Misty had two nightmares, only one was bad, but it was a short one. When we did wake up Jeanna had already taken Patti work. This time Patti drove. Dad had driven Patti to Easton on Wednesday after work to get her learner’s permit. That was the only night the MVA was open late. Of course Dad knew everyone there. If it made any difference, I don’t know, but she took the written test and then did a driving test and aced both of them. Because of her age she could go back in thirty days and get a permanent license.

We had a big breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, O.J. and toast. Jeanna came back in time to join us. Then we had a big round-table meeting about all the progress. We were now an LLC corporation. The lawyers filed the papers after Marcy and Ching Lee met with them yesterday. We had the Federal ID number, a sales tax number and business license.

The gas tank installation went smooth. We had heat now at the flip of a switch. The web-site was done. The business plan was done. The bank presentation was done. Marcy and Ching Lee were proud as peacocks as all three were perfect, with no changes needed. We had one hundred and fifty confirmed members with deposited checks, just by word of mouth, at 200 a month.

Marcy also had two more things working but did not want to discuss them until they were further along. I went to great lengths to praise them for all the hard work they had done. I was proud of them and let them know it.

Next we went over to the gym. Bob’s construction men were there in full force. The hand rails on the outside of the building were up and painted. The lobby was finished and painted. The mini office, refreshment center and storeroom were all done. The refreshment center equipment was in front of it waiting to be installed.

The bath rooms, showers, massage room and locker room were in the process of having the tile installed. Sitting in front of each were the fixtures waiting to be installed.

I could now get a real feel for the layout with so much of it completed. I was more enthused now than ever and so were the girls. Marcy and Ching Lee were all smiles showing us everything that had been done by their hand-drawn plans.

We went back over to the house and discussed the advertising budget. We decided that Ching Lee, Vicky and Lorrie would head that up. Jenny and I felt that it fell under their responsibilities. They wanted fliers in all the local mail boxes, plus local radio along with TV. I suggested that they wait on the TV for a while because that would be the most expensive and was not truly directed towards our local area. Jenny thought that posters should be put up in local shops where women were the most likely customers. I agreed with that, especially if we had the right outfits on when we approached the shop owners. We would wait on getting them printed until we had a firm date for an open house

We had a quick lunch then dressed for our bank visit. Jenny and Jeanna wore business suits. Mine was as close to a business look as I could get. Marcy, Ching Lee, Vicky and Lorrie wore tight mini skirts with tight blouses and a jacket. I was pretty sure they had on push-up bras, not that they needed them and 4 inch heels

Marcy said with a laugh, “We are selling a gym to put women in shape. We need to show them that we are in shape and will be role models for the product.

We arrived 10 minutes early. Marcy, Ching Lee and Lorrie were carrying laptops or brief cases. The commercial loan board was still at lunch. While we waited in the lobby the work inside the bank came to a crawl. None of the men and a few of the women decided they were in a hurry. Jeanna excused herself to take an important call and stepped away from us to a more private corner.

Marcy was facing me filling me in on the things she had been working on. Both of them sounded interesting. I was just starting to comment when the board started coming in. It was easy to tell, all the ties looked out of place.

The last two people were coming through the door. One was Chuck Rustone, the other was a gentleman I did not know, when he suddenly stopped.

“De Stone?” he said.

Marcy turned and said, “Yes.”

“My God Jeanna, you have found the fountain of youth,” he said.

She laughed and replied, “I’m Marcy – Mom is over there on the phone.”

Jeanna had finished her conversation and was headed towards us when she said, “Josh Hamilton, fancy meeting you here.”

“I’m just here doing my job, it’s you I’m wondering about,” he said.

“I’m just here visiting my daughter and lending a little moral support,” she said.

“Yeah and I believe in the tooth fairy too,” he said with a wink.

By then we were all seated around the big corporate style meeting table. Chuck Rustone introduced all of the bank people including the federal bank auditor. I introduced my group and Jeanna as an interested observer.

I then turned everything over to Marcy and Ching Lee. Marcy passed out the business plan to everyone and then used the bank’s wireless to project each page as she explained them. She set the stack of contracts on the table as an alphabetical list was on the screen. Then she passed out a cost-return analysis on the building with the expenses right up to 5 PM last night. Marcy then turned the program over to Ching Lee.

Ching Lee ran the computer’s 3D presentation of the gym. That was followed by the web page. It was complete with a separate page for each of us as trainers. There was even a section on the training modules we had put together and a section for the new Marathoner treadmills we had obligated for.

Lorrie and Vicky then presented the advertising program we planned to use.

I explained the loan from Jake to get the project started and the time frame that I had agreed to pay him back to explain the need for the loan. I then asked for any questions.

Chuck looked at the bank people and then asked, “How is Jake doing? We haven’t seen him for a while, but his accounts are still active as ever.”

I explained about the Japanese nuclear power-plant cleanup project that Jake’s company was doing and that it was going to last 5 to 10 years.

Chuck looked at his people again and said, “Well, the bank has sort of a problem and the solution may be beneficial to both of us. We foreclosed on the Island Tanning Spa yesterday. The owner developed a problem with drugs and casino use. He didn’t make the last two months payments on his house or business. The business lease runs out at midnight Saturday night. We have to have the equipment out of the building by midnight tomorrow night or the leasing company takes full possession. You have plenty of extra room and are going to be staffed. They had excellent daily receipts when it was properly managed. It may be a perfect match for your operation. The equipment is the very latest out there. It was 30 thousand new and the bank note has 10 thousand left in it. If we add 15 thousand to your request would you be interested in adding it to your business? You have to have it moved and the building swept out and trash free by tomorrow night.”

I looked at my group and asked, “Well, what do you think, do we add a tanning business as well? I think it would be a fit.” I got all nods.

I called Bob again and explained our dilemma with the time-frame and asked if he had any men that would work tomorrow to move and clean the building. I also explained that another room for the salon would have to be built and fast because NOW was the Christmas and New Year’s party tanning season. He told me he would have all the crews at work tomorrow at 8, just meet him there with the keys.

I looked at Chuck and said,” If we have the loan we will take the equipment.”

“As policy we insist that all funds go through our bank. You have multiple accounts with us; we are good with that. We will loan you the two hundred and sixty five thousand and add a fifty thousand credit line. We will place a lien on the 1001 Summers Rd property and equipment. We will have all the formal papers drawn up for you to sign by the end of the week and the funds will be available on Monday. I think good things are going to happen with your new business. If there are no questions I think we are finished here,” he said.

We thanked them for approving the loan and for thinking of us with the tanning salon arrangement. I added that we will be good business partners.

Josh said, “Jeanna, my dear friend. Not only did you give your daughter your great looks but your business smarts as well. I find it interesting the Executive Vice President of Midwestern Banking and Trust, the largest privately held bank in the western US with a war chest in the billions for expansion, is sitting in on a loan hearing. I suspect that there is more here than meets the eye. If you are looking to expand eastward I can give you a list of good prospects that just need an influx of new management ideas.”

Jeanna smiled and replied, “I was just here to see my daughter over the holidays. Then I got interested in their project and stayed to be moral support for her and her friends. The area and the people have grown on me. I will be back often. But, you know I never show all my cards”.

As we left I called Dr. Moore and told her that Misty was staying with us for a couple of weeks. I told her that we had a room she could stay in if she didn’t mind bunking in the same bed with Dr Rich. She asked if she could come on Saturday. I told her any time that suited them would be great.

Bob was still over at the gym when we returned. I asked if he had time to go to the spa to measure it out. We chalked it out on the floor on the west side of the waiting room. He would cut a door through the new wall for the entrance to the tanning room.

Marcy had been texting and making calls the whole time. We had almost finished with the layout. She asked, “Can we add a classroom? We are going to need one.”

We extended the tanning room down to the first overhead door and added a classroom beside it. The emergency exit from the tanning room would exit into the gym. The classroom entrance door was in the lobby; the emergency exit door opened out onto the gym floor. It was a good thing we had oversized the heat pump unit. It would now be at full capacity with the two new rooms.

The fire marshal had nixed the public boxing match for a whole list of reasons, so we still had plenty of room.

EDIT by Alfmeister