Page 53 of Jumping In

Austin takes a sip of his drink, tilting his head to the side like a connoisseur. “This is pretty good, Shannon. But I think we’ll all want a beer, please? My brother seems to have lost his manners.”

Shannon brings the boys beers, and we chat for a while about the parade, the barbecue, and what everyone has been up to. No one mentions Mac’s trial, and I definitely don’t bring it up either.

“I think we’re gonna close on the restaurant building within a month, and then we can really get things going,” Blake is telling our group. “It might be cool to document the process once we get the building, you know? There’s gonna be a lot of renovations, but we might generate some buzz before we’re open.”

I nod along, thinking about how they could do that but also maybe raise some funds before they open. “Wait—” I say. “I’ll have to ask my dad about the licensing, but the space is usable once it’s yours, right?”

“Well, yeah, but it’s definitely not the vibe we’re going for. The upstairs is decent, but we weren’t planning on using it for the restaurant. Maybe as more of an after-hours hangout spot,” Austin’s eyes light up as he explains. Clearly, he’s full of ideas.

“What if you could still use the space upstairs for something like a nightclub? Exclusive—just offer drinks and appetizers. You could charge a cover at the door and charge for drinks and food. But people could just come up and hang out and you could generate some income while the downstairs is being prepared for the actual restaurant.”

“It’d be like a speakeasy!” Austin bellows, and we all laugh.

“Yeah, kind of. I don’t know, it’s probably a dumb idea.” I sigh.

“No idea from you is a dumb idea,baby,” Mac reassures me, kissing my temple.

Blake rubs his finger along the opening of his beer bottle. “It's actually a great idea. Would you guys want to go check out the building?” he asks.

I look at Mac, who shrugs. “Can we? I thought you hadn’t closed yet,” I say.

“We haven’t, but Shannon’s mom is the realtor, and she gave us a key. We can’t do anything in the space yet, but we can always check it out whenever we want. Take measurements and stuff, so we have a leg up once it’s ours,” Blake explains.

We flag Shannon down to settle our tab with her. She asks us to wait for her since she’s about to go on break and then we can all go together.

A few minutes later, we walk across the street from Hal’s to what will be Blake and Austin’s restaurant, and Blake unlocks the door, ushering us all in. The power’s been out for years, so we light the space with our phone flashlights. The old owners shut down and abandoned it a few years ago, which is obvious from the hardwood floors, which are yellowed, scuffed, and in desperate need of a good cleanup. The walls are also yellowed, and the western-style wallpaper is peeling off in most places. It’s empty, but full of potential, and my mind is already reeling with what the guys are thinking.

Blake points to a wall toward the back of the space and shares their vision: a bar, tables, maybe some booths along the edges. TVs on the walls, strategically placed. They’re going for a family sports bar feel. Dark, moodywoodwork, like a cabin in the woods.

“You guys could totally market as family-friendly by offering kids’ meals and a special where kids eat free. Also, make sure you have those kids’ menus where they can color. It’ll make parents more likely to bring their kids in. Oh, and you could offer local beers on tap along with more mainstream ones. Maybe even a few locally sourced wines.” The ideas fly out of my mouth before I can stop them. “Sorry, you probably already thought of all that.”

Austin laughs, shaking his head. “Actually, Blake, the kids’ meals and menus aren’t a bad idea if we want to be family friendly.” He grabs Blake by the shoulder, and they walk off whispering more ideas.

Mac grabs my hand as we walk around the space, taking it all in. The stairs are near the front door, which makes using the upstairs space before downstairs is ready even more perfect. We climb the staircase with Shannon.

My breath hitches when we reach the top of the staircase. Shining our flashlights, the large open space looks mostly untouched by the western-style décor the previous owners left. It leans closer to the cabin vibes the boys want, with dark wood floors and exposed beams. This spot is super dark and moody. But that’s not what made me gasp. No, that was because of the view.

I edge closer to the far wall, which is one giant window overlooking the creek behind the property. Even in the darkness, I know this would be an amazing place to hang out during the day and read. Looking over at Mac, my face must give me away because he asks, “What’s swirling in that head of yours?”

“The night club idea is still good. But this space . . . It’s perfect for a coffee bar-slash-library. Can you imagine reading next to that window?” My heart races with excitement. “You could have bookshelves along these walls.” I drop Mac’s hand and start roaming the space, dreaming up what I would do with it. “And then over here you could have a few tables set up. Then by the window, one of those big sectional couches, the ones you can rearrange the pieces up into a big couch or separate chairs?”

I look back at Mac, who’s beaming at me. Austin, Blake, and Shannon are behind him and have also witnessed at least half of my impromptu brainstorming. I look down and walk back to Mac. “Or you know, whatever you guys have in mind is probably great too.”

“MJ, those are great ideas. We had nothing in mind for this space yet, but I really like what you’re thinking. Between the speakeasy idea and the coffee bar, I think we could make this into something functional until the downstairs is ready to go.” Blake looks over to Mac now. “I know you said she might help with design and advertising, but this is way more than that.”

Looking at Mac, he shrugs. “I might have mentioned you were looking into schools. It was their idea, honest.”

I look back to Blake and Austin, who are smiling at me. “Wait, what’s your idea?” I ask them.

“We were going to ask if you wanted to help us with some design work for the restaurant. Menus, logos, that kind of stuff. And maybe, if you’d be up for it, helpus manage our social media? I know you’re leaving for law school in August, but we could always take pictures and send them to you to post or something.” I shake my head as Blake suggests too many things at once. “Or, you don’t have to.” He backtracks. “We can do it ourselves or find someone else. We can’t afford to pay anyone just yet, but eventually we would.” He’s talking fast, but I’m still not following entirely.

Me, social media managing? Designing for the restaurant?

“Girl, this is perfect for you.” Shannon nudges my hip with hers and raises her eyebrows.

Is it? What if I hate it, or I’m not actually good at it? What if they don’t like my ideas? Or what if—

My thoughts get interrupted by Mac’s breath on my neck.

---