"Why did you do this?" he asks.
Though he’s close enough to touch, he isn't touching me."Because I wanted to. I know the last few days with me weren't easy, and this is my way of making up for it."
"That’s not how this works. We have good days and bad days, but you’re setting a dangerous precedent if you’re going to do something like this every time we have a bad day." He grips my waist and pulls me to him.
"I'm okay with that. Do you want to come with me to meet with Jason and Nick tomorrow? I’m waiting on a few things to put my pitch together. I'm sure we can find something to do until it comes in." I run my hands under his shirt and up to his hard chest and washboard abs.
"I have a few dirty ideas," he whispers against my lips.
"I really like your dirty ideas."
Brice
While I have no interest in business meetings, I'm really excited to see Kayla in action today when we meet with Jason and Nick. Instead of the formal business attire she wore to the last meeting, she’s in jeans and cowboy boots. She’s prepared and relaxed, but even more so, she’s such a different version than the woman I treated that day in my clinic.
Walking into WJ’s, she is calm and confident. Jason and Nick are ready for the meeting, but they still seem hesitant. I know they’re doing this for me, a fact I don't take lightly, but I know Kayla is going to rock this.
"We still don't want to franchise," Nick says as we all sit down at a table.
WJ's isn't open, so we have the place to ourselves. It has a different vibe without everyone here.
"I know. I have a better idea." Kayla pulls out the folder she has with her.
"Well, color me intrigued," Nick says, making Kayla pause.
"My grandpa used to say that when my dad told him he had a business idea," Kayla says, then shakes it off.
"Mine, too," Nick says, smiling.
"Okay, I don't want to waste your time. Brice and I were in here the other night for dinner, the night you did that BBQ brisket, which was the best brisket I've ever had by the way."
Nick gives her a genuine smile.
"I don't remember the last time I ate so much. The place smelled amazing the moment you walked in. After we ate, Brice asked me to dance. I promise I have a point, boys," Kayla says the moment she sees she might be losing them.
It’s obvious to me that she’s great at reading people and doing what she does.
"While we were dancing, we overheard a gentleman say he wished he could buy a bottle of the BBQ sauce to take home with him. It got my wheels turning. My dad often sayssometimes you have to shift gears for the better of the company you’re working with. So, I'm shifting gears."
She starts pulling out some papers with charts and numbers and places them on the table in front of Jason and Nick.
"Let's bottle your BBQ sauce and sell it. Your logo, your brand, you retain the rights, we just help you produce it. You can sell it here, but we can also start to get it on local grocery store shelves and branch out. We can do a different version of BBQ sauce, but we don't have to stop there. Whatever you do differently with your corn muffins, they’re delicious. We could make a mix people can take home. Remember now, you would have full creative control. You can test items and perfect them before they go up for sale, and we only promote the products you want."
Jason and Nick look at each other, then sit up and look at the numbers in front of them.
"This isn’t the first time we’ve done this, and we have the facilities to produce and help advertise as needed. We could do merch too–shirts, hats, bumper stickers with a cute saying. That’s a great form of advertisement. Think about this. Someone sees another person wearing a WJ’s shirt, then at the store they see a WJ's product and pick it up to try it at home. They love it, and then realize when they’re visiting great aunt Sally next month which is only an hour away from WJ’s, so they swing in. It's all connected."
They go over some numbers, costs, projections, and ideas.
"You really think this is worth your time?" Jason asks.
"Yeah, I do. It's all about branding. It’s perfect because there’s already a buzz about you all the way to Dallas, and it’s something we can capitalize on. Sell people on the idea of taking a piece of WJ's home with them to continue the experience. We start small between here and Dallas. As we grow, we stick to Texas, and then expand from there."
When they start talking about a number of ideas, I zone out because the business end of things isn't really my cup of tea. But Kayla is right at home. She is good at what she does, and she’s patient with answering questions, even if they’ve been asked before.
There is a break at one point when Nick makes us some lunch–his BBQ tacos.
"I swear, if I keep eating here, I'm going to gain a hundred pounds. I’ve yet to have something from you that I don't like," Kayla says appreciatively.