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And my instincts tell me not to fuck things up with Caroline.
I spend most of the morning at Mom and Dad’s kitchen island, ticking off the most important phone calls. My money manager, my accountant, my real estate agent, and finally, my business partner.
“Are you sure you want to do this, Cash? You might want to think this through. You always get like this. Something’s in the air up there. Last time, you tried to convince me we should invest in a shipwreck concept restaurant.”
“I still say it’s a good idea,” I say to Jason, my partner and head chef of our flagship restaurant.
We hash out a few details, but I promise to keep him in the loop of everything I have planned. He hears me out, and the more I explain what I have planned, the more he likes it.
“Listen, you tell me where to go, and I’ll set up the kitchen. If you think it’s good, then it’s good.”
“Thanks for trusting me, Jason.”
Once I’m done pacing the kitchen, I pop the phone down on the counter. Dad wheels into the room.
“Hi, Pops. What can I get for you?”
“Just coming to see if you brought any more of those cookies from Caroline.”
I eye him suspiciously. “Why would I have cookies from Caroline?”
“Oh, word gets around.”
My stomach drops slightly before I remember I’m a grown man.
“What sort of words?” I ask. “What could you have heard about me before 9 a.m. on a Saturday?”
His eyes light up. “Oh, so you did leave Caroline’s cabin at the crack of dawn, and it isn’t just a rumor.”
I roll my eyes. “Who told you that?”
“The captain across the way, he’s a nosy bugger.”
Of course, the old men are gossiping. They rise early, and they don’t miss a thing. I’m happy that my dad is leaving the house more and spending time with friends again. “Yes, I spent the night with Caroline.”
“Good!”
“That’s not the reaction I expected,” I say.
“Son, how many women have you dated since you moved to Dallas?”
“A few dates. Nothing serious.”
“Exactly. It’s time you got married and started a family.”
“That’s the plan. I didn’t want to tell you this, but I just got off the phone with Jason, and we’re seriously considering putting an offer on the Snug.”
Dad pauses with his coffee mug halfway to his lips, then sets it down again on the table. “Are you serious?”
“As a heart attack. And I’m gonna let Jason buy out two of the steakhouses.”
“Why in the hell would you do that?”
“So I can buy the empty lot next door.”
Dad’s one step closer to losing his temper. “What for? To build one of your fancy boutique eateries? Paradise Lane can barely sustain the one restaurant we one we have.”
“No, Dad. It’s for a house. For me, and hopefully a wife and your grandkids.”
