by Matthew Nuth
Barton’s face took on a look of shock and he let his feet drop to the ground. “Heck, Paul, I was just joking. Get on back to the table. We can negotiate something that works for both of us. I’m sure.”
Dad turned back to face Barton. “You know, Barton, my kid reminded me how important it is to stick up for what is right and, you know, I think I am going to do it. No deal.”
Barton, stood up and faced Uncle Bill. “My God, William, talk some sense into your brother. This project has already cost you tons. To walk away now is crazy. It will end up costing you a small fortune. Look, let me just take a look at your offer and let me see if I can make it work.”
Uncle Bill just smiled and motioned Barton to the door. “You know, Phil, I have never been prouder of my big brother than I am now. Good luck with your Linden Street real estate.”
* * *
Sitting at one of Dad’s employee’s desks watching the three men through the conference room windows, imagining what was being said had been entertaining. Regardless of what was said in that room, it was clear that old man Barton had over-played his hand with Dad. When Dad had opened the conference room door and walked out nonchalantly with a calm, small grin, as if the world’s weight had been taken off his shoulders, I knew he had won. What exactly had happened behind those glass windows I had not been sure of until tonight. I remember us walking down the steps together, his arm draped over my shoulder, leaving Uncle Bill behind with Mister Barton.
One thing Dad did share with me that day was that it was probably best to keep some distance between me and the Billy Barton kid, at least until he got done “bloodying Phil Barton’s nose.” That is what Dad had said; “bloodying Phil Barton’s nose.” I guess Dad was just saying it was time to take down another bully.
* * *
Uncle Bill laughed so hard he was almost in tears as he described Phil Barton begging to get them to pull the offer back out of the trash can. He went on to say that after my Dad had left, Phil had gone so far as to say he would be willing to part with the buildings if we would just take over the loans, he’d sacrifice his down-payment. It is amazing what a fourteen percent loan will do to a person. Those buildings that Barton had hoped were assets that would enable him to extort huge profits were now just mill stones. They were likely going to force him into bankruptcy. He was ruined.
“So, Uncle Bill, what finally happened with Barton? It was kind of like the Barton family faded away during my sophomore year of high school.”
Chapter 33
William knocked on the door of Paul’s office and walked in. “So, Paul, you think we have let Barton sweat long enough?”
“I don’t know, has he filed for bankruptcy?” Paul smiled at William.
It had been two weeks since they had called Barton’s bluff in their office. Since that time, Paul and William had met with a city’s attorney to review options to renegotiate their agreements with the city. Interestingly, the attorney had informed them that their communications with Barton had gone quiet; neither he nor his attorney were returning phone calls. The city attorney had assumed they were looking for an additional means to introduce additional delays to the project.
Paul and William knew a more likely scenario was that Barton had realized he was in serious trouble, and he was no longer acting logically. He was now looking for some way, any way, to extricate himself from his unaffordable financial burden. Avoiding the city was just an attempt to put off the unavoidable. They had both seen people in this position before. As Barton’s options dried up, he was now relying on nothing more than hope and prayer, not a powerful negotiating position.
William had come to the office today to meet with his brother and Barton. Paul and he had decided it was time to let Barton off the hook. No matter how enticing it would be to let Barton suffer, the brothers had agreed it was now time to save Barton, whether he deserved it or not. They had set this meeting up for today at four o’clock with Barton a week prior under the pretense of presenting him with a take it or leave it, final offer for both the buildings he owned on Linden. The purchase would be on their terms and there would be no negotiation, so they had suggested Barton bring legal representation if he needed, so that they might consummate the deal during the meeting. PW Simmons would have their attorney present along with a notary to sign the documents.
They had purposely set the meeting up for late in the afternoon to keep the discussion short and focused and to create just a little additional pressure. Although Paul and William had actually developed a pretty fair offer that should make Barton whole, they had thoroughly enjoyed themselves in making Barton think their offer would squeeze the life out of him. They could only imagine how their “take it or leave” language must have made Barton sweat over the past week.
Four o’clock came and went and no Phil Barton. It was a full fifteen minutes before the reception knocked on the conference room door and ushered Phil Barton in. In his right hand, he held a well-worn, soft leather brief case. In his left, he carried his overcoat. His face looked as if he had not slept and if he had, he had done so in the suit he was now wearing. His tie was loosened and his top shirt button was open. He was alone. He was obviously beaten.
Paul and William moved from exuberance to shame. They had pushed too hard.
Ignoring everyone in the conference room except Paul, Phil sat without being asked. “So, Paul, what do I need to do to get you to take these buildings off my hands? Look if you could just take over the loans, I have a little extra savings I might be able to provide to sweeten the deal. I just can’t go into bankruptcy.”
Paul stopped Phil from going any farther. “Look, we are not here to steal the property from you. We were prepared to give you a fair offer last time you were here, but you were the one that decided to take advantage of the situation.” With that comment, Paul placed a contract in front of Barton. “You were rude and a prick, but William and I aren’t. If you are serious about dumping the property, we’ll give you what you have into it. It’s more than the property is worth and you’ll be doing a heck lot better than you have any right to expect. We are willing to overlook the crap you have put us through and hope you understand this is how William and I prefer to do business, not how we have to do business. Just know had this been twenty years ago, I’d have told you to go fuck yourself, and I would have gotten the property a hell of a lot cheaper from the bankruptcy trustee.”
Phil Barton closed his eyes collapsed forward onto the table, leaning his head on his clasped hands. Hiding his face, he began to sob. Between his sobs, they heard him say, “Thank you. Thank you, Thank you.”
William motioned to Paul without speaking and both brothers silently got up and left the conference room, leaving Phil Barton along with their shocked lawyer and the notary.
Soon the sobbing sound dissipated and Phil Barton opened the door of the conference room to leave. “Paul, William, thank you again. I signed the papers. Just send over copies when you are done.” He turned away and started to leave.
Paul called after him, “One last thing, Phil, we’re done now. No more trying to wreck our projects and keep your kid away from Randall. Understood?”
Phil turned back to Paul “Understood.”
After Phil had left the office, Paul and William returned to the conference room and their attorney and notary.
“Any surprises?” Paul asked. He looked first to the attorney, then to the notary.
They shook their heads. The attorney slid the signed agreement across the table to William. To Paul, he nodded to the chair next to the seat that had been occupied by Barton, “Mister Barton seems to have forgotten his briefcase. You want me to drop it by his house for you?”
Paul let out a deep breath. “No, you have earned your pay today already. Thanks. Thanks to both of you.”
After they left, Paul and William were left alone in the conference room with the agreement and Barton’s bri
efcase.
“Paul, I’m glad we have that behind us. I think we may have pushed it a little too far with Barton.”
“I think you’re right and I sure am glad it is over. Hand me Barton’s case, would you?”
William picked the case up noting it was heavier than it looked. “Shit, Paul, what the heck as Barton carrying in here?” He looked to Paul, “You mind if I take a look?”
“Be my guest. He shouldn’t have left it here anyway.”
William opened the case on the table exposing a large, loaded 357 magnum revolver along with a half empty box of shells and a note to Barton’s wife that merely said, ‘Betty, I’m sorry. Take the insurance money and don’t think of me again.’
Chapter 34
“Well, somewhere along the way your Daddy went from being a hard-core business driver to a guy that was pretty much all heart. He let Barton sweat for a few months, but ended up giving him a lot more than he needed for the properties. By that time, we had sold the dealership, so we could pay the mortgages off. Barton was crazy in the first place to buy those properties at such a high interest rate. The interest alone had to be sucking him dry. By the way, it was good Billy never bothered you again. I cannot imagine what your Dad would have done if the Bartons threatened you. I don’t think he ever returned the brief case, I think he kept it and the note just as insurance to make sure Barton kept his word.”
I was blown away. “I know Dad did not like Barton and I sure as hell hated his kid, but wasn’t that a little extreme?”
“Don’t ask me. Ask your Mom.”
I looked to Mom, and she only smiled back. “Randall, you were the most important thing in Dad’s life. Of course, he’d never have told you that. After losing Cal, he was always watching over you; trying to make sure you were safe. I think taking care of Billy Barton was more important to him than those stupid buildings.”
Mark and Tim started to serve dinner by first opening up another couple bottles of wine. Mark quipped, “William you may as well have some wine now. These are a couple great bottles of wine you’ll be missing. After dinner gets started I move to the cheap stuff.”
I chuckled when Uncle Bill finally relinquished and held out his wine glass to be filled. “I can have just a little now that I have been talking so much. I need to provide a little lubrication after all that work.” He laughed and asked Mark to pour a little more in his glass “just so I can catch up.” Mark was happy to tip the wine bottle a little longer.
Mark talked as he poured. “Okay, while you dig into your meals, remember if you don’t like something, it is Tim’s fault. If you love it, it is my inspiration.”
Tim was used to the ribbing. It was a banter that had marked their relation from their first time together. It kept the business happy and fun even when times had been rough. Tim took a brief look around the table and said, “Randall, what do you know about what your Mom and Dad did for the businesses here on the mall?”
Tim surprised me with the question, catching me between bites. “Well, I know they have always taken a lot of pride in what the mall has become.”
* * *
Mark and Tim had stared up at the red brick building that they had hoped would eventually be their business. Mister Simmons had walked through the building with them, pointing out areas that could or could not be changed to accommodate their dreams. It had been exciting and the two young men had to try to control themselves so as not to look too enthusiastic. They did not want to tip their hand and lose any opportunities to negotiate a favorable deal from the developer.
Reality had set in as Mister Simmons started sharing his “ball-park” cost estimates to alter the facility to turn it into the restaurant Mark and Tim envisioned. These estimated costs were so much higher than they had been prepared for they had each begun to cut back on their expectations as the walkthrough had proceeded.
“Mister Simmons, I know we had outlined a pretty unique picture of what we were looking for. We really want the place to make a statement not only for the quality of the food and service, but we want the ambiance and environment to provide the clientele a reason for getting out of the house. We want the restaurant to speak to its uniqueness the first time a person walks through the front door. This place can certainly address that, but I am afraid it might be more than Mark and I can handle, you know, given this is our first restaurant. We just have to recognize our limitations, and I certainly don’t want to waste your or your company’s time if this building is just out of reach.”
“Tim, thanks for your concern. I appreciate it. Oh, and please call me Paul. Mister was reserved for my Dad, and he’s been dead for more than a decade. Look, for most of the buildings on this mall, we did some generic remodeling to bring them up to code and make them useful for general retail and sold them. For this corner building, we have decided to keep it in our real estate portfolio and make it the cornerstone for the entire mall. It needs to scream uniqueness and provide a cool experience that calls people back to mall time after time. When William and I looked at your vision for your restaurant, we liked it a lot. What you need to think about now is whether you really can pull it off. I want to invest in a business and owners that have the creativity and energy to do something exciting. I think the initial financing needs to take a back seat for now.” Paul paused. “So, what do you think? Can you make this something you and I can be proud of? Can you make this a business that calls back repeat customers time, after time, after time?”
It was a question Mark and Tim had not confronted seriously. Sure, they thought they had a great business plan, but Paul had put it to them so directly, they now doubted their plan. They were struck speechless as they thought about why their plan would succeed.
Paul sensed their new-found indecision so he stopped the discussion. “Look, you two need to think about this some more. Meet me here tomorrow, same time, and I want to hear why you believe you have a great plan. I want to know why your restaurant is going to continue to be exciting to clientele. I want you to tell me why PW Simmons and I should bet on your success. I’ll have a table set up inside for us to discuss your plans for the restaurant, so don’t disappoint.” At that Paul turned on his heel and walked to his car, leaving Mark and Tim staring after him.
He had called them on their plans. They needed to re- examine their belief in their plans to understand if they were really committed or if they had just seduced themselves into believing their own set of optimistic assumptions. They had not an idea as to how to proceed or what would convince Paul Simmons. Even if they could convince Paul, they still had the issue of money. The building cost dwarfed the investment they had built into their business plans.
* * *
Tim and Mark showed up early to the meeting. Tim was pushing a cart filled with a couple chafing dishes, a cutting board, and cooking utensils. Mark trailed carrying a satchel over his shoulder and pushing a second cart filled with wine, place setting for four, a portable gas stove and a couple bags filled with groceries. They came prepared for show and tell.
Paul, William, Arlin, and Lanny were already waiting inside, sitting around a table configured from an old door situated atop two saw horses, drinking coffee they had picked up along the way during the walk from their office. Tim and Mark were obviously surprised by having the PW Simmons management team in attendance for their pitch.
Paul stood up to welcome the two budding entrepreneurs and to introduce his partners. “I hope I did not throw a wrench into your presentation by inviting the whole team, but this is our most important building and everyone here has a vested interest in our selection for the lessee.”
Mark smiled. “Paul, not a concern. It looks as though we brought just enough to take care of everyone, but I hope you don’t mind if Tim and I do not join you for what I think will be a memorable lunch.
“We thought the best way to show off our plans is to make them more real. We want to show you why we
think, no, we know we have what it takes to keep people wanting to come back. We want to be a destination for the mall. If you don’t mind, I have also brought an outline as to how we think the place can change over time to make sure it always stays fresh and interesting for our clientele.”
Paul, William, Arlin, and Lanny sat back and enjoyed the next couple hours as the two promising restauranteers jumped into action. It was obvious Tim represented the culinary creative genius and Mark provided the management horse power. It was equally obvious they not only supported each other, but they fed off each other’s energy. Tim worked at a frenetic pace as he prepared dish after dish, while Mark provided a calming face to the four developers that belied the activity behind him. Mark provided knowledge and individual service, Tim provided a unique food in both taste and presentation. They both combined to provide an exciting, memorable, and tremendous dining experience.
Between dishes, Mark and Tim would sit at the end of the table and call attention to specific aspects of the building they thought might enhance the dining experience. For them the old building provided a wonderful empty canvas just made to perfect the artwork that would be their restaurant.
After the meal, Mark and Tim laid out a stack of rough drawings that provided some insight as to their vision for the business. They had laid out a bold redesign of the building, removing the majority of the second floor to provide for a beautiful high, open beamed ceiling for the main dining area and smaller open loft for special dining occasions. They had penned in a broad central staircase leading to the upstairs area. Below the staircase, they had included a small but classy bar area. The design of the bar was important in that it was large enough to cater to the bistro clientele, but small enough not to cater to bar hoppers. They did not want their business to lose its place as a high-class restaurant. The kitchen was a novel concept; the grill areas were completely open to view, providing a unique experience, but one that came with huge challenges. The first challenge was that food preparation had to include showmanship and be 100% committed to cleanliness, both in practice and perception. Management would need to be vigilant. The second challenge was noise. If the ambient noise level rose too high, people could not talk, and the experience would deteriorate.
