The sound of the rocking chair shifting got her on her feet, even though her knees didn’t feel strong enough to support her. She bolted up the stairs and into Sophie’s room and leaned against the closed door. Footsteps creaked the wood floors, but otherwise the men didn’t make a noise. They were trained to be stealthy and keep secrets.
She buried herself under the covers, shaking even though she didn’t feel the cold. Princesses danced everywhere around the room. Their beauty and innocence and bravery would earn them a happily ever after. Real life was darker and messier. What happened when the princess wasn’t brave or innocent enough for a happily ever after?
Chapter 16
Present Day
The morning was more awkward than she expected. She wanted to sit Bennett down—tie him up if necessary—and get him to spill his guts. He’d be immune to such tactics. Noah had told her about the training they’d received to combat common torture techniques.
Darren and Bennett headed to the shooting range, and Harper was relieved. She couldn’t concentrate on her meeting for the coffee business with anger and frustration about Bennett’s silence muddying the waters.
Harper paced before Madeline and Joyce arrived. They might not even have the skills to help her, but she needed these women to back her, not for money but for a confidence boost. The doorbell rang.
Allison bustled from the kitchen to answer it. Harper recognized Madeline, the pretty redhead who didn’t have kids and complained about the scarcity of jobs, from the one meeting she had attended with Allison. The second woman was tall and dark haired and in her late forties. Although Harper hadn’t met Joyce, they had chatted enough for their greeting not to be uncomfortable.
“It’s great to actually see you guys.” Harper shook both their hands.
Madeline was vivacious, her excitement bubbling up to flush her cheeks and pull her mouth into a smile. Joyce was more reserved and hung behind Madeline, yet not in a meek way. Her gaze was observant and sharp.
“Anyone want coffee?” Allison led them into the kitchen and small talk ruled until they were each sitting with a mug and a blueberry muffin.
Sitting directly across from Harper, Joyce folded her arms on the table and leaned forward. “How did yesterday go?”
“The space had potential. Lots of it.” Nerves hit Harper like a freight train. She hadn’t felt like this since her first date with Noah. She fumbled a blue folder with printed spreadsheets into the middle of the table. She detailed the floor plan, but when she rattled off the lease details Joyce sat back and folded her arms over her chest.
“It sounds perfect, except for the price. He’s asking too much for the square footage.” Joyce’s voice was no-nonsense and practical.
“That’s what I thought, too. Especially up against comparable properties in the area.” Harper handed over the research Bennett had put together. Joyce took the paper, her eyes darting over the page her only movement.
Finally, she looked up. Her smile shoved her somberness to the side, not quite gone but nudged out by enthusiasm. “I love bargaining. My husband says I can talk the devil down on buying a soul.” Uncertainty stole across her face. “But I haven’t done anything like this in a long time, so you’ll probably want to handle it yourself.”
Joyce was obviously suffering from her own crisis in confidence. Considering Harper had been dealing with the same, she empathized and reached across the table to give Joyce’s hand a quick squeeze. Allison nodded once at Harper. It was like her friend was giving her a shove out of her comfort zone.
Harper took a deep breath and laid her hands flat on the table. “I can’t do all of this myself. Not only am I not in Fayetteville full-time, but I don’t have the skills. I need help. I need your help. Joyce, I break out in hives at the thought of haggling over a lease. I would love for you to see what you can do to get him down. And if he’s not reasonable, then we walk and find somewhere else.”
Joyce straightened in her seat and nodded. Her expression could only be described as determined. “I’ll get him down.”
Harper felt like giving her a high five but restrained herself. This was a business meeting after all. She couldn’t stop a smile from breaking out, though. “Once we nail down the space, we’ll have to see about a design and signage. We’re all agreed on Home Front Coffee, right?”
“It’s perfect,” Madeline said. “I’ll research sign makers and get quotes.”
“Great.” Harper fiddled with the sheaf of papers left. She had planned to wait to bring up Phase Two of the business plan, but her confidence in Joyce and Madeline had her pulling it out. “I want to get your thoughts on expanding into roasting and packaging our own coffee.”
Madeline’s eyes grew big and she sat forward. “Yes. I was thinking the same, but I wasn’t sure how much money we had to invest. My master’s dissertation in college was about sourcing cocoa beans for dark chocolate. I came across several coffee growers. Using sustainable growers would be an excellent marketing tool.”
“It’s not going to be cheap.” Harper slid the spreadsheet over to Joyce and Madeline.
Joyce whistled. “Expensive equipment.”
“That number is for a new roaster. I’m hoping to find used equipment at auction.”
“I can handle the procurement of the beans.” Madeline leaned over Joyce’s shoulder to see the spreadsheet. “I’ll start putting out feelers this week.”
“Keep me in the loop about auctions. I can meet you. It’s easier to have two sets of eyes and someone to keep you from overbidding,” Joyce said.
The tangible benefits that the business could offer these women were apparent. If it succeeded. “That would be great. Fabulous. One thing we haven’t talked about yet is compensation. Right now, I have all the monies earmarked for investment in start-up.”
“I’m going slowly insane here,” Madeline said. “You’d be doing me a favor by giving me a project.”
Harper tapped her pen on the table and blew out a sigh. “It doesn’t seem right.”
Allison topped off everyone’s coffee mugs. “You could give them a cut of the café’s first-year profit on top of a salary once you opened.”
“That’s a thought.” As her mind circled the possibilities, she asked, “How would that sort of arrangement work for you two? That way, if you decide a week from now the time and effort aren’t worth the trouble, you can drop it with no hard feelings. But if you stick it out, and we’re successful, then you’d own a percentage of the business.”
Joyce and Madeline exchanged a glance and nodded in unison.
“I feel like this idea has the room to grow into something bigger and more meaningful. What about giving away a portion of our proceeds?” Madeline asked.
“To a charity, you mean?” Even as Harper voiced the question, her mind was already in full agreement. “Wounded Warriors, maybe?”
“What a great idea.” Allison sat forward. “Not to be crass, but that would make for some killer advertising. Especially around here.”
“Should we vote? I’m a yes.” Harper looked at each woman in turn, and everyone else murmured their assent.
“I’m excited to get started,” Joyce said. “I’ll admit when Allison mentioned this, and we started texting, I never thought it would become a reality. But now not only can I see our café, but cafés all around the country serving the military and civilians alike and giving back.”
“To be honest, getting this one café up and running feels as daunting as climbing Mount Everest.” Harper slumped back in her chair.
“We’ll take it one piece at a time. And don’t be afraid to delegate.” Madeline was the picture of confidence. Harper wanted to borrow some.