Page 49 of Silver Edge
Numbers flew through my head. It just might work. I stood and walked over to his desk, an equation of estimating people twenty-one and over, considering mass capacity, multiplied by the number of drinks per person. “We’ll need more booze. I was looking over your food markup verses the sales, and your profit margin is really low. I’d cut your kitchen to just salty snacks and drinks.”
“We need upfront cash, then.” Drake paced the room. “We can charge an entry fee to the contest. Also, we’ll sell advanced tickets for the mosh pit and up the normal ticket prices. People will pay to see this if we make them believe it’s going to be epic. But we’ll need to sell a lot of tickets fast.”
My brain churned with energy and caffeine. “What if you didn’t need alcohol?”
Drake shook his head. “I need alcohol in order to make money.”
“You said I need to trust you. Well, here’s your chance to trust me. I’ll get this house packed, but you won’t need any alcohol. I’ve got a plan that just might save this place.”
Hawaiian looked between us. “You guys going too fast. Just tell me where to go and I’ll hand out fliers. Beyond that, I’m useless for ninja calculations or salesman mumbo-jumbo.”
I nodded. “Don’t worry. I just need an escort and your winning personality. I tell you what to say, but you do the talking.”
Hawaiian wiped his brow in mock relief and headed for the door. “That’s a deal. Where you want to start?”
“First, Drake, we need to advertise this as an Edge Fest. We’ll have bands from all over the country battle for a chance to be heard. Can you sell your promoter on a Straight Edge band? He can spin it for publicity on his label, too.”
Drake shrugged. “I can sell him on anything. That’s the one thing I’m good at.”
“Let’s head to the coffee shop. I have an idea. Drake, you handle the social media and all the business stuff. I’ll get the crowd here. Put up your app, but make sure it hasStraight Edgeon it.” I ran upstairs and snagged my hoodie from the couch in his bedroom, trying to ignore the memories of him holding me last night. It was all just a dream and now I needed to deal with reality. I wanted this place to stay open for my own selfish reasons. The thought of spending my days listening to music and making a living on my own, not needing someone else to take care of me, kept me planted instead of running off. It was time to stop running.
I took the stairs two at a time and launched out the back door, waving for Hawaiian to follow. His old pickup sat out front, and I hopped in, knowing he wasn’t about to agree to walk over. The smells from Chinese, Pacific Island, and fast food burger joints battled for my attention. The mixture made my stomach flop in protest, but I managed to keep it from tossing my breakfast of coffee.
“You think you guys can pull this off?” Hawaiian asked as he drove. “Drake’s been struggling a long time with this place. I thought he was about to turn it over to rich bitch’s daddy to tear down. It broke my heart remembering his brother and how excited he was when the place opened.”
“You knew his brother?” I asked, holding on to the oh-shit handle as he hopped a curb and sent me a few inches off the seat.
“Yeah, he’s the one who gave me my job. I was here when Drake showed up after the funeral. I was packin’ things up and he walked to the center of the large room and stopped. He stood there for several minutes then turned to me and told me to unpack. He said he couldn’t let his brother down again.” Hawaiian stopped abruptly in front of the café then jerked the gearshift into reverse.
I gripped the oh-shit handle tighter to keep from flying through the windshield. “You think he’ll ever be better? I mean, you think he can’t move on now ’cause he lost so much?”
He backed into a parking spot then killed the engine. “I’d say that’s possible, but then you walked into his life and his eyes lit up for the first time since I’d met him. Boss man changed the moment you demanded he hire you.”
I shoved the door open, relieved to escape the strong odors of day-old food. The dreary fall drizzle had returned, but it didn’t slow us down.
Hawaiian held the coffee shop’s door open for me the way Drake had done on ourdate, but I knew he didn’t mean it that way. He was just being a gentleman. “I know something’s happening between you two and I think it’s good. You make Boss happy, and you seem less tense yourself.”
We slipped inside and I zeroed in on the rich aroma of coffee, managing to keep my nerves in check despite the high-pitched sound of the milk steamer. The place was pretty empty, only a few people seated at the tables. As I had hoped, I saw the girl behind the counter with the snake tattoo and waved.I leaned over the counter near the register and eyed her Straight Edge mark. “Nice,” I said, showing her my wrist.
She nodded. “I saw you around the other day. You been in Atlanta long?”
I shook my head. “Almost a month, but I’ve landed a killer job over at this place called Bands.”
Her tongue slipped out, playing with the ring through her lip. “I went there once. It’s got a cool vibe. Terrible name and talent, though.”
“Yeah, I agree, but we’re doing something epic there at the end of the month. You know any good Straight Edge bands? I’d love to score some great talent for an Edge Fest. There’ll be a battle for a contract with a major label. If nothing else, the gig’ll provide bands an opportunity to be noticed.”
She tossed her hair back then eyed the corner. “Those guys over there know a few. Some of them are Straight Edge. I think the tall guy is part of a pop-punk band that’s been touring. Has a good cult following but hasn’t been discovered yet. The shorter guy is in a metal band, pretty heavy stuff. I’m sure between the two of them they can help you out.”
“Thanks.” I snagged a marker from a cup by the register and wroteEdge Festacross the top of one of the fliers and handed it to her. “Would you mind putting this up?”
She looked it over. “Sure. I’ll even mention it to a few of my friends. Good luck.”
I thanked her then headed over to the group of guys. It would be up to me to sell this, not Hawaiian. Stopping at one of the empty tables, I set the fliers down then turned to Hawaiian. “Hey, there are a ton of stores around here that cater to the art community, right?”
“Yeah, that’s one of the reasons Devon chose this location for Bands.”
“Can you writeEdge Festacross the top of these and distribute them? Meet me here when you’re done.”
