“Dude, it means she’s treating us like a real business.”
“We are a real business.”
“Yeah, I know. And so does she. But they want to make sure there aren’t any surprises. It’s called ‘due diligence’ for a reason.”
“I know,” I sulked, “but still… food and entertainment?”
“Relax. This is normal, especially for the amount we’re talking. I mean, this is textbook stuff, exactly what we did in B-school.”
“I suppose.”
“Besides, it makes me feel better that they’re asking for little stuff like that. It means they haven’t found any problems with the big stuff.”
“Why would they? You’re good at your job.”
“Yeah, thanks. But I still feel like an imposter sometimes, like I’m lucky no one’s figured out I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“But… you do.”
“I think so, yeah, but… The review’s forced me to get serious. Well, more serious. I mean, I have to justify every number, every decision. What if I’m wrong? That’s what happened last time. I screwed up, and a bunch of people lost their jobs. You and I lost a lot of money.”
I felt a glimmer of hope that he’d mentioned the people before the money.
“Anyway,” he continued, “the whole process has been worthwhile. I’d forgotten how much I like working with Susan. She’s really good. Like, Warren Buffet good.” He paused for a moment of speculation. “Any idea what she’s worth?”
“No clue,” I said. “Twenty or thirty million, for sure.”
“No way, dude. More like a hundred.” He considered it. “I’d say two or three, at least.”
“Hundred?”
“Million,” he added, in case I didn’t realize how many zeroes we were talking about. “It’s hard to tell with people like her. I mean, she’s investing three million in us, and this Vonda woman is too businesslike for it to be a large chunk of Susan’s net worth. This is single-digit drama. She’s putting two mil into the Lake Lanier project. So, five mil without batting an eye. That’s someone who’s worth two or three hundred.”
“Oh, wow. Okay.”
“And while we’re on the subject… you and I need to cough up at least a million.”
I blanched. “Each?”
“No, together. Brett said he can do a half-mil too.”
They were still partners in the property, even though he’d been traded to the Cleveland Indians.
“We’ll need to secure more funding for phases two and three,” Trip said, “but that shouldn’t be a problem.”
“If you say so.”
He nodded with more confidence than I felt. Then again, it was his department.
I mused aloud, “Did you ever think we’d be talking about millions of dollars like it’s nothing?”
“Of course. I mean, yeah, we had a few setbacks along the way, but I’ve always known we’d be successful.”
“Still… millions of dollars?”
“Dude, we knocked it out of the park last year. We’re way ahead of our initial projections in the business plan. PHD should be worth twenty-five million in two years.”
“Twenty-five—? Two years—?”
“Yep. And that’s just for starters. We’ll slow down after that, but our five-year projections are pretty ambitious. We’ll have to work our asses off to make it happen, but you’re up for it.”
“Hell, yes.”
“And you know I am.” We shared a grin before he continued, “Anyway, we’ll need to fly to Columbia in a couple of weeks to meet with Susan and her people. Can you borrow your dad’s plane?”
“I’ll ask. Shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Let’s talk about buying one of our own. Hold on, can you lease them?”
“Like a car? Probably, but I’m not sure.”
“Find out. I’ll look into the tax implications and let you know.”
“Will we really need it?”
“Absolutely. Susan wants a lot of work in South Carolina. And we have the Alabama project.”
“Yeah, but owning a plane is still pretty expensive. A lot more than a car.”
“Well, how much is a day of your time worth? That’s what it takes when you fly commercial, especially with layovers and the connecting flights to smaller airports.”
He was right. And they were usually long days—I flew out in the morning and returned around midnight. Worse, I spent the next day recovering and didn’t get much work done.
“And for what?” Trip continued relentlessly. “A two- or three-hour site visit? You don’t travel alone, either. Sometimes you take an entire team with you. Now, how does that compare to the operating cost of a plane?”
“I hadn’t thought of it like that.”
“I have. Besides, we may have even more reason to travel soon.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. I’m following up some leads. Guys I went to B-school with. One up near Lexington and another in Denver. Huge tech and aerospace business out there,” he added, “lots of opportunities.”
“Are you serious?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be? We aren’t gonna hit our projections if we don’t go for it. We’ll have to make sure we don’t grow too fast, but I think I can find a good balance.”
“Better you than me,” I said with genuine relief.
“Yep. You just keep doing what you do. On that note, have you thought about what kind of building you wanna design for our new global headquarters?”
“Global headquarters?” I grinned. His enthusiasm was infectious.
“Yeah. I wanna take us international. Eventually. We need to diversify. Trimble— Sorry, Scumbag screwed us because we put all our eggs in one basket. I’m not gonna make that mistake again.” He slapped his thighs and stood. “Anyway, I’ll warm up the bullpen for South Carolina.”
“And I’ll get back to work.”
“Time is money,” he agreed.
* * *
In November we flew to South Carolina and met with Susan and her people, including Vonda Jarvis. Susan greeted us and made a round of introductions. In addition to Vonda, she’d brought a smaller than usual pack of attorneys, only three. Trip made the introductions for our side. Then he moved off with Shari and our own attorney to talk business with the others. I hung back with Susan.
“You look good,” she said.
“Thanks. You too. Very Van Gogh.”
She was dressed in a stylish Prussian blue pantsuit with a yellow and gold patterned scarf. She looked down at herself.
“You’re going to have to explain that one,” she said. “You’ve always seen the world a little differently, but… how do you get Van Gogh out of this?”
“Starry Night,” I said. “Your scarf is the color of the moon, and your suit is the same shade of blue. Well, mostly. The painting has some cerulean in it too.”
“Really? The outfit’s supposed to be Navy colors.”
“No, sorry. Navy blue doesn’t have any green in it. Not like that.”
“I think you’re right.” She pursed her lips, and her eyes glinted with affection. Then she glanced at the conference table and changed the subject. “Are you excited?”
“Yeah. But nervous too.”
“Don’t be,” she said. “This is all just a formality. Besides, your mom made me promise to be gentle with you.”
I blushed at the innuendo but then felt a stab of doubt. “Is that why you’re doing this? Because you and Mom—?”
“No, not at all. I’m doing it because I believe in you.”
“Thanks.”
“And don’t worry. Vonda wouldn’t let me spend this much unless the numbers made sense. We need a company like yours,” she continued. “We’re going to be paying for design and construction anyway. We might as well benefit from it.”
“True. But… why now?”