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“A double build-out in locations that are roughly forty minutes apart. Whoa. That’s ballsy,” Colson said. Colson’s voicewas assertive, but his posture was as laid-back as could be, reclining in the chair so far that it looked like he was watching a game. “We’d be investing a significant amount of money in a small radius. Something we’ve never done before.”
“Neither have we,” I told him. I then glanced around the table to connect eyes with everyone, making sure they understood the significance and weight of my statement. “Cole International nor Spade Hotels has ever built resorts this close together. It’s not a model we believe in. With the type of hotels we construct, we don’t want our properties to compete against themselves, putting our guests in a position where they have to choose between two of our resorts. But in this case, we believe the risk is worth it.” I clasped my hands together. “Close, yes, but locations that offer completely different experiences. Just like your restaurants would.”
Walker shook his head, the overhead light catching the darkness of his locks with ends that had a haze of gray. “You know, we came here with a semi-plan. Charred would go in one. Myself, I was leaning toward downtown Banff, but I don’t think that’s the case anymore. You’ve given us a lot to think about, Rowan.”
I smiled. “I’m happy to hear that.”
“Let’s go back to the office and discuss things?” Beck said to the group. When he looked at Cooper and me, he said, “We’ll have an answer to you in the next couple of days.”
“Doing business on a game day—I like it,” Cooper said to him.
Beck laughed. “I have no choice, someone’s got to keep this crew in line.” He pointed at his siblings before his hand returned to his lap.
“My brothers and I will be at the arena tonight,” Cooper voiced. “We expect a win against Dallas.”
“You and everyone else.” Beck laughed. “How much did you put on the game?”
Cooper whistled as he exhaled. “Far too fucking much.”
Beck pushed back his chair and stood. “When you win—and you will—I’m going to negotiate a better rate on the square footage you’re going to be charging us for the two restaurants. Remember that while you’re kicking back in your box seats tonight, buddy.”
Cooper walked around to Beck’s side of the table and clasped his hand on Beck’s shoulder. “I’d be disappointed if you didn’t put up a fight.”
Cooper shook his hand and then said a few words to each of the siblings as they made their way toward the door.
I did the same, starting with Eden. “It was really lovely to meet you,” I told her.
“And you,” she replied. “When we heard about this merger, we weren’t sure what to think, but after today, I can speak for my brothers when I say we’re really looking forward to this new partnership.”
“I appreciate that,” I told her.
I said my goodbyes to her brothers, and the door finally shut, leaving Cooper and me alone in the conference room. He positioned himself by the door, blocking me from leaving, facing me as he leaned against the wall.
He eyed me up and down before he said, “Two restaurants? I sure as fuck didn’t see that coming.”
“What can I say? I’m good under pressure.” I winked.
“Bullshit. You had that up your sleeve the whole time, you were just waiting for the right moment to drop it.”
I laughed. “Maybe.” I crossed my arms, feeling the pull of my suit jacket.
“I’ve got to say, it was sexy as fuck, and I’m slightly jealous it wasn’t something I thought of.”
“We both know the other vendors we interviewed are more than adequate, but they’re not the Westons. Their following is as loyal as ours, and there’s no one better to fill those spaces, so why stop at one when we can have two?”
He nodded, like he was listening to music, his hands rising to clap. “You did something fucking epic today, partner.”
“Partner?”
“I would have called you baby, but I didn’t think it had the right level of clout.”
I moved in a few inches closer, yet still kept enough distance that if anyone came in, it wouldn’t look questionable. Not that it would matter; both families knew about our relationship, and this conference room was located on the executive floor of our new office space, a build-out that had been fast-tracked so we could all move in immediately. Aside from our assistants, only a Spade or a Cole or Jo would be walking in, and none of them would be surprised by what they saw.
But when we’d moved in, one of the conversations I’d had with Cooper was office etiquette. Here, I wanted to keep things professional. This entire building was a space meant for work, and that was what we needed to focus on.
Outside this building was an entirely different story.
So far, Cooper had only broken that rule once. It was a night we both worked late, and he came into my office and locked the door. Of course, once I finally peeled myself off the top of the desk, I reminded him that was something that would never happen again. And when he’d nodded in agreement, I had known he was full of shit.
