Dinner at Fleming's and an Honest Answer About Money
Fleming’s Steakhouse is a very nice, very fancy restaurant with a small parking lot next to it and valet parking. Greg drives up in his simple car, parks and gets out. He opens the front passenger door and Jan gets out. Steve, Larry and Linda get out of the back passenger seats. The interiors are quite the ritzy, clearly a very posh and expensive restaurant.
Beautiful tables and chairs dot the main dining hall, and a fine reception area sits just inside the front door. Greg, Steve, Larry, Linda and Jan enter, and are shown to a good table. Steve has his laptop, and he looks a bit nervous. Greg just about screams confidence. Linda sits next to Larry, and is all smiles. Larry is quite happy, yet looks a bit nervous.
“Okay,” Greg begins. “We will show you that, with a bit more investment, we could get the website expanded even further. Steve, show her the outline.” After dinner, Steve, now much more confident and animated, talks a blue steak to Jan. He sets up his laptop to show her his demo - and puts it in front of Larry and Linda, who only have eyes for each other.
Jan watches intently. Jan is not fully impressed. “Okay, I can see where this has major potential, but...I don’t know that I can do much more.” “Oh, you don’t have more money to invest?” Greg asks ‘innocently’. “No. What, you think I’ve got that kind of money?” Jan gestures at the chart on the computer screen. “Not necessarily, but we thought your-I mean, you might know some people who did.” “Maybe.
My Mother and the people she moves with, they could easily swing it, but…” “What, you don’t... get along with her?” “Guys, I... hate to... air dirty laundry - family dirty laundry, but I guess I have to. My Mom pretty much cut me off when I left New York - and didn’t marry the man she thought I should.
So...I have pretty much cut her - and her money – off, too. It’s like I was telling you, Steve, I believe in building up myself on my own - like my Dad taught me. So, what I got, I earned.” “Oh - so - you wouldn’t be able to... convince her to make an investment in our company?” “Naw, I doubt it.
Sorry.” Steve pulls out his iPhone, making further notes. Jan sees the screen and sees a note labeled: “Jan Project”. Clearly upset, she quickly covers up her anger, and maintains her composure.