Rituals for Love (9781476761893) (18 page)

“Male and female?”

“Male and female.”

“Let me show you Spa Genesis. We'll take the stairs up. The elevator isn't in service yet.”

I led Omar through the spa reception area, the lounges, the men's and women's locker rooms, steam rooms, treatment rooms, and salon.

“This place is amazing, Jade.”

“Wait until you see the restaurant.” I guided Omar back downstairs to the dining room. “It may be difficult to imagine what it will look like right now, but trust that it will be fabulous. The main dining room will be a melting pot of ambers, tones of gold, and
cream. High-back chairs and fine linen. Beautiful art. We'll be replacing this main chandelier, too. You won't recognize this room once it's complete.”

“You said main dining room—is there another one?”

“Yes, a private room through the corridor in the rear of the restaurant. I'd take you back there, but they're working in it now, and also in the kitchen.”

“I have an idea of what you're working with in the restaurant. You have ample space to design it however you want.”

I ended the tour in my office. “Make yourself comfortable,” I said, motioning to the extra folding chair. Our offices should be finished next week.”

“It's impressive how much work your contractor has completed in such a short amount of time.”

“There's much to be done, but we're on schedule. Now whether we're on budget is a completely different story,” I said, taking a seat behind the desk.

“How much over are you?”

“Not too much. About ten percent.”

“That can quickly escalate.”

“I know. I thought about our last discussion about the team of investors interested in Genesis.”

“Did you talk to Cain?”

“I did. He isn't open to a chain or franchise options right now. He prefers to make this location a success before exploring any additional locations.”

“And you agree?”

“I suppose I do.”

“I'll let the investors know.”

“Well, before you do that, I wanted to ask if there was one investor
that may be interested in investing in Genesis. Not the chain or franchise Genesis, just this one SoHo location.”

“You're still looking for capital, but not capital from a
group
of investors?”

I was silent for a moment, then nodded.

Omar rubbed his chin back and forth, regarding me as I watched him. “You're still hesitant about this.”

“Yeah, I am,” I said quietly.

“I have an offer for you. You need capital and you don't want a lot of investors involved in your business. How about I come on board as a silent partner?”

“You personally?”

“Why not? I'm always looking for a good investment. This is as good as any opportunity that I would normally be interested in.”

“I don't know, Omar.”

“As a silent partner, I don't have any influence over your business decisions. I provide capital and have a very limited stake in the business. Trust me, I'm not interested in running a spa and restaurant. Profiting from, yes. Running, no.”

I stood and went to the other side of the desk. “Omar, welcome aboard.” I reached for a handshake. He stood and pulled me into a tight hug, catching me off guard. We embraced for a brief moment before awkwardly separating.

“I thought a hug would be better than a handshake.” He laughed nervously.

He was standing inches from me. I put some distance between us and returned to my side of the desk. “So we're really going to do this?”

“We just hugged on it.” There was a glint in his eye. “I have to get back to the office, but we can discuss my investment level
later. In the meantime, you'll need to have your attorney draw up the paperwork.”

The mention of the words attorney and paperwork gave me an immediate case of nerves. “I'll get the process started.”

“Perfect. I'll talk to you later, partner.”

Omar left and I wondered just how much his investment would be worth.

B
ria scooted into the chair next to mine at the bar. I had already told our bartender to give me a glass of pinot noir and to leave the bottle. I had driven from the city straight to Rituals. Cain was out of town, so there was no reason to rush home. I called Milan during my commute to ask her to meet me, but she had plans with Nolan for the evening.

“What's the occasion?” Bria asked, toying with the bottle of wine.

“It was one of those days. You know the ones where nothing seems to go right?”

“How are things coming along?”

“Much faster than I thought it would.”

“Do you have an opening date?”

“The contractor said the work will be completed in five weeks. I'd like to open a few weeks after.”

“Have you started hiring your staff?”

“The employment agency is pre-screening for me now.”

“With eight weeks before you open, you need to get involved with that process immediately.”

“I plan to next week. My office will be ready and I'll be able to conduct on-site interviews.”

“Are you going to use working interviews for the chefs?”

“Yes, but only for the top candidates that ace the formal interviews.
I want to get them in the kitchen so I can see their skill and sample their food.”

“That's a good idea.”

“I can start the formal interviews next week, but the working interviews will have to wait until the kitchen is finished in a few weeks.”

“If you want to start sooner, why not use our kitchen here?”

“I don't want them to make any assumptions about the cuisine or expectations for the menu based on what they see at Rituals. Genesis has its own identity and I want them to embrace the concept from the beginning.”

“I can understand that. They may cook something influenced by our menu here assuming it's what you're expecting at the new place.”

“Exactly.”

Rituals serves food with a neo-soul flair. That's not the cuisine for Genesis. I was still developing the menu but, from the beginning, it was at the opposite end of the spectrum from Rituals. Genesis would be lighter fare with different flavor profiles and preparations. The menu had to be the perfect match for the luxurious spa experience. I was shaping the menu to be exactly that perfect accompaniment. I was anxious because the menu was entirely on me. Bria and I created the menu for Rituals together. We were both on the line if the food wasn't good. Thankfully, we received rave reviews in a variety of publications that sent people flocking to our restaurant. I felt Genesis would be under additional scrutiny solely for being a New York City eatery.

“You know if you need any help I'm here for you.”

“I'm going to take you up on that when I'm testing recipes.”

My phone vibrated on the bar. It was a text message.

We need to do something to officially seal the deal.

I replied.
Like what?

I placed the phone on the bar and sipped my wine. It vibrated immediately.

Something naughty.

Bria caught a glimpse of my phone. “You and Cain are too much.”

“That's Omar, not Cain.”

I typed my response.
I don't do naughty.

You'll want to do this. Trust me. Will you be in the city tomorrow?

Yes.

Meet me for lunch. You won't regret it.

Okay…

I knew you couldn't resist.

Omar…

More details to come. Have a good night.

You too.

I looked up from my phone and Bria had an expression that said she was waiting for an explanation. “That was just Omar being Omar. You know he's a flirt.”

“I saw the word naughty and assumed you were texting Cain.”

“Thanks for reminding me. I need to text Cain. You know he's in Atlanta.”

“Don't go changing the subject.”

“I'm not.”

“What's Omar texting you about anyway?”

“We're friends. We're considering doing some business together.”

One eyebrow raised. “Friends doing naughty business?”

I laughed. “Did you hear me say anything like that?”

Her laughter joined mine. “Not exactly, but that's what his text sounded like.”

“I didn't know a text sounded like anything.”

“Don't be a smartass. You know what I mean.”

“I love you, girl, but stop reading into something that's not there.”

“Okay, fine. You're grown. A grown woman who's man is out of town. A grown woman with a so-called friend texting about naughtiness.”

“Girl, you need a drink or something.” I signaled to our bartender. “Get Bria a glass.”

He slid a glass in front of her and poured the wine.

“I didn't want a drink.”

“I want you to have one. You are making me crazy right now.”

“All right. You know that man wants you in his stable.”

“Stable? He's not even that type of guy.”

“Okay, is bed better?”

“You are making all sorts of assumptions from seeing one word in a text message.”

“Jade, you know better than that. Ernest and Omar are cool.”

“So you're saying Omar told Ernest that he wants to sleep with me?”

“Not exactly. I'm saying Omar has expressed to Ernest that if he had the opportunity he'd like to be more than friends.”

“I already know that. Your little nasty ass is corrupting the sentiment. He happens to think I'm his ideal type of woman. It's not about sleeping with me. He just wishes we had met sooner, before Cain.”

“How romantic.” She sipped her wine, peering at me over the rim of the glass.

“How sarcastic.”

“Girl, he wants to sleep with you. Ideal my ass.”

Bria may not always know what she's talking about, but she may have been right about one thing. If Omar had expressed to Ernest
that he wanted to be more than friends, then I needed to have a serious talk with him. It was one thing to flirt and playfully mention what could've been if the stars aligned, but telling your boy you want me is something else. If my silent partner had trouble keeping quiet, our arrangement would never work.

I
waited for Riley in my office. I was about to leave Eden2 for the evening and wanted to check-in with her and find out what she thought about her first day. I sat in the lounge side of my office, not behind my desk. I found that chatting with my employees in a comfortable chair with a small coffee table promoted easier flowing dialogue. Sitting behind the desk at times gave the impression of talking at someone, rather than talking with them. This being her first day, I wanted her honest first impression.

After introducing her to the staff and then meeting for a couple of hours to show her a few key things she needed to know about the restaurant, I retreated to my office. I reemerged for our afternoon meeting and then disappeared again. I chose to stay out of sight for most of the day. The interactions between Riley and the staff needed to be genuine. I didn't want anyone putting on airs for my benefit because they saw me hanging around observing them. I was here for the week to assist as much as possible, but I also had other business to tend to in Atlanta. My time spent at Eden2 was limited and the restaurant had to prosper without my regular presence.

There was a light rap on the door. “It's open.” Riley peeped her head in. “Come on in.” I gestured for her to take the seat adjacent to mine.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.” She straightened her chef coat and then sat. “I was helping to get out a big order.”

“You certainly dived right in today.”

“It was much busier than I thought it would be.”

“You would think Monday would be slow, but it's not.”

“I can't wait to see what a Friday is like.”

“Today times ten.” Her eyes got wide. “I'm kidding. It is much busier, though. So how are you feeling after your first day?”

“Honestly, a little overwhelmed, but nothing I can't handle. I think the week I spent in Eden with Jeremiah was a huge help. I had an idea of what to expect and how the kitchen should run. So, I wasn't coming in blind. I just need to learn the ropes.”

“What do you think of the staff?”

“They're talented. The chefs know what they're doing.”

“Definitely use them as your resources. A few of them have been with us since we opened. If you have any questions, they should be able to answer them for you. We have two new chefs that started in the past couple of weeks. Certainly mold them accordingly. If you don't like what you see, let me know and we can look for replacements. Don't hesitate to immediately take the reins. Your management style is completely up to you, but I think it's important to make it known that you're the boss in there.”

“Understood. I don't foresee any problems in that area. We were getting into a flow today. The line works well together and the wait staff seems on point, too. I'll make any necessary changes or improvements if issues arise.”

“Do have any concerns?”

“It's only day one. Ask me that again after the first week.” She threw her head back and chuckled.

A good sense of humor was a great trait to bring into a new job. I thought the staff was going to like her.

“Is there any special equipment or supplies that you need for the kitchen?”

“That kitchen is state-of-the-art. What could I possibly need that's not already in there?”

“I know it's still early, but do you have any preliminary thoughts about what regional elements you would add to the menu?”

“I really need to sit with the menu and maybe spend some time in the dining room talking with the customers. I have to get to know Eden2 before I make any changes. What I won't do is add dishes just for the sake of adding something. It may take a minute before I make any recommendations.”