His brow arched. He had not expected this bit of news. He couldn’t deny that free advertising would help, but would it be enough? “The thing is, my cafés are designed for younger people, high school, college and young adults. The cafés do not cater to a more mature audience. They can be a bit loud at times, especially during an online tournament. The decor is a bit dark with prints of our most popular avatars. Do you know much about our games?”
She shook her head. “Since you can only play on a closed circuit within one of your cafés, I’ve never had the opportunity. But the research looks intriguing. And I think it would be a hit here with the young crowd.”
“To be a success, this area would have to be heavily frequented by young people—”
“And that’s what we want.” She smiled at him as though she had all of the answers. “I have research studies broken out by demographic.”
He liked numbers and charts. “Could I take a look at them?”
She nodded. “Most definitely. I had a copy in my purse, but I also have them at the palace along with an investment package with detailed figures and projections. I wanted you to have a feel for the area before we dove into the numbers.”
He glanced around the piazza. “I’m just not sure about this setting. Don’t get me wrong—it’s beautiful, but it’s not quite as urban as our other locations.”
“In the reviews I’ve read about Fo Shizzle, they say young people come from miles away just to hang out and take part in the high-stakes gaming tournaments. You’ve definitely latched on to a great idea. And I hear the coffee’s not so bad either.”
“The coffee is actually quite good.” He’d made sure of that. Being a coder, he lived on a steady stream of caffeine when he was on a roll. And he was picky about the flavor. He wouldn’t have anything less than the best for his cafés—just as he would only have the top-of-the-line games. The newest titles. And the best quality.
Annabelle gave him a speculative look as though figuring out his unshaven appearance and his longer-than-usual hair. It was not his standard appearance—not unless he was on a deadline for a new program rollout. When it came to business, all else came in a distant second, third or lower ranking.
When she didn’t vocalize her thoughts about his appearance, he added, “I’m usually a little more cleaned up.” Why was he making excuses for his appearance? It wasn’t like he was going to ask her out on a date or anything. Still, he heard himself say, “It’s just with the media and all, sometimes it’s easier to travel incognito.”
She nodded but still didn’t say anything.
He hated to admit it, but he really did want to know what she was thinking. Did he really look that bad? His hand moved to his jaw. His fingers stroked his beard. It was quickly filling in. Soon it would start to get bushy. He didn’t warm to the thought.
Beards were okay on some guys, but not him. It just wasn’t his thing. “Is it really that bad?”
She shrugged. “It’s okay.”
Definitely not a ringing endorsement for his new look.
“I guess it doesn’t matter much if I shave or not now that my picture is all over social media. And it’s not like I’m going to be here much longer—”
“What? You mean you’re leaving? Already?”
He nodded. “I have to keep scouting for a headquarters for my Mediterranean expansion.”
“But this is it. The South Shore will be perfect.”
Was that a glimmer of worry reflected in her eyes? Surely she couldn’t be that invested in doing business with him. And if she was, he had to ask himself why. What was driving her to close this deal?
He cleared his throat. “I’m not ready to make a decision of this magnitude. I have plans to visit Rome, Milan and Athens next.”
“And when will you be leaving?”
“In the morning—”
“But you can’t.” She pressed her lips together as though regretting the outburst.
“Why not?”
“Because you still have to file a report with the police. There’s the theft and...and you’re an eyewitness. They’ll probably want you to testify.”
She had a point. And as much as he would like to fly off into the sunset, he wouldn’t shirk his duty. “You know, the only reason I walked away is because you said you weren’t going to press charges so I figured there was no reason for me to stick around.”
“I was truly considering it, but the policeman convinced me it wouldn’t be in anyone’s best interest. So it looks like you’ll be hanging around Mirraccino a bit longer. And I would love to show you more of this beautiful land.”
How much more was there to see? And did she really think another day of playing tourist was really going to change his mind?