As for the professional side of the business, adequate office and meeting space could be dedicated for that purpose alone. He could decide the dimensions, layout, and quantity of the office space as well as where he’d like to place it in proximity to the studio space. I was certain that, if Declan chose, he’d have such a state-of-the-art studio that many business colleagues would want to join him in his venture.
My mind was racing. My top priority was Declan and what I believed would help him to achieve his dream. In my judgment, this building could meet his requirements as he’d described and detailed them to me. He could design his dream studio exactly the way he wanted it, and securing this building was the first step. In every conversation we had, he said that this local, this resort, and this town was where he wanted to start his business. He never wavered in that part of his plan. I was teetering on the edge of fear and decision.
I walked back across the street and into the building. Looking for Paige, I found her staring out at the view. She turned when she heard my approach.
“There’s one more thing that we didn’t consider,” she began. “Have you seen this? Look at this view! When we were inside the building, we didn’t even contemplate this because we were so concerned with the requirements Declan would need for the studio space, but look at this! If you slightly change your plans, you could make a second floor. You know all the ropes in the renovation area, Aria. Wouldn’t that mean that every studio would have natural lighting?” she asked.
She was right. I was following her train of thought; this building didn’t get the sunrise, but it had sunlight all day.
“Adding a second floor for the offices, you’d get the bay view for aesthetics. That’s a better view than any painting you could hang on the wall.”
I thought for a moment, looking out at the bay. It was a spectacular view. I could propose to Declan that he add a meeting room on the business office floor, and when he wanted to entertain in that room, this side of the building held the most beautiful sunsets anyone could imagine.
I couldn’t say for certain in his line of work, but in my line of work, people were much more productive when they were happy and relaxed. It seemed that, at every turn, it was being confirmed that this was the ideal building and the ideal location for his business. If I could just contact him!
“Paige, how is this on the price? I’d like to bring my inspector by to check it out. Do you think the price is negotiable?”
“Are you serious?” Paige gasped. “The owner isn’t going to let you do an inspection without a contingency contract. This price is too good.”
“Well, no time like the present!” I reasoned with myself to control my fear of making a huge decision on behalf of someone else without their knowledge. In that moment, I knew I had to get the building for Declan. I couldn’t just let it slip by without his having this opportunity. It was golden and rare. He had a solid business plan, and I trusted him. I couldn’t believe the next thing I said.
“Paige, let’s put in a contract.”
With that, I hoped Declan would agree with my business sense.
Three hours later, I had acquired several things; a completed inspection, an estimate on renovation costs to have plumbing, electrical, heat and air conditioning made operational… and a massive headache.
…five hours later, Aria’s headache had dissipated but the fear of having made a monumental decision on behalf of someone else set in…
T I Ain’t Your Mama – Maggie Rose
TT Set Fire To The Rain – Adele
I hated being away from Aria, and with travel time to and from Tokyo, it would be several days before I would see her again. This conversation wasn’t going at all the way I planned, and I couldn’t have predicted the topic in a million years.
“You did what?!” I said.
I couldn’t believe what I had just heard Aria say into the phone. I was absolutely certain that we had a terrible telephone connection.
“I bought a building for your studio,” she repeated.
I was in shock, and the silence was deafening for a few moments; then I began to ramble, “Why in God’s name would you buy a building for me?! Are you out of your mind?! A building?!” The incredible disbelief was continuing to register in my voice.
“Declan, calm down, it’s only a building. Time was of the essence, and in all fairness, I did try to reach you several times.”
“Calm down? It isn’t only a building. Really? How can I possibly calm down?! There’s a thirteen hour time difference, Aria. I was sleeping, and that’s why I didn’t answer the phone. I have another day of work here; we’re shooting at Tokyo Tower. How am I supposed to concentrate when you’ve bought a building for me!?”
“Declan, seriously, you don’t need to worry about anything. The paperwork’s already done. You know Paige as a friend, and you know she is a reputable realtor. She’s careful to make sure that every ‘i’ is dotted and every ‘t’ is crossed. I’ve told you that I’ve worked with her on shore properties since I’ve started my business. Do you remember?” Aria asked.
“Yes, I do remember, but that’s beside the point. Why didn’t you wait for me to come home? You could have told me on the phone, and we could have looked at it together.”
“Honestly, there was no time on this particular property. The building was very competitively priced; the owner was in financial straits and he was motivated to move it quickly. Paige was giving me a tour, and I knew it was priced to sell. The minute it was listed, it would have been gone. It wouldn’t have been available by the time you got back.”
“Aria, you’re presuming so much. How do you know the building is the exact amount of space that I wanted or that the space is what would be needed for a studio occupying more than one photo session at the same time? You’ve been with me on what? Four, maybe five jobs? You don’t know what goes into a photo session and what particulars are needed for all the photographers, assistants and working space. You have no idea the specifications that are required for my business.”
At this point, I was exasperated. T
It was again quiet for a few moments; then she began to speak slowly and succinctly, “What do you mean I have no idea what specifications are required for your business? Exactly what are you attempting to say to me, Declan? Since the possibility exists that I have no idea, then perhaps you’d like to enlighten me,” she said angrily. From the inflection in her voice, it appeared she had gone from “gift giver” to “grim reaper” within moments.
I was catching my breath, beginning to emotionally come down from my anger and a brew of ugly emotions—exasperation, frustration, exhaustion, worry, and anxiety. My body was concocting a terrific firestorm of migraine headache at this very moment. I was trying to remind myself that she would never take an action like this without the best of intentions, but what was going through her head? Buying a building? Who does that?!
I decided to try to speak calmly. She could be very sensitive, and I didn’t want to hurt her feelings. “What I’m trying to say, babe, is that I know you’re intentions were good, but I’m not sure you should have bought the building without me,” I said. I knew my next words weren’t going to go over well with her. “You may have bitten off more than you could chew on this one. I know your dad was with you on the residential properties, but who do you know that will do the commercial renovations?”
The silence on the other end of the phone lasted for longer than a few moments, so again I thought we had been disconnected. I wasn’t so lucky; Aria was preparing the firestorm she was about to unleash on me.
“Hello?” I called into the receiver.
“You…think… my success in this business is because my dad was with me on the renovations? What do you think he did? Hold my hand? Let’s make something perfectly clear, Mr. Sinclair. My parents raised me to be independent, not to be better than, OR less than anyone, man or woman, but to be competitive with them and to produce…with excellence…the best work I could in my field.
My daddy didn’t hold my hand—he empowered me to perform my job. I own my company, and I work damn hard. I’m happy to know what you think of my abilities, and if you were here, the girlfriend in me would slap you across the face…with excellence… for insulting me as you just did!”
She took in a long breath to continue. “Oh God…she is pissed.”
“As far as the commercial renovations on your particular project? Well, I don’t know, Mr. Sinclair. Perhaps you should put out your feelers to get the names of good contractors or look in the Yellow Pages and call listed companies to get some bids for each of the jobs that will be required to get your project up and running! Up until sixty seconds ago, you had someone well respected and connected with subcontractors in the business to do your commercial renovations, but she may no longer be interested in doing business with you. You know…you wouldn’t want someone who’s afraid to make a decision without holding her daddy’s hand!” Aria fumed into the phone, taking another long breath. She sounded as if she was bordering on being atomically explosive.
“You know, Declan, while you were in Tokyo, a good—no a great—building came on the market. It was a great location, with great square footage. I, in what I now know you believe to be my limited capabilities as a woman and a mere owner of a renovation company, who has done more residential than commercial—but some commercial nonetheless—saw an excellent opportunity for you! You who has gone over your hopes, dreams, and aspirations for your studio with me, maybe…one hundred times or more! Perhaps you didn’t think I was listening—or perhaps you didn’t think that this mere woman could possibly comprehend the complexity of what you were trying to relay!”
She paused to take a breath, but still continued.
“Let’s see what my addled brain did remember to do for you? Hmm…in one day, I had inspectors—yes, inspectors, plural—in the building to check the structure, plumbing, electrical, insulation, and roofing. I also had subcontractors—my subcontractors—come in and take estimated measurements so that they’d be prepared to intelligently sit down and speak with you about your specific design and aspirations for your dream to become a reality. I also spoke with a sign company—who respects and admires my reputation—who is anxious to work with you on whatever signage you want, because of your relationship to me, so—I ask you—does it sound like the little woman just may have covered any concerns you might have had for your dream business?” Aria stopped talking—finally.
I didn’t know what to say, so I said nothing. I could, however, hear her breathing hard—very hard—on the phone. There was no mistaking her anger. My guess would be that she was livid.
It was very quiet for several minutes on both ends of the phone.
“Aria…?” I spoke. TT
“No, Declan…just…don’t. You don’t need to explain anything at all. I’m starting to believe that what you’ve been explaining to me as a dream for your business and what you mentally have been laying out for months is just that—a pipe dream—all talk; no action. I’m also beginning to think that you like the idea of having your own business and that you enjoy talking about it, writing ideas on paper, and even going so far as to having drawings made of how you would lay it out, but when the right opportunity hits you in the face, you’re scared. I think you’re afraid of the success you might have with this business. You might be the one that needs someone to hold your hand, and I would have been happy to be that person. You’re right—you are really good at what you do. You have the personality to draw people in and you have a wonderful eye for new, talented young people for the industry that you’re in. You even had me believing that you could be a respected force in your industry with fair and honest agents. I could envision your company being independent. I could envision you as having your own agency. You are friends with beautiful models who also want to scout talent, like Aimee. You have a great assistant to keep the business in order in Katherine, and you have a wonderful photographer in Jonatan. You have all the pieces lined up for you to start. I can see now that you also have one big obstacle—yourself.” Aria sounded resigned.
I had nothing to say; I was angry and emotionally spent. I took offense to everything she had just unleashed on me.
She took matters into her own hands with her next statement, “You don’t need to be concerned with the building at all, Declan. It is, after all, just a building. I’m not afraid of the renovation. It’s my name on the contract, not yours. I’m going to purchase the building regardless of the original intent with which I made the purchase. You may be afraid of business, Declan, but I’m not.”
I wasn’t going to let her turn this all around on me, and I needed to tell her so. “Look, I know you’re pissed off at me, but I have valid concerns, and you know it. Your personal attacks on me aren’t necessary, and they’re low,” I said. She was beginning to make me angry. The headache I had was about to make me mean.
When she next spoke, she sounded hurt. “Declan, this has nothing to do with me being pissed off. This has everything to do with your confidence in me and your confidence in my abilities, so I’ll say it again; my name is on the contract. You can completely disregard any interest in the building for your proposed business venture. I already have an alternative plan in mind for the building, so I’ll use my contacts to construct my plan to complete my project.”
I could hear the hurt in her voice, and my heart was starting to clench. We had never fought like this, and I would have preferred to have had this conversation face-to-face.
“Don’t be like this, Aria. We can talk more about it when I get home, and we can make a decision then.”
She laughed a sad laugh into the phone. “Oh, no, we won’t…and no, we can’t. My mind’s made up. I know it is a good investment, and I’m carrying through with it. You may not trust me, but I trust myself, and you know what? My project’s going to make quite a tidy profit for my company because I do have good instincts, and they’re telling me that I made the right decision when I made this purchase.”
Just then, someone knocked on the door. I had the phone up to my ear when I answered it. This was going from bad to worse. It was Marisol; she was working on this shoot as well.
“Good morning, lover. The car’s downstairs, waiting for us,” she said.
“I’ll be right down,” I said as I closed the door.
It was quiet once again, and I knew that Aria had heard Marisol through the phone.
“Perfect…just perfect” Aria said into the phone.
“I have to get ready to leave for this session. We shouldn’t hang up with us being angry like this,” I said. My head was pounding, and I wished Aria was in front of me. “Please, baby. I don’t want this.”
Aria’s voice was eerily stoic and composed when she said “We can’t always get what we want…”
…and as Marisol moved slowly away from the door, she smiled a Cheshire cat grin because she had unexpectedly gotten something she wanted…
T It Ain’t Easy – Jason Aldean
TT Journey To The Center Of The Mind – Jake E. Lee & Phil Lewis
“Paige? Declan Sinclair. I spoke with Aria, and she shared that the purchase of a building is underway on my behalf.”
I was attempting to keep any anger from coming through this telephone conversation.
“Yes, Declan. The building’s a great buy, and it wouldn’t have lasted long on the market. By the time I got back to the office with Aria’s contract, word had leaked that the building might be available, and there was instant interest from three other buyers. In my opinion, you and Aria got a great deal.”
“Yes; she said that as well. May I ask a favor of you, Paige?” I paused. “I’ll have a long flight back to the states, and I’d like to get a head-start on my projected plans and ideas. Would it be possible for you to e-mail some photos and possibly a spec sheet on the layout of this building?” I asked.
“Aria might have one that I had given to her, but sure, I can e-mail it to you. Let me get a pen for the inf
ormation,” she said.
With that, I could get started on my preparations to state my case to Aria as to why she should never have purchased this building without my knowledge. The thought incensed me—no, it even went so far as to infuriate me. The questions just kept coming into my mind. Why would she do that? Why a building? Has she lost her mind? The cost. The goals. The vision. Yes, I’ve shared everything with her, but does she truly have a grasp of what it takes to make this business successful? The aesthetics alone to make the building presentable would be staggering. How could she possibly presume to make a decision like that on my behalf?
“Declan, I have everything for you: photos of both the inside and outside of the building, photos of day shots seen from the building of the bay, and photos seen from the building of the beautiful sunsets. I also have the square footage of the building and the layout as it was when it was a gym.”
“That sounds great, Paige. Thanks—”
“Wait, that’s not all,” she interrupted.
“No?”
“I’m not sure if she would want me to share this, but I have a copy of Aria’s proposed layout for your space. She was right on top of it before she made the offer. She called in a favor to get an inspector out there while we were still at the building. While he and two of the other examiners were checking everything out, she was on the phone with some of her subcontractors, getting estimates. She was drawing her layout and wrote down some figures. Since she left this paper with me, I don’t think she’d mind if I sent it to you. Would you want that as well?”
It sounded like Paige had everything I needed. Even though I was doing this without Aria’s knowledge, she was providing a wealth of information, and I could look everything over when I was on the flight home. I wanted to be completely prepared to justify to Aria that this was a mistake that she should never repeat again, and I wanted all my points to be validated. T
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