She placed her arms down in front of her. “I spoke to Eden this morning, and she told me. What amazing news that is and what a relief for y’all.”
I took down a bit more vodka. “You have no idea.”
Sophie
Ultimately, we’re two people who met at a sex club, and that’s where it needs to stay. No more meetups. No crossover in our personal lives. No future. At all. The dabbling that happened in the outside world—that’s over. Effective immediately.
Where the hell is this even coming from?
Me
Why?
“As for the rollout of the new menu items for Charred,” I started once I cleared my throat, “I assume you’ll be present to help with those?”
“I’ll be spending all day tomorrow at Charred Fort Lauderdale to work with the staff. Tomorrow night, I’ll be at Charred Miami. Throughout the next week or so, I’ll be making my way up the east coast, dealing with any issues that arise, menu feedback, customer concerns, those types of things.” She lifted herself higher as she crossed her legs. “I’ll talk to the staff, I’ll read reviews, and I’ll be on hand to work the dining rooms, gaining as much feedback as I possibly can.”
“And you’ll report that feedback to us?”
“Absolutely.” She wiped the corners of her lips. “I know Walker’s been hard at work, perfecting the menu. As far as I’m concerned, the replacements look delicious. I have no doubt it’s going to be a success.”
I tapped my chest, filling my lungs at the same time. “But if it isn’t, I need you to tell me what our customers are saying. We’re not going to be stubborn when it comes to this. If we need to tweak, we will.”
I let out a sigh as I read Sophie’s response.
Sophie
Because you don’t deserve to taste me.
“We normally take months to make a change this large to allow ample time for testing,” I explained, trying to keep my mind focused on my conversation with Marci. “We didn’t have that, and I know there’s concern company-wide that we’ve moved too fast.” I clasped my hands around my drink. “To be fully transparent, I’m sure we have. That’s why I need you tokeep us aware of everything you hear in the dining rooms. I’m asking the same of our VP in the Midwest. We can’t fix something unless we know it’s not working.”
“You can always count on me.”
I nodded. “Good.”
Me
Again, why?
Sophie
Don’t be dumb.
I was losing my patience. I couldn’t defend myself when I had no idea what I was guilty of. Or maybe she was just having a moment of randomly hating me again—I couldn’t tell. But I refused to keep bouncing or guessing. I needed answers.
“I’m sorry,” I said to Marci. “Just give me one second. I need to handle something.”
“No problem. Take your time.”
Me
Dumb? Because I have no idea where any of this is coming from?
Sophie
Ask me a harder question, Colson.
I knew those words. I’d said the same ones to her.
