Page 14 of Stirring Up Love
Only because he’d asked for the extra shifts. And normally the extra hours spent in the kitchen with his tight-knit group of coworkers left him energized, not exhausted.
Since he couldn’t take out his frustration on the source of his lack of sleep, he took aim at his friend instead. “Come to think of it, my tiredness is all your fault, since you insist on forcing me to make a go of this barbecue sauce business.” And insisting he sell his wares at places infested with antagonistic locals.
“Iinsist? Does this mean you found an investor for your project? Inherited some cash from a long-lost relative?” The second he said it, Darius’s face fell. An easy slip, the kind of common phrase most people wouldn’t even blink at. But his best friend knew better.
Finn’s relatives weren’t the kind who gave away fortunes. They were the kind who stalled adoptions by making a claim on him, then discarded him when faced with the daily reality of taking care of a child. Let him languish in foster care until he turned eighteen.
So no, he hadn’t scored an investor, or a windfall inheritance. Which is the only reason he’d agreed to Darius’s suggestion to market the barbecue sauces he’d come up with for a friend’s cookout.
“Sorry, man. What I meant was this sauce business is your best shot at making good on your cooking-school dreams. Unless you’ve reconsidered my offer?” Darius had the funds to get Finn’s plans off the ground, but while that made sense on paper, Finn wanted to make a go of it on his own.
He could fit everything he owned in the back of a car. No furniture, no sheet set. Nothing substantial to his name. But his dream of a culinary school for those hoping for a second chance? All his. Inviting an investor—even his closest friend—meant leaving himself open to having the rug pulled out from under his dreams.
And in his experience, if there was a rug to be pulled, it got yanked right out from under him. Better to keep the dream his own and never see it materialize than let someone else in and have it stolen.
At Finn’s headshake, Darius shoved his hands in the pockets of his hoodie. “Didn’t think so. And honestly, I get it.” His lips tugged to the side, like he didn’t, not quite. Understandable, from someone with a mom who laid the world at his feet. “But if you’re burned out, have you considered quitting the restaurant to pursue the business full time?”
Quit the restaurant? He’d be walking out on his family. Bella was like a big sister, Peter Pan to their crew of lost boys and girls bound together by their passion for food. He’d sooner accept the mountain of debt from ditching the sauce business than quit Bellaire.
Finn added a handful of cherry tomatoes to the salad and popped on the plastic lid. “And go from being broke and unhoused to broke, unhoused, and unemployed?”
“Don’t make your living situation sound like a negative. You’re saving on rent by bunking at my flips. It’s a sound financial strategy.”
Sound financial strategy.Sometimes his friend sounded like a walking textbook. And his issue wasn’t not having a house; it was his lack of a home.
“You’re never going to reach your goals if you don’t invest more time in your business. Great entrepreneurs don’t get to the top by not giving it their all.” Darius jabbed the prep table to emphasize his point, dislodging some tomatoes. He snatched them up before they rolled to the floor.
“I’m not an entrepreneur, I’m a chef.” And he was also wondering why he’d ever thought taking a chance on this venture would be a good idea. He didn’t have the killer instinct of a businessman. He belonged in the kitchen, transforming ingredients into something more than sustenance. Enriching the lives of others through the power of a hot meal, cooked with care.
“See, that’s part of the problem.” Darius popped a tomato in his mouth and chewed it. Swallowed. “You’re thinking too small.”
His friend had been instrumental in building him up, encouraging him to go to therapy, to see his worth. But sometimes Darius forgot that not everyone wanted to conquer the world; some people yearned to simply exist, happily, and help others do the same.
Finn finished another salad. He pressed the lid on, and it cracked. Great.
“Did you come by just to dump more unsolicited advice on me?” Not fair. Must be the rudeness of the girl from the market rubbing off on him. Another reason to stay away.
Still, he wondered why Darius had stopped by. As far as he knew, his friend’s portfolio of charities didn’t include the meals-assistance program, but then again, Darius was involved in almost every part of the neighborhood. Wouldn’t surprise him to find out his charitable donations had paid for the lunch kits he was packing up.
Sounding less sure of himself than he had a moment ago, Darius said, “I actually came by to see if you want to grab breakfast. My first showing isn’t until noon, and my personal trainer canceled at the last minute.”
Personal trainer.Finn couldn’t relate to Darius’s lifestyle. At all. Didn’t stop him from being happy for his friend. While at the same time being grateful he didn’t have an overpaid PE teacher harassing him to do push-ups every morning.
“Can’t.” Finn tossed in a packet of italian dressing. “Headed into Bellaire for the lunch shift.”
“Dinner, then?”
He shot a glance Darius’s way. His friend’s hands were stuffed in the pockets of his joggers, lips pressed tight, despite his casual tone.
Finn pushed the salad aside. “What’s really going on? Did you find another farmers’ market for me to embarrass myself at? Because I told you, it wasn’t worth the trouble.”
“How was I supposed to know that place would be patrolled by a militant barbecue despot?” Darius’s face relaxed into a grin. “I’m sorry, man. But stuff like this only happens to you. You’re a walking chaos magnet. And why did you have to take the bait?” The telltale line of disapproval was back, cutting between Darius’s brows. “Could’ve been a big opportunity there,” he added. “The least you could’ve done is play nice. Leave the door open for a mutually beneficial arrangement.”
Mutually beneficial arrangement.Simone’s fiery eyes and biting words snapped to mind.
“Yeah, somehow I don’t think she was too keen on any sort of arrangement, beneficial or otherwise.” Why did that sound equal parts filthy and appealing?
“That’s because you thought like a man, not a businessman. But I know how to fix your problem.”
