16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Archer

I grinned as I closed up my studio right at five o'clock. I had a bad habit of staying way too late, but that had been before Crispin. Now I not only had a reason to go home, but I was also looking forward to it. Did that mean it was taking me a little bit longer to get all the editing work I had to do finished? It did. But it was worth it to have my sweet boy here with me.

I knew Crispin and I hadn't been together long, but I loved waking up with him. Not to mention how great it was sleeping with him each night. I didn't mean the sex, which was fantastic, by the way, but actually sleeping with him. I'd never cared for sharing a bed, but that had been before Crispin.

I was in the kitchen getting ready to start dinner when he walked in. "Daddy, you started without me."

I grinned at how cute and pouty he looked. It seemed like my boy had enjoyed cooking together as much as I had. "All I've done is put some eggs on to boil and take things out of the fridge. I was thinking we'd have chef salad for dinner."

"That sounds perfect," he said. We got to work, chopping up the veggies for the salad while Crispin told me about his day. He had some interesting people in his classes, and it seemed like they had no problem sharing all about their lives. Not that I was surprised—there was just something about Crispin that told you he was a good person to talk to.

He reached over, grabbed a tomato, and started slicing it. "I was so excited that Elton came to my class this morning."

"As I walked by Luxe this afternoon, I saw the two of you having lunch," I said.

"You should've stopped and joined us."

"I could have, but the two of you looked like you were having a lot of fun together."

He smiled and nodded. "We did. I really like him. He's an interesting guy."

"I don't know him very well, but I've seen him around the hotel." I chuckled. "He drives Hitch crazy."

"Does Hitch not like him?" Crispin asked, sounding concerned.

"Oh, I don't think that's the case at all. I think Hitch likes Elton plenty—though I'm not sure Hitch realizes it yet. Mostly, I think he worries because Elton gets lost in his imagination and isn't always aware of his surroundings."

"I can see that," Crispin replied. "He does have a vivid imagination. He has to in order to write such great books."

"I'd think so, but I want you to know I'm proud of you for taking time for lunch."

"I told you I'd try to be better about stopping for food." We carried all the ingredients for our salad to the table and sat down to eat.

"You did but telling me you would try and actually doing it aren't the same thing. You actually did it, so good job."

He ducked his head, and his cheeks reddened. I swear, he was so damned adorable. I was going to have to develop some kind of immunity to it, or he was going to have me wrapped around his finger. Well, even more than he already did.

"Anything else interesting happen today?" I asked, just because I loved listening to him talk.

"I mean, I guess one thing did, but it probably doesn't mean anything to anyone but me."

"Sweet boy, if it matters to you, it matters to me," I assured him.

"It's just…my whole reason for wanting to open the studio—like, not just any studio, but this studio, Harmony and Joy—was because Aziza meant so much to me. At a time when I was doing all the right things according to my family"—he rolled his eyes—"she saw me. Her energy was so enveloping and welcoming. And today, one of my students told me that my energy made her feel the same way. It probably sounds silly, but that was really special to me."

I reached across the table and took his hand. "Sweet boy, there's nothing silly about that."

He lifted his eyes to meet mine and smiled. "Thank you, Daddy."

"So, I was thinking that after dinner, maybe we could watch a movie?"

He pulled his hand back and rolled his lower lip over his teeth, and I had a feeling I wasn't going to like what came next.

"I will tonight. I love spending evenings here with you."

"I hear a but in there," I said, concerned.

"Well, especially after what I just told you, I'm more determined than ever to make Harmony and Joy mine. I really feel like I need to be doing something in the evenings to make money to make that dream a reality. I know you don't really want me to DoorDash , but I was thinking maybe you could talk to Hitch and see if I could get some hours at the bar."

"Do you know how to tend bar?" He'd told me a lot about his life, but he'd never mentioned bartending.

"Well, no, but I'm a fast learner."

"Do you think you'd make enough money bartending to meet your goal?" I wasn't crazy about the idea of him working himself to death, but at least I knew Hitch would be around to keep an eye on him and make sure he wasn't overdoing it. If he had to work, that wouldn't be the worst option.

"I don't know." He shrugged. "Maybe."

"Okay, let's think about this. How much do you have saved up so far? And how much do you need?"

"I don't know. I have a decent amount saved up, but I don't really know how much Aziza wants. We've talked about it, but she never actually said an amount. She just said she'd like me to have the business."

"Hold on a minute. You've been working yourself to death, saving up to buy the Harmony and Joy brand, and you don't even know how much money you need?"

"No, but I know Aziza, and she's not going to cheat me or anything. She wouldn't have told me she wanted me to take over if it wasn't attainable."

"I agree. You do know Aziza, and from what both you and Hitch have told me, I don't think she'd like the idea of you working yourself to death for some unknown dollar amount." I pushed back my plate and held out my hand. "Come with me."

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"We're going to sit down on the couch, and you're going to call Aziza, put her on speaker, and we're going to get the details of this deal."

Crispin

"Maybe we shouldn't bother her," I said, trying to put this off. As much as I wanted Aziza to meet Archer, I didn't want it to be about the studio.

Archer quirked an eyebrow, completely unimpressed with me. He tapped my cell phone. "Make the call, sweet boy."

I found Aziza's contact, then pressed send, and immediately put it on speakerphone.

"Crispin," she said as she answered, sounding pleased to hear from me. I hope that didn't change once she found out why I was calling.

"Hi. Archer's here with me, too."

She squealed. "Put it on video call. I want to meet him properly."

I glanced up at Archer, and he gave me the go-ahead. Hitting the little video camera icon, I held my breath as Aziza popped up on the screen.

"Aren't you a handsome one?" she said immediately to Archer.

He smiled. "Hello, Aziza. I've heard so much about you. I'm Archer."

She tipped her head in acknowledgment, and I saw the open sky behind her. "Aziza, are you at the beach?"

She smiled, flipping her camera so that we could see the rolling waves and endless sky in front of her. It was dusk, so it was breathtaking. Then she flipped it back. "I was communing with nature."

"It looks beautiful," Archer said. "I'd love to be sitting next to you with my camera."

"It is. I wish you were here, and we were meeting in person. Crispin and I could meditate while you took photos. But tell me, what's going on there? I'm happy to finally meet you, Archer, but it looks like you're stressed, Crispin. Tell me all about it."

I bit my lower lip and glanced back up at Archer. He nodded at me encouragingly. "Go ahead. Ask her."

"Well, Archer and I were talking, and he knows I'm buying the brand for Harmony and Joy, but we weren't really sure…" I trailed off

"May I, sweet boy?" he whispered.

"Yes, please," I whispered back.

Archer cleared his throat. "Here's the thing. Crispin's running every class, and from what he's told me, even added some more. On top of that, he's been delivering food—"

Aziza broke in with a tsk. "Like DoorDash ? Is that even safe?"

Her obvious displeasure with the mere idea made me even more nervous. I understood Archer's concern. I was running myself ragged, but at the same time, I didn't want to lose this opportunity because Aziza didn't think I could handle the financial responsibility.

Archer squeezed me tightly into his side. "It's not, and he's agreed to respect my wishes that he not do it anymore, but now he's wanting to get a job bartending."

Aziza's whole face wrinkled with confusion. "Bartending? Is that something you're interested in?"

"No, not really. I just figured the tips…" Again, I trailed off. I hated putting Aziza on the spot like this, even if I knew Archer was right, and I needed to know what she expected from me.

"He's trying to save as much as possible so that he can have money down to purchase your brand," Archer said gently.

Aziza squinted like the sun had just come back up and was blinding her. "But, Crispin, why? I've never even given you a price."

"I know," I said. "But I researched what yoga studio brands cost, and I didn't figure you'd actually charge me some of those higher prices, so I was aiming for fifty to seventy-five thousand and then maybe seven percent per month?"

Aziza looked startled, and my heart sank. Had she been expecting more?

Aziza sighed. "Oh, Crispin. I didn't give you a price because I didn't want you worried about it yet. I wanted you to sink every bit of money you earned right now back into the studio. I had no idea you were so worried. No, I didn't expect anything of the kind. I was thinking five percent a month. That's it."

"And what was your initial investment price for him?" Archer asked.

She blinked. "Well, nothing, of course. I don't expect any kind of initial investment. Especially not at those prices. Good grief. It's only one little studio. It's not a chain or anything."

I gaped. "Nothing? Aziza, I researched it. At the very least, people are charging—"

She waved her hand, cutting me off. "I'm not concerned about what other people are doing." Her tinkling laughter filled the air. "In fact, the only reason I planned on charging you the five percent was because I knew you wouldn't just let me give it to you."

"But… but…what will you live on? You can't give me Harmony and Joy for free."

"Why not? Crispin, honey, there's a reason I never had a website or worried about advertisements. I was blessed with a significant inheritance when I was younger, and I invested wisely. I can retire right now without any financial concerns ever again."

"No way," I blurted.

She nodded. "Yes way. The studio was my baby, but it also kept me from getting bored. I'm peaceful leaving it in your capable hands. I don't want you worrying about sending me money again. I'm so sorry that you've been working so hard. I'd assumed you hadn't hired any other instructors because you wanted to do a remodel on the facility or something."

I gasped. "Why would I do that? Aziza, the studio's perfect."

She hummed. "It was perfect for me, but that doesn't mean you won't want to put your own spin on it."

Archer chuckled. "Thank you for clearing this all up. I think Crispin has some thinking to do."

While Archer and Aziza continued chatting, getting to know each other better, I was lost in my own thoughts. Why hadn't I ever asked Aziza for a price? I'd been working myself to the bone for no reason, and I kind of felt foolish now. Aziza knew my financial situation. She knew all about my family and that I was living with my brother. Of course, she hadn't expected me to give her some huge sum of money.

"Crispin, you look like you need to speak this over with your Daddy." I felt my face heat as Archer beamed. He was my Daddy, but I couldn't believe she put it out there like that. Oh wait. Yeah, I could.

"How about you give me a call tomorrow, and we'll talk some more?" she continued. "I'm so so sorry that I caused so much confusion and unnecessary worry. If anything, I hadn't meant to burden you."

"No, I understand that. This is on me. I love you, Aziza. I'll call tomorrow."

"It was nice meeting you. Thank you for loving my boy so much," Archer said with a smile.

She tipped her head in acknowledgment. "Back attcha. Please take care of him."

Archer's smile widened. "You bet I will."

As soon as we hung up, Archer pulled me onto his lap, and I cuddled into him. "Do you feel better?" he asked softly.

"I feel kind of silly, to tell you the truth. Aziza knows everything about me. Why would I think she'd ever expect me to hand her over some huge lump sum right off the bat?"

"I think even more importantly, she obviously loves you. So the question is, why were you putting so much pressure on yourself?"

All the things that my father had said and that my mother had sat by passively letting him say floated through my mind. "I guess I felt like I needed to prove myself."

"And where did that come from? Maybe your parents?" he guessed.

I nodded into his chest. "Yeah, it was them. My brother's been nothing but supportive, and all the yogis have been excited that I'm taking over, even if they'll miss Aziza. This was definitely all me."

Archer's fingers tipped my chin up, and I met his blue eyes that were full of compassion. "We're going to work on you being kinder to yourself, sweet boy. How does that sound?"

"I think I need that help, Daddy. I hadn't even realized…" For the millionth time, I trailed off.

Archer pressed a lingering kiss to my lips. Pulling back just a little, he murmured, "Don't worry. I've got your back."

With a sense of relief, I snuggled into him. Not only did I not have to worry about coming up with thousands upon thousands of dollars, but my Daddy would make sure that I took better care of myself. Knowing that he was here and that he was so mindful of me was almost better than knowing I didn't have to be so concerned about saving more money.

"Maybe you can even look at hiring someone to help you out with your classes now. What do you think?" Archer asked, picking up on my train of thought like a mind reader.

"I'll have to really look at what I've saved and how everything's going, but I think you might be right. I even have someone in mind that I'd like to work with."

"I'd be happy to do that with you, if you'd like," he said.

"Really?" I asked, excited at the thought of having someone as knowledgeable as him lending me his experience and expertise as a business owner.

He kissed the tip of my nose. "Absolutely. Then he drew back and narrowed his eyes. "I'd also like you to set up a dinner with your parents. I think it's about time we meet."

"Really?" I didn't mean for it to come out like a whine, but I knew it did.

He chuckled. "Yes, really. But that's enough stress for one day, and I have good news for you."

Then he told me about the picture Cort found and their trip to St. Luke's. I was excited for the new lead, so while Archer got ready for bed, I shot Elton a quick text. We'd have to really go into Scooby-Doo mode if we wanted to help bring Jordy back to his big brother safely.