Page 93 of A Perfect Match
“Are you looking into franchising?”Asher asks, blowing past the failed joke entirely.
Kru laughs softly and shakes his head.Maybe now he understands what I’m dealing with here.“I don’t know about franchising.But there’s definitely a market for expansion in other ways.”
“Like what ways?”Asher asks, sounding like he might actually be simply curious, instead of calculating.
"Well, I've actually had some interest from investors," Kru says, cutting into his pork chop."There's a group in Columbus that's been following me from the reality show.They think my concept would translate well to a bigger market.One of the investors came to eat at my restaurant the other night and asked me to call him.We had a pretty long talk about his offer."
My fork freezes halfway to my mouth.Columbus.He's never mentioned Columbus before…or this investor.“You got an offer?”
"Columbus is a great market," Dane cuts in, perking up with interest."Lots of young professionals, good restaurant scene."
"That's what they tell me," Kru agrees, ignoring my question."They want to meet next week to discuss possibilities."
"Next week?"The question comes out sharper than I intended, and everyone looks at me.
"Tuesday," Kru says, his eyes flicking to mine briefly before looking away."I'd drive down Monday night and meet with them Tuesday morning to look at a space."
"And you're just mentioning this now?"I can't keep the hurt out of my voice.Going to Columbus to look at a new space for a restaurant ishuge.
"I was going to tell you," he says quickly."I just wanted to have more details before I said anything.Didn't want to worry you over something that might not even happen."
"But it might happen," I say quietly.
"It might," he admits.
The room has gone silent except for the soft clink of silverware.My brothers are all watching this exchange with barely concealed interest.
"That's smart," Asher says finally."You should always explore your options, especially in the restaurant business.High failure rate."
"It's just a meeting," Kru says, but he's looking at my brothers, not me."Nothing's decided."
"Of course," Mom says gently."But it's exciting to have options."
"When would this happen?"I ask, my voice sounding hollow."If they made you an offer?"
Kru shifts uncomfortably in his chair."I don't know.Soon, I guess.”
This detail sinks like a lead weight in my gut.The fact that I’m hearing about this at the table, at the same time as my brothers, puts me on edge.
Maybe they’re right to be cautious.Maybe I should be a little more cautious too.
But that’s something to think about later.More than anything, I want to make it through this disaster of a game night.Maybe there’s a chance we can turn this ship around.I do my best to rally, to put on a smiling face.We steer the conversation back to calmer topics; plates are cleared; cards are dealt; the hourglass is brought closer to watch and so Kru can say hi.Kru opts to watch the first round since he’s never played euchre, and I stick close to his side so I can explain the rules as he watches Dane play.Despite the raucous rounds of cards, I can’t stop thinking about his news about the Columbus investor.
Why didn’t he tell me?
After a full game, I realize I don’t have the energy to be here anymore.My mood is sinking the longer we stay, and I want to avoid any additional interrogation from my brothers.If I hear one more comment about my poor business decisions, I’m going to snap.Once we finish the first round, I stand.
“All right, guys, we better get going.”
“Hey, come on Pipe Cleaner, don’t be a sore loser,” Jett goads me, since he just won the first round with Griffin as his partner.
“Not being a sore loser; just being a responsible business owner.”I point to the wall clock.“It’s time for Kru to get back to the kitchen.”
I get the sense that Kru is relieved.If I’ve been eager to go since we set foot inside, I’m sure his own discomfort has been even worse.While my brothers grumble, Kru thanks everyone for the invitation.
“Maybe I’ll catch on to euchre the next time around,” he says sweetly.But deep inside my heart, I’m worried he’s just trying to be nice.Because he’ll never come back after the way he was treated tonight.In fact, I’m positive that everything he saw and everything he heard has pushed him in the opposite direction.
After all, he’s already opening a side door.There are bigger things waiting for him, away from Bayshore.I ignore the wrench in my chest and push through goodbyes.But there’s something heavy on my heart, and I can’t keep it inside much longer.
