?” asked Kai.

Leia leaned forward and said, “Is this something your business partner Tyson is willing to do? From my emails with him, he made it seem like your investment firm wasn’t willing to invest the amount you mentioned.”

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