Ding!
Jasmine looked down at her phone. On the screen, she saw a message from Rhea.
Rhea:p : So girl tell me about the date you got!!! Who's the guy? What's he like?
Jasmine: He's a waiter at this local restaurant here. Really sweet guy, good with kids from what I saw the other day, amazing ass, and he smells really good. and I mean REALLY good.
Rhea:p : You know, I am not sure what you mean by the last part. Do you mean that he smells attractive, or that you wanna turn him into your personal juice box?
Jasmine: It's probably both, though I kinda mostly noticed the Juice box part. He tastes really good too.
Rhea:p : YOU DIDN'T! Did you at least try to suppress his memory or something. That shit could really fuck with his mind if you do it too much.
Jasmine: No!
Jasmine: Not like that. He had an open wound and I kinda managed to sneak a free sample.
Jasmine: And yes, Rhea, I know the consequences that can have. Better than you do, I think.
Rhea:p : Ohhh… Ok then
Rhea:p : It's great to hear you met someone. Are you sure he's actually attractive or do you just you know smell good food and that makes him attractive????
Jasmine looked at her phone as her eyebrows furrowed.
Jasmine: idk. probably both. like he's hot, but I can't really be sure of exactly how hot.
Rhea:p : Send me a pic if you can during the date! I can decide for us. Do you see him much?
Jasmine: Sure, yeah, I can do that. No not at the moment. But I am going to, at least more than currently. His family has a farm, and one of the barns they currently don't use is perfect for some other long-term projects.
Rhea:p : You mean the project?
Jasmine: Yes
Rhea:p : Well then, at least when you're working on that you will have some eye candy. And depending on how it goes, some more literal candy. But you know how boys are, best when claimed but often hard to pin down. Be assertive.
Jasmine: Let's hope. And what experience with boys are you talking from, virgin.
Rhea:p : I have extenuating circumstances, it's not easy to meet guys you don't frighten the shit out of in my condition. Well, not ones where the other person involved is willing to share at least.
Someone knocked on the table in front of her. Looking up, Jasmine saw Julie standing there holding some papers.
“I've got the contract you wanted drawn up for the barn you were looking to rent.”
Jasmine nodded in acknowledgment. “Thanks, Julie. The liability clause is in there, too, right?”
Julie hesitated for a second. “Yeah, it is. But can I ask why you are assuming liability alongside West Star? That seems risky.”
Jasmine laid her phone down on the table. “It is. But the family has had a lot of bad luck already, and we need that barn. It has to happen quickly. I am hoping that demonstrating that we and even more so, I am serious about it. That we won't just screw them over. ”
Julie was looking at her with a slightly raised eyebrow. “That makes sense. But I still think there are safer ways of doing that.”
“There probably are. But I want to show that we have skin in the game, in a real way, I mean. It's also within my means. West Star still has liability, so I am not on my own.” Jasmine stood up, stretching slightly. “I should go. The sooner I can get this signed, the better. Farmers tend to be home in the middle of the day, don't they?”
“Yeah, though they aren't necessarily available.”
Jasmine gave Julie a deadpan look. “I know they work on the farm in the middle of the day, Julie. It is their job.” Jasmine started packing her things. “Can you set up a meeting with the foreman working on both the dam itself and those for the support infrastructure upgrades. Also include the engineers and the ecologists. I wanna know if they are running into any problems.”
“Sure, when do you want the meeting?”
“Some time next week, just check when they are available and when my openings are and slot it in. Move stuff if you have to. Ohh, and thank you, Julie.”
As Jasmine walked out into the still crisp noon air, she saw her old Chrysler 300 letter series sedan, and her heart fell. Stopping for a second to look at the car, she couldn't quite stop her hand from squeezing the folder she was holding slightly. The car was dirty, with dirt speckling the sides and a grayish sheen. It was grating, like the sound of someone dragging their nails across a blackboard. She knew she needed to wash the car. A lot of people might see maintenance as a chore, and it was, but that didn't make it bad. Everything needed effort, and the process in and of itself was often the point. The good came with the bad, one might say.
It took her around twenty-five minutes to drive from the construction site around the dam to the Smallers' farm. The shadows of tree branches passed over her as she drove down the driveway towards the farmhouse. The house was old, the paint was starting to flake off the walls, and there was a slight sag in the porch, which she was certain was at least somewhat noticeable inside the house if you paid enough attention. Yet there was a certain pride taken in the home; the windows were clean, as was the porch, and effort had gone into keeping the area tidy. Jasmine smiled slightly at that.
Jasmine walked up to the front door and pressed the doorbell. She stepped back a few paces and used both her hands to hold the folder. It took a few minutes before a woman with hazel hair opened the door. Her face was sharp, yet her eyes kind.
“Hi, can I help you?” The woman's tone was cheerful.
“Hi. My name is Jasmine Burns. I am here looking for Daniel Smallers. I was hoping to talk to him about renting some space.”
“Ohh, he's out in the barn getting something. Why don't you come in and have a seat. I will go get him.” The woman stepped to the side and motioned for Jasmine to enter. She reached for her boots before she stopped herself and stood back up. “Where are my manners? My name is Samantha Smallers.” Her hand stretched out towards Jasmine.
Jasmine took the hand and shook it. “It's lovely to meet you, Mrs. Smallers.”
Mrs. Smallers gave her a small smile and a nod as she started putting on her shoes. “Ohh. I have to ask you to take off your shoes.” She pointed at her shoes. “Living on a farm, I can't really let people not take them off. I would never get the floors clean.”
“Ohh, I can only imagine.” She took off her shoes. Looking into the house, a single question started pressing on her mind. “So where do you want… me… to?” The woman was already gone and had left Jasmine with not a single clue of where she should go.
Ultimately, she decided to sit down in the living room. The couch itself was old, even though its age showed it was clean. The living room itself looked like it had been decorated in the 20s and the style had never been changed. Oh, sure, the TV was new, but the furniture otherwise was old, and there were clothes on nearly all of it. Still, the room made Jasmine lower her shoulders.
It took somewhere around five minutes before she heard the front door open again. There was some low murmured conversation, but Jasmine deliberately avoided listening in on it. At least to the degree she could. In first walked Samantha.
“Do you want something to drink?” She said with a small smile.
“Could I have a glass of water?” Jasmine said as the same gray-haired balding man emerged into the living room.
Mrs. Smallers nodded. “Of course, I will go get you one.”
Jasmine turned her attention to Mrs. Smallers and stood up. “Mrs. Smallers, it's a pleasure to see you again.”
He walked over and shook her hand. “The Pleasure is all mine, Ms. Burns.” The man started to sit down in the chair opposite her. “So to what do we owe the visit? My wife said it had something to do with some space you wanted to rent. But it was my understanding that the farmers would be negotiating that collectively.”
Jasmine nodded and heard someone turn on a faucet in what she assumed was the kitchen. “You would be right on all accounts. I am here about a different rental agreement, not related to the hydropower project. One of our logistics subsidiaries is responsible for shipping some of our more sensitive products. They need some space, and they need it too fast for us to be able to build a warehouse. And the other day I got talking to Jason.” Jasmine's eyebrows raised slightly. “He is your son, I believe, though I might be wrong on the familial relationship there. Anyways he said the barn you own up by the main road is largely unused and in good condition. As such, I was hoping West Star would be able to rent it for a few years. We would, of course, leave the barn perfectly suitable for its original purpose and make any necessary repairs it either currently requires or that it might require due to our activity. The same also applies to the surrounding area.”
Daniel Smallers looked at her for a second, his head resting on his thumb as he seemed to bite down on his index finger. His eyes started to dart around the small table before he looked back up at her. “Why do you need the barn? Wouldn't it be better to rent some already available warehouse or move it by air, for that matter?”
“Ahh... Well, there are multiple reasons. I can't really go into detail on what the items are, other than to say they are fine precision mechanics. Unfortunately, they are very sensitive to vibration, so we can't move them by plane. Or that's what the engineers tell me. As for your other question, Fairvern sits at the perfect convergence point for the various items going to that particular client, as such, finding something here is the cheapest option for us, by a pretty large margin at that.”
He only nodded at that, while Mrs. Smallers reentered the room carrying a tray with a small pitcher of water, some glasses, and some cookies. She then asked. “More importantly than the why. How much would the rent be?”
Jasmine filled a glass and took a sip before answering. “Well, there is, of course, room for negotiation.” She opened the folder, took out the contract, and laid it on the table facing towards the Smallers couple. “But our starting offer for the yearly rent is thirty thousand dollars a year. Payments would be monthly, so the sum on every payment would be lower.”
Mr. Smallers looked at her, slightly slack-jawed, while Mrs. Smallers' eyes widened and darted between her husband and Jasmine. “Excuse us a second, I need to talk to my husband.” Said Mrs. Smallers while practically dragging her husband out of the chair and into the kitchen.
Jasmine's hearing wasn't quite superhuman, but it was certainly as good as human hearing could get. She couldn't quite make out the word being spoken. They were being quieter than most people were, at least when whispering so aggressively. She could, however, make out that Mrs. Smaller's voice made up most of the conversation, and judging by the aggressive pace of that whispering, she had a feeling Mrs. Smallers was convincing her husband they should try and push the price up.
As they both stepped back into the living room, she could see there was almost some pep in Mrs. Smallers' step. While her husband's jaw seemed slightly tensed. As they sat down, Mr. Smallers cleared his throat and said. “Well, that is certainly generous. But we have some concerns that we might lose some income from the area around there. We still grow some things there, and there's always the risk of a driver messing up or you needing some extra space. As well, we haven't had the best experience with larger companies hereabouts. What guarantees do we have that you will pay properly and that this subsidiary isn't just gonna be run into debt and then dissolved?"
Jasmine had to suppress a smile. Vindication filled her chest; she had been entirely right to include the liability clause. As for the other parts of their reasoning, they were grasping at straws to get the price up. She hesitated for around ten seconds before letting her lips form into a smile but consciously kept it polite rather than the more smug shape it would have taken if it was allowed to blossom naturally. “Well, Mrs. Smallers, those are understandable concerns. West Star can go as high as forty thousand a year. Would that alleviate your concerns?”
The man's chest started to rise noticeably faster, though she was fairly certain most people wouldn't have noticed. “As for your other concern, if you go to page three.” She waited as they flipped to the page. “You will see that I personally assume liability in case West Star should fail to pay. I can guarantee you I have no intention of letting West Star get out of paying.”
They both glanced at each other and seemed to nod slightly. “How many people would be there and how often would people be coming by?” asked Mrs. Smallers.
“There would only be around five to ten people in the barn daily. A truck will probably stop by once a week, and some smaller delivery vehicles two or three times a week. If you want we can erect some temporary privacy barriers between here and the barn? Though we can't really see it from here anyways.”
“No, it's fine. We can't see the barn from here anyways.” Said Mr. Smallers before letting out a deep breath. “Yeah, I think forty thousand a year sounds great.”
Jasmine could feel a smile spread across her face as she reached for the contracts. On both copies, she crossed out the first number and replaced it with a four. “Well then. All you have to do is sign here, and then we will probably be moving in our stuff sometime next week.” She pushed the contracts back towards Daniel Smallers, pen lying on top of the first copy.
Mr. Smallers signed both copies, and Jasmine pulled them back to do the same. While there were some things they discussed, Jasmine left relatively quickly afterwards. As she sat down in the car, she couldn't help but chuckle a little. She felt a smile spread across her face. She had finally accomplished one of the main goals, a goal that was far more important than any economic goal they had in the area.
Fishing her phone out of her pocket, she typed out a message to her mother.
Jasmine: I have gotten a suitable place for the distribution facility. Sending you the contract and address as soon as I get home. What now?
Mom: Fantastic, darling. You will be in charge of the facility. We will send over the workers for it. They are mostly hopefuls, though you don't need to be responsible for that if you don't want to. They are bringing with them more details, both for the facility and the future. The facility takes priority in the area.
Jasmine sent an acknowledgement back to her mother. Her heart started hammering in her chest. She would finally know more of the details. Knowing the goal was one thing, but without knowing the path to get there it was useless. It also meant that she had earned something else, trust. Though she wasn't sure who was left to doubt her, certainly not he mother. She had gotten another message from Rhea. She skimmed it before letting out a deep sigh. A little trust isn't too much to ask for, but no.
Rhea:p : Do remember the promise.
Jasmine: I haven't forgotten rhea:)