Page 41 of Archer
“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. “LikeDoorDash? 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?”