Chapter 207: The Future of the Cupcake Shop
"I really wish I could be rich enough to have someone speak for me," Max said with obvious envy.
"Max, are you blind? He's deaf!"
But Max's expression became even more envious: "That's so awesome. Ever since she moved in upstairs, I've been wishing I could go deaf too."
Ron had to agree with Max's sentiment. Though it wasn't nice to say, Caroline's personality could be pretty grating. She was someone who loved to show off and was somewhat self-centered.
Of course, this situation had gotten much better after she'd fallen from grace.
"I represent a California commercial real estate firm. We're interested in purchasing your establishment." The woman gestured while the man translated, but what he said wasn't exactly music to their ears.
Ron stayed quiet and stepped back from the counter. Although he cared deeply about both of them, he had no right to make decisions on their behalf.
"Thank you for the offer, but we're not interested," Caroline immediately declined, using basic sign language to communicate with the woman: "I know a little ASL."
Instead of leaving, the buyers made their pitch: "We're prepared to buy out your lease and the entire business for $25,000."
"Holy shit! Hell yes!" Max exclaimed excitedly. If Caroline hadn't stopped her, she would have shaken hands on the deal immediately.
"Max, no! Don't even think about it! This shop is our dream!" Caroline immediately intervened.
Max shot back, "But our dreams are turning into frickin' nightmares, and nobody's coming to wake us up."
"This is our future!" Caroline said, emphasizing each word while pounding the table. Then she turned to refuse the offer. "I'm sorry, thank you so much, but we're not selling. Our business is just hitting its stride."
"We'll give you time to think it over, but your rent arrears are pretty substantial. Even if you want to stay, you'll need to pay six months' rent upfront.
So I'd strongly suggest you take the $25,000. It's a generous offer."
The commercial real estate agent stepped back as he spoke. Sophie had already emerged from the restroom, doing some kind of interpretive dance routine, and followed him outside.
Clearly, she'd mistaken the sign language for some kind of dance invitation. Maybe that's just how things work back in Poland.
"Caroline, if you won't accept my investment, I seriously suggest you reconsider their offer," Ron said firmly. "It's obvious that you've been getting crushed by that bikini cupcake place down the street. You can't even make rent anymore."
"Ron, this is none of your damn business!" Caroline looked pretty ticked off. "We need to figure this out ourselves."
"You said you wanted a sign from above. Isn't actual sign language the most obvious divine intervention you could ask for?" This time, Max chose not to back Caroline up. Usually, they were a united front.
But this time was different.
"Okay, enough," Caroline said, grabbing her purse. "Even if I have to flip burgers at McDonald's, this shop is staying open! I still believe in our dream. It's not something that can be bought off by some deaf real estate suit throwing around random numbers."
Caroline stormed out.
"Women, am I right? Total drama queens," Max leaned against the counter, sounding like a fed-up middle-aged guy whose wife just ran off.
"Shouldn't you go chase after your blonde girlfriend?" Ron teased. "Maybe after you leave, she'll be hooking up with some buff dude around the corner within five minutes."
"Nah, that sounds more like your problem."
"Alright, sorry I had to witness that whole mess today. Maybe she's just putting too much pressure on herself about this business?"
Ron stood up. Since no one else was around, he walked directly behind the counter and wrapped his arms around Max from behind: "I think you should help me talk some sense into her lately. If you guys sold this place for $25,000, I think that's actually a pretty sweet deal."
The rent for a shop this size in this location ran about $2,500 a month. While the shop's interior looked expensive, Ron knew the two girls had done most of the work themselves, with help from the diner staff.
After factoring in their net profit over the past few months—though it wasn't much—and subtracting the unpaid rent, there was still a decent amount left over.
Compared to their first shop opening in another timeline, this first venture could actually be considered a success.
"Hey, quit trying to distract me. That blonde bombshell is clearly your problem. You should go chase her down right now," Max felt a little uncomfortable with Ron's flirting.
He leaned down and whispered something in her ear, and Max immediately melted in his arms. "But there's still a brunette right here who belongs to me."
Just as Ron was about to make his next move, four confused-looking figures suddenly pressed themselves against the shop's front window. Ron had no choice but to release Max.
"Sheldon, what the hell are you doing here?"
Sheldon held up his kite. "Obviously, we're at the nearby park for a kite flying competition. What else would we be doing?"
"Good afternoon, beautiful lady," Howard rushed over to flirt, but Max, as usual, completely ignored him.
"A kite flying competition? That's a new one. Are you guys waiting for a thunderstorm to see who gets fried by lightning first?" Max offered four cupcakes to treat Ron's friends while making jokes.
Unexpectedly, before Sheldon could respond, Leonard got defensive. "It's actually a very competitive and intense sport."
"The risk of serious injury is actually quite low. Though minor cuts and bruises are definitely possible, and those happen pretty regularly," Sheldon added with genuine concern.
Max was completely baffled. She pointed at them, "Ron, are these guys really your friends?"
Max didn't think Ron needed to be friends with just anyone. She just felt that a tough guy like Ron standing next to these geeky, awkward nerds looked pretty damn weird.
"Yeah, that's right, we're good buddies," Ron explained awkwardly. "As much as I hate to admit it, the tall one there is actually my biological brother. What do you think? Life's pretty crazy, isn't it?"
"Oh my God!" Max's eyes darted between Ron's and Sheldon's faces in disbelief. "Let me say that again—OH MY GOD! How could you possibly have a brother like that?"
"Hey!" Sheldon felt insulted. "With my superior intellect, how could I possibly have a brother like that, like some kind of caveman?"
(End of chapter)
If you enjoyed this chapter, leave a Review!
P*atreon/Soulforger (80+ advanced chapters)
Buy me coffee - ko-fi*com/soulforger01