Roommate Arrangement (Divorced Men's Club #1)(65)

Thankfully when I walk in, I find him sitting in one of the booths, basket of wings in front of him and half-finished mug of beer beside it.

“Sorry I’m late,” I quickly say.

Trent waves me off. “Ten minutes is nothing to worry about. I was enjoying the music.”

I nod, though I can barely hear it over the sounds of the market on the other side of the old warehouse.

“So, you wanted to talk about the land?” he asks.

“Yeah, it’s for Payne actually, but he got held up at work. We’re both proving our reliability already.”

Trent lists his head. “Reliability for what?”

I know Payne wanted to be here for the conversation, but Ford couldn’t let him out early today, so he told me to go ahead. It sucks he couldn’t do it himself like he wanted, but I’m excited that he trusts me with this, and I’m determined to prove he was smart to.

“We’ve had an idea for the land you’re selling.”

“Really?” Trent leans forward, small smile almost hidden behind his beard. “What’s that, then?”

I fill him in on the plan Payne came up with, along with some of the logistical things we’ve worked through. Payne’s drawn up numbers and a list of the planning permissions needed to create his vision, and I’m excited to be able to help him with it all.

“That’s interesting,” Trent says. “We want the land to be used, and that sounds as good a use as any.”

“Yeah, Payne’s been working really hard on it.”

“So why are you bringing this to me?”

I cringe. “That’s the tricky part. Without knowing the exact price you’re selling the land for, Payne’s confident he doesn’t have enough, and no bank is going to lend him the kind of money he needs to put into the place without some collateral.”

“Okay …”

It suddenly hits me what his wary tone is about. “Oh, no. No, no. We don’t want it cheap. We—”

“Sorry!”

I glance up at Payne’s voice and find him crossing the brewery toward us. His Ford’s Garage polo clings to his chest, giving a peek of his tattoos under where the buttons are undone.

“I got caught at work.” He holds out his hand and shakes Trent’s. “Did Beau fill you in?”

“He’s given me a rundown of your plans so far.”

“Awesome.” Payne shoots a smile my way as he slides into the seat beside me, and I’m caught, totally off guard, when he presses a kiss to my cheek. “In that case, I’ll cut to the chase. Money is my number one barrier. How much are you selling the land for?”

“One point two.”

Yikes. Slightly more than we were expecting.

Payne looks as relaxed as always. “I have a third of that.”

Trent looks between us. “So what’s your request? Because four hundred isn’t going to cut it.”

“No, I know. So obviously my biggest barrier is funding. What I’m hoping we can talk about is me leasing the place for twelve months while we get everything set up. In the meanwhile, Beau is going to be applying for small-business grants and funding for the type of place I want, and I’ll be organizing the build. We’ll start small with the accommodation, permissions, and licensing and begin some of the setup for the smaller activities. Once that’s in place, I’m confident I’ll be loaned the remaining amount.”

Trent rubs his beard. “What rental amount are we talking?”

“I was hoping to negotiate that and the sale price. Whatever we pay you, a percentage comes off the final price.”

“And if you don’t get the funding?”

“Then you keep whatever I’ve paid and built, and the place goes back on the market.”

“Interesting …”

There’s no way I’m letting Payne throw away all that money though. “If the bank doesn’t front the money for it, I will. I have it. I’m not using it—”

“Beau.”

“No, like I said the other night my money is literally sitting there doing nothing. I could buy the place outright and save you the stress and headaches, but I’ve agreed to letting you try it your way first. If that doesn’t work, we try it my way.”

Payne’s expression softens. “Since when did you become so stubborn?”

“Since I’m determined to see you succeed.”

He looks like he still wants to argue—or thinks he should, at least. And then, he relents. “Fine. If I fail, we do it your way.”

I turn to Trent. “How does that sound?”

“I’m interested. Very. It means keeping the land together and seeing it used for a good purpose. I’ll have to run it by my parents and our Realtor, but I think they’ll be on board.”

My excitement skyrockets.

Trent finishes up his wings and leaves us to it with a promise to call later in the week. I wait until he’s out of sight before I throw my arms around Payne’s neck.

“Holy shit, I think it’s happening.”

His warm laugh is loud in my ear as his hands settle on my lower back. “Here’s hoping.”

“I’m buying you a drink. Multiple drinks. Let’s have lots and lots of drinks to celebrate.”