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"Thanks for the vote of confidence," I said dryly. "It's not about any of that. I want to buy a boat for the grandfathers."
"For the bayou? Fuck yes. I was of two minds to sink that boat myself. Beckett actually had a good plan for it, but we just never got around to carrying it through. When do you want to give it to them?"
"As soon as possible. When they come back from Disney on Sunday."
"That’s gonna be hard. What are the specs?"
"Boats aren't my thing. You’re the pro, so you choose one, and I'll pay for it."
"I’ll pull all the strings."
"Thank you. I appreciate it."
"Anything for the grandads," he said.
That was our motto. Anything for the family. There was nothing I wouldn't do to make sure everyone was safe.
Both our granddads wanted to retire years ago, and I’d been a vocal advocate. They'd worked hard their entire lives and deserved to rest. Some of our business partners and investors had been vehemently against it—like they got a fucking vote. More than one threatened to stop cooperating with us if both of them left at the same time.
Xander and I met with each of them one-on-one and, simply said, put the fear of God into them. And it worked. None of them jumped ship, and our grandfathers could retire in peace. One of those business partners even confessed, much later, that he appreciated us stepping in like that for our grandfathers.
Anthony and I discussed some more details about the boat before hanging up.
After that, I managed to finally start my workday. My focus was off for the rest of the day, though. I was restless, and I knew it had to do with Scarlett. I was dying to have her to myself for an entire week, and I already knew it wouldn’t be anywhere near enough.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Scarlett
I was dead on my feet at nine o'clock that evening. The day had been incredibly difficult. I’d been calling it Unlucky Monday because we had mishap after mishap. First, we had a small fire. Nothing was damaged, but it threw us off schedule. Then we had an alarmingly high number of guests with special requests—some even wanted to see me personally. That slowed me down. I always wanted to make sure my guests felt looked after, but if I spent too much time out there reassuring them that I wasn't going to use any of the allergens they indicated, then I couldn't be back here overseeing the kitchen.
So, at 9:00 p.m., I stepped out of the employee entrance and took in a deep breath. I closed my eyes and leaned against a brick wall.
"Good evening, gorgeous."
I nearly jumped out of my skin before I opened my eyes. Chad was half hidden in the shadows, but I could still see the smile on his face. The light from the nearest lamppost illuminated his upper body.
"Oh my God," I said, putting a hand on my chest. "I completely forgot you were waiting for me. The kitchen was crazy."
He closed the distance to me and tilted my chin up. Suddenly, my entire body was like a live wire. Adrenaline kicked in, and I felt like I’d just drunk five of Maria's espressos.
"I'm sorry to hear that. Are you ready to leave?"
I nodded and almost leaned in for a kiss when he pulled back, giving me a cheeky grin. "Remember the no-kissing rule."
My heart pattered. "Yeah, I put that in place. That was a stupid idea."
He growled. "Just say the word, and I’ll kiss you right here against this wall. I've been fantasizing about your lips the whole day."
I licked my lower lip and said, "No, no, no." I did have good reasons for the rule. Though I couldn’t remember them right now.
He touched my neck with his fingertips but didn’t attempt to kiss me again. Good thing, too, because I would’ve given in.
"Let's go. Don't think about anything else tonight. I'm going to take care of everything."
And I truly believed he would.
He took my hand, leading me to the back of the building. There was a small lot a few streets away where all the employees parked.
