Acting like the debonair business man and playboy that he was reported to be; Stedman attempted to smooth over this meeting that had obviously gotten off on the wrong foot.

"Ms. McNeil, first thing I want to say is that I'm sorry for your loss. I know it must be difficult to carry on this business with your father's passing," he commented softly, looking at her directly in the eyes. Whatever flames that Rumina ignited seemed to instantly cool as he started to speak. Maeve felt calm and enough at ease to speak from her heart, completely forgetting that Rumina was there.

"Thank you. It is difficult, but I manage," she said honestly.

Stedman just nodded, "I understand… and I apologize for my colleague, but it's easy to understand Ms. Harold's mistake. Although you are now the owner, most things are still in his name, correct?"

Maeve closed her eyes for a second and nodded, "Yes."

In the beginning, it was hard to look at all the mail and bills and see her father's name on the top. She wanted to scream, "He's dead! Stop it!" Sometimes it felt as though they were mocking her. She had to do so much that she still hadn't found any real time to mourn. Suddenly Maeve felt a warmth on her hand. Stedman had placed his hand over hers. Her eyes went up his arm to his face where he was smiling encouragingly. He tapped her hand lightly.

"It's okay," he stated as if he really knew what she was going through. She smiled back warmly. Then suddenly, as if something had given him a jolt, he quickly moved his hand away.

"Also," he said suddenly, "I don't recall you identifying yourself as the owner in our correspondence."

"I didn't. People, sometimes, don't take it seriously when they know a woman is running things," Maeve replied and turned to Rumina, "Surely, you understand."

Rumina laughed lightly, "Actually, no. I've always been taken… the way I wanted to be taken."

Maeve gave Rumina a cold stare, but remained polite all the same, "Good for you."

Rumina's smile got even wider, "Isn't it, though."

Maeve stare got even colder as she seriously considered wiping that arrogant smile off of Rumina face with her fist. Unfortunately, Maeve knew the breaking someone's jaw wasn't the best to ask for money. Feeling the tension crackling in the air, Stedman changed the subject.

"Let's get down to business, shall we?" he suggested.

"Yes, I don't want waste anymore time," Rumina said, looking at Maeve expectantly.

Maeve, controlling herself from saying something back to Rumina, opened the manila folder with McNeil's portfolio in it. The first thing she pulled out was the financial statement.

"As you can see," she started, "McNeil's has had steady financial growth in the past four years."

"We have also expanded in both size and menu offerings," she stated placing a former picture of McNeil's in front of Stedman and a former menu in front of Rumina. Rumina looked at the menu and the financial statement curiously.

"If you have experienced all of this growth, why are you waiting tables? Did you forget to hire employees?"

"Ms. Harold, I am an entrepreneur. To keep my business running I have to know and be willing to do anything and everything. I've been the cook, the bartender, the janitor and, yes, on some days, the waitress, to keep things running smoothly. You can't run a restaurant and not get your hands dirty," Maeve replied.

"Then why do you need us? Surely you can pull yourself out of whatever rut you're in if you're so…" Rumina arched an eyebrow to Maeve, "successful."

Maeve took a deep breath, "With my father's death, there have been a few unexpected surprises. But besides that, I also have plans to expand McNeil's so that we can hold events that can support the community such as block parties and fundraisers for public schools and local organizations."

"Trying to save the world one keg at time," Rumina suggested.

Maeve pressed her lips together, "Something like that."

She turned back to Stedman and handed him a streamlined copy of her proposal.

"Here is the short version of the proposal I submitted to your company," she stated.

Stedman nodded, "Yes. I looked it over. It's a good plan."

"Thank you," Maeve smiled.

"But," he started, "I have a few concerns that I would like to bring up."

Maeve's eyes dropped with concern.

"And they are?" she pressed, started to think they wouldn't accept the deal. She looked over at Rumina, who seemed anything, but surprised. In fact, she looked like she was enjoying it. Stedman looked back at Rumina for a moment. He took in her expression and returned to Maeve. He felt bad for Maeve because although his concerns were genuine, he didn't want to give Rumina more ammunition to harass her. Stedman faced Maeve again and smiled.

"We'll discuss those at a later point. For right now, Ms. McNeil, consider you with a new investor," he said. He stood up and extended his hand over the table, but Maeve didn't take it. Instead, she nearly leapt over the table to give him a big, bone-crushing hug that reminded him of his big brother, Dorian, who had a tendency to forget that people needed to breathe. Rumina's jaw hit the floor with surprise at Maeve's sudden show of affection.

"STEDMAN!" she implored.

Rumina's voice brought Maeve back to the present. She couldn't believe what she had just done. Not only was she touching, embracing one of the influential men in New York, she was doing it in the middle of her restaurant. She tried to pull back, hoping that she could repair whatever damage she had done and keep him as an investor, but she noticed something strange. His hands were on her back. She looked up and saw that he was looking down at her. She smiled nervously.

"Sorry," she breathed.

"No need," he confirmed and eased his hands away from her. He gestured to her seat and she sat down, shifting in her seat for a minute. When Stedman returned to his seat, Maeve laughed nervously.

"Thank you again," she replied finally.

Rumina spoke up, tried of being ignored. She turned to Stedman and placed her hand on his shoulder as if she were about to whisper something in his ear. Any woman could tell what Rumina's actions were really about: possession. Apparently, she saw Stedman as her property and was staking her claim in front of Maeve's eyes.

"Stedman, since you have reservations about going into business with this restaurant, I recommend we invest in them on a temporary or probationary basis. We can take to many risks with our money, you know," she remarked.

"Actually," Stedman stated and moved Rumina's hand from him, "It's my money and I like a little risk."

Maeve laughed under her breath at this. Unfortunately her laugh was not unnoticed and Stedman turned to her.

"But, Ms. Harold's suggestion is a valid one. I think it would be best for the investment to temporary until we can refine your contract."

"Ok, how do we take of this?" she questioned.

"I'll have someone call you to arrange a second meeting. In the meantime," he said and wrote a check for $2,000, "Here's something to hold you over. I know you'll put it to good use."

Maeve's eyes lit up as she saw the check and accepted it gracefully, "Thank you."

She put her hand out for a shake and Stedman took it.

"It's been a pleasure doing business with you," he stated smiling.

"Aye," Maeve replied, unconscious of the fact that an Irish accent was coming through. Maeve shook her head, "I mean, yes, I agree."

Stedman dropped his hand to his side and spoke.

"Someone will call you tomorrow," he mentioned and started to move out of the booth with Rumina trailing behind, "I look forward to meeting with you again, Ms. McNeil. Good night."

"Good night, Mr. Stedman," Maeve replied as he walked past her. He turned back around for a minute.

"Ms. McNeil?"

"Umm?"

"Please call me Sean," he said with a wink and left. After he was out of sight, Maeve plopped into the seat and wondered what hell she had gotten herself into.