Annie's Rainbow - Fern Michaels [53]
“The homeless, more food for them, better conditions.”
“Annie, we took care of that last year.”
“Summer camps for inner-city kids.”
“We set that up two years ago. The funding is secure.”
“A memorial for Mom and Dad. Something in good taste.”
“It’s under way, Annie. Sometimes it’s hard to give money away.”
Annie felt the blood drain from her face. She sat down. “Yes, sometimes it is.”
“You look... ghostly. What’s wrong?”
“I forgot to eat in my haste to get here. I’ll grab something in the cafeteria when I leave. You know me, eat, eat, eat.”
“So, do we go for it or not?”
“How many do you want to franchise?”
“All but four.”
“Which four, Tom?”
“Well, I thought we’d keep the two in Charleston, your first one and Jane’s at the Baptist College. I’d like to keep the two here in Clemson. My kids can work summers and holidays. I don’t want life made that easy for them. We can handle two. I know you won’t want to part with the first one. Check with Jane. She might want to put hers on the block.”
“What kind of money are we talking about, Tom? Have you really thought this through?”
“I really have, Annie. Look, it’s time you got a life, and I sure would like more time with my kids. Mandy’s going off to college. next year. But, to answer your question, I thought two hundred fifty thousand dollars was good per store. That would gross twenty-one million. That’s not the end of it. You’ll get a percentage every year. If the new owner fails, the store reverts back to you. It’s more involved than that, but you have the gist of it. Each owner buys from our supplier, they adhere to our promotions. There will be more than enough money coming in to fund all your charitable works. You would, of course, retain the right to open more stores anytime you saw fit. The lawyers have to work that out. Taxes have to be paid, that kind of thing. What do you think?”
“It’s going to be difficult to let go of thirteen years of hard work, Tom. What will I do?”
“You’re going to take a vacation, and you’re going to smell the roses. That’s what you’re going to do. You’ve done it all. Kick back before it kicks you.”
“Okay.”
“You’re sure, Annie?”
“I’m sure. When do you want to get this under way?”
“When I get out of here. I can make phone calls sitting on the couch with my feet up. I can get it all started. But, and here’s the big but. There’s a clunker in everything. Since coffee is the main ingredient in this operation, it is of major concern when the price goes up. Take a look at the coffee figures.”
“We use, give or take a few pounds, around twenty pounds of coffee a day. If you multiply that times six it comes to one hundred twenty pounds a week multiplied by twenty-four days a month is two thousand eight hundred eighty pounds a month. Times eighty-four stores it’s roughly two hundred forty-two thousand pounds a year. Your old friend gave us a good deal twelve years ago. That deal is no longer working. There’s someone new in charge now, Kiki Aellia. Decaf is suddenly off the charts. We have to step up to the plate on that one. I want you to go to Hawaii and work some magic. If the Grayson Coffee Company raises its prices, we’re going to have to look elsewhere. That’s if we want the franchises to work. I can’t go, Annie. I’ll be laid up for at least six weeks. This operation was not a piece of cake. We can get things under way, but we need a better coffee deal. Can you do it? No, that’s wrong, will you do it?”
Annie sucked in her breath. “Do you think I could take Rosie and Harry with me?”
“Why not. Buy them seats on‘the plane. Better yet, charter a flight and they can