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."I sighed.We'd been round and round on this topic before.Alvin came over to take our orders."Sure you don't want to order crabs, Mark?" I teased.Alvin lit up."Man, we've got some awesome number ones in today."Mark held up a hand."I'm good, thanks.I'll just have a beer.""Iced tea and an order of rockfish bites for me, please." I handed Alvin back the menus."Hey, Alvin, do you have the owner's contact info?" Mark asked."Sure do," Alvin replied."But he's not going to sell.Man's ninety-two years old and likes things the way they are.Don't care if he's losin' money every month.Stick around.He's usually in for a drink on Saturdays.""I'd like to talk to him just the same."Alvin brought a business card with our drinks.We watched people ride jet skis around the bay and sipped our drinks."So what would you do to this place?" I asked.Mark looked thoughtful."I'd make this into the Eastern Shore live music venue.Depending on how much waterfront real-estate there is here, I'd probably add boat slips.I'd add villa-style condos behind us.Probably twenty or so.And on the top floor, I'd build us a penthouse."I had been looking around as he spoke, picturing the changes.He'd had my attention at "live music venue." My head whipped around."Penthouse? For us?"He nodded."Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself?" I asked."I have a feeling our temporary arrangement is going to work out just fine." He smiled at me, and I melted into his warm brown eyes.A penthouse was heady stuff.I found my mind wandering through the rooms.The deck.The views!"I can tell from the expression on your face that you've already moved in."I laughed."Can't blame a girl for dreaming." I glanced behind us and imagined the three story condo building.An old man sitting at the bar caught my eye.He was wearing a monocle.I looked at Mark and nodded my head in the man's direction.I pointed to my eye."Don't see that every day," Mark commented."I wonder if he's the owner."Where do you even buy a monocle these days? Not that there's anything wrong with it.And I'd sure rather see someone with a monocle at this point than a patch.We finished lunch and said goodbye to Alvin."Don't be a stranger now that you're famous, Lady Di.""Never.I'll give you a call in the spring to book something for the summer."Mark paid the bill and chatted with Alvin for a few minutes.The guy with the monocle leaned over and said, "Didn't you blow up a boat recently?"Startled, I stammered, "No, uh, someone was trying to blow me up on the boat.""You're with that singing pirate, right?""I was on tour with him for a while."He pointed a boney finger at me."There's your problem." He shook his head knowingly."Gettin' mixed up with pirates always ends badly."I didn't even try to explain it wasn't Carlos' fault.I'd found that pirate prejudice ran deep.But the old guy did have a point.If Carlos hadn't stolen my song in the first place, I'd have never been in Puerto Rico and had that run-in with Tyrell."I'm trying to avoid pirates these days.""Wise girl." The old man nodded."What's your boyfriend want with my restaurant?" He nodded sharply at Mark."He's a real estate developer.He's looking for a new project." I was starting to get fidgety.Making eye contact with a monocle wasn't the easiest thing in the world."So what's he want to do here? Knock it all down and put in some condos?" He spat out the last word like it tasted bad on his tongue."Maybe some villa-style condos.But the main thing he wants to do is make this the best live music venue on the Eastern Shore.Maybe add boat slips.""Music don't pay," the old man replied sagely."Been tried before.""That's because bar owners don't know a damn thing about live entertainment." My hands went to my hips."That so." He glinted at me from behind the monocle."Do tell.""First off, a great music venue should have a house band.Period.People have got to know there's always going to be someone good on stage.No karaoke.Yeah, I know drunk people love to sing karaoke.Guess what? The real patrons don't like to hear bad singers.They leave and take their wallets with them."The old man nodded."Continue.You're on a roll, young lady."Mark had come up behind me.I felt his hand on my arm."And you actually have to pay to have good bands.Real money.Now you could save on guest acts if you had a house band, because then you'd have your own sound guy and equipment."The old man leaned in interestedly."But where's the return on investment? Let's say I pay some hot shot band a grand to come in here for three hours.Do I sell tickets? Do I have drink minimums? A cover? Regulars don't like that crap." He pounded home his point with a bang on the bar top."So get new regulars." Our eyes met.His monocle caught the sun and sparkled like a jewel.He nodded."Now you're talking, young lady! People who don't want dollar beers and ten cent wings.But where do I get customers in the off season?""You provide the destination—the best live music venue on the Eastern Shore—book good bands, and the people will come."He lifted an eyebrow."If you build it, they will come and all that jazz." He waved a dismissive hand."What if they don't come?"Mark leaned in."That's what the twenty luxury condos are for.Makes the risk on the rest of the project negligible."Monocle Man noticed him for the first time."That so? I'd like to see that in writing.""I can have it to you next week, Mr.Simpson.I'd also like to offer you a price to buy the whole place."Mr.Simpson dismissed that idea with a wave of his bony hand."Hah! Not a chance.I got plenty of money and nothing to do.I got lots of ideas and no one to work on them with.If I'm going to do anything, it'll be to bring on a partner for the project.""An equal partner," Mark squeezed for the concession from the old man.He sized Mark up and then asked me, "Is he a good man, young lady?""He is." It felt formal to say, almost like saying wedding vows."Then how come you haven't married him yet?" the old man quizzed.I shrugged."He hasn't asked me yet."We both looked at Mark.Mark ran his hands through his hair."Hey! To be fair we've had a lot going on."I nodded in agreement [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]