Was he planning on fucking her before he came to my condo to sleep with me?
If I thought I hated him before, that was nothing compared to this.
My hands shook as I reached into my bag and pulled up Colson’s last message.
Me
You won’t be coming anywhere near me. Ever again.
Once I hit Send, I looked at my brother. “Instead of asking questions, what you can do is get me another drink.”
TWENTY-ONE
COLSON
“The recent growth on the east coast of Florida has made a significant impact on Charred’s bottom line,” Marci said as she sat across from me at the bar, tucking some of her dark hair behind her ear. “When I pulled the numbers from three years ago and compared, I saw the increase in residents was a direct correlation. The larger Florida becomes, the more they’re eating at Charred.” She smiled. “Isn’t that good news for our brand? We’re building, we’re increasing profits, and we’re becoming a necessary staple in the state. Now we need more.”
It was a vodka-on-the-rocks kind of night, and I lifted my glass, letting the liquor burn my tongue before I swallowed. “I think what you’re telling me is that we need a Horned here as well?”
She laughed. “Am I that obvious?”
Her drive and ambition were the main reasons Eden and I had hired her as the VP of operations on the East Coast. Whilethe five of us family members were based on the West Coast, we needed eyes and ears on the other side of the country. Marci was that. Although she lived in Miami, she traveled from Boston to Key West, overseeing every location of Charred. And she did one hell of a job.
“You know Florida much better than me. What are you thinking?” I asked.
“The Gulf Coast.”
I grinned, nodding. “I like it. Where?”
“Sarasota. It’s perfect for a restaurant like Horned. Intimate. Coastal. Easy access to fresh seafood, ocean-to-table kind of thing.” She bit her lip. “A location that comes with a view, which I know won’t be cheap, but the investment will pay off. I’m positive.”
“It’s a market that’s growing? And can handle the price point of a restaurant like Horned?”
“Sarasota has one of the richest zip codes in Florida. The average cost of living is far higher than the midpoint range in the state.” She shifted in her seat before taking a drink of her espresso martini. “Trust me, the Gulf Coast is thriving, just like the east side. Horned won’t get lost in the shuffle. It’s a restaurant that will be devoured by that demographic.”
I held the edge of my glass, rubbing my thumb around it. “And you can handle adding another restaurant to your existing load? One that will have to be built from the ground up?”
“I would love nothing more.”
“Even if that means relocating while it’s being built?”
Sure, the team would fly out periodically to check production, but we needed someone on the ground to oversee every element, and relocation—for any of the Westons, even for a short period—was impossible.
“My husband is from Tampa,” she explained. “Are you kidding? He’ll love being back home-ish.”
There was a vibration in my pocket, and I took out my phone, reading the text on the screen.
Sophie
You won’t be coming anywhere near me. Ever again.
What the fuck?
Me
Why would you say that?
I set my phone on the table. “Since I’ve been in Florida, I’ve been slightly out of the day-to-day with the company, so I’m not sure what has been told to the team, but we’ve settled things with the Gordons. That means we’ll be able to expand Horned the way we want to.”
