Page 103 of Thirst For Me
“Really? I didn’t even tell you my sales figures yet. Did Sierra tell you about our ... little wager?”
June raises an eyebrow. “She didn’t.”
“She bet me that she could outsell the bar during the festival. Food only.”
She laughs dryly. “Well, that was bold of her. And foolish.”
“She deserves a real chance at this, June,” I say seriously. “Maybe we could work something out. You let Sierra lease Pier Seven for the rest of summer, and I buy it from you in October or November. I can have it up and running with a pop-up for the holidays, then get started on renovations, have the new restaurant open by the spring.”
“I’m not leasing Pier Seven out, Mason,” she says. “And I’m not selling it, either.”
“What?”
“Look.” She turns toward me. “I was going to have my realtor let you know once the festival is done, just let us all enjoy the weekend.”
“But . . . ?”
“But I can’t accept your offer. If this year’s festival has proved anything to me, it’s that I don’t want to let the building go. Iseriously considered it, yes, when your parents were part of the equation. But they’re not. And that’s reality.”
I can’t fucking believe what I’m hearing. “So, you’d rather have it sit empty than belong to my family, so we can run a restaurant in it to benefit the community?”
“No, Mason. I’d rather hold onto it because it is a special place in this community. And I’ve always wanted to utilize it. But it hasn’t been possible when I’ve had to make so many adjustments over the years as my family has gradually left Twisted Tree. The cidery is profitable. But now the guesthouse is also profitable. And I can leverage some of those resources to bring Pier Seven back to life.”
I shake my head. “You’re making a mistake—”
“Maybe I am. And maybe I thought there would be more time to figure it all out. But with your parents gone, and Sierra Daniels coming to town and breathing new life into this place ... Who knows? I’m feeling inspired.”
“June, you can’t be serious.”
“Can’t I? You young people can be quite inspiring. You remind an old lady that some things are worth fighting for.”
Shit. Is that the message Sierra and I have sent her?
Our competing interests in the building just made June want it more?
Fuck me.
“But didn’t you invite Sierra here to compete with me? To drive up the price? I thought that was the whole point. To squeeze me, or maybe her, out of as much as you could get for the building.”
June actually looks offended at the thought. “I invited her here because I saw some of my younger self in her. Or ...” She sighs. “Maybe I saw the young woman I really wish I’d been. If I’d had half the ingenuity she has at her age, I might’ve made better choices, instead of coasting on the efforts my parents put in before me. Andquite frankly, I resented your presumption that Pier Seven would be yours, just because of the work your parents put in before you.”
“Your grandfather won Pier Seven on a gamble,” I say, frustrated, “and for generations, your family has mismanaged it, neglected it, and hoarded it. And now you’re taking a gamble on some vague idea that you might one day figure out how to run a restaurant? Instead of taking a legitimate, above-market-value offer? From someone who knows what it takes and is more than willing to do the work?”
“Don’t be condescending, Mason. I’ll be consulting with other local businesses, suppliers, and producers in the coming months, and I will figure it out.”
“And that’s it? You won’t even negotiate?”
Her steely eyes sharpen at me as the sea breeze whips her hair around her face. “Let me be crystal clear with you, Mason Grant. I will never negotiate with you or your brother or your grandfather, unless he apologizes to me first.”
For a moment, I’m speechless.
“For . . . what?”
“Why don’t you ask him.”
June starts to walk away.
“Can I at least be one of these local business owners you consult with?” I ask her, fucking desperate.
