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She chuckled and, in the background, I could hear her keyboard clattering away. “Anything for my favorite client.”
I dropped the bombshell on her without preamble. “I don’t need a place in Vegas after all.”
Her keyboard went silent. “Don’t tell me you’ve found another agent. Or you’ve changed your mind about the venture altogether.”
“No, I definitely have not found another agent. I have changed my mind about opening a new restaurant in Vegas though.” I grabbed a pair of jeans and folded them while we talked.
“That’s a shame. You’re so talented. I was really excited to see what you came up with for a second restaurant.”
I cradled the phone between my cheek and my shoulder. “Well, I’m still opening a second restaurant.”
“Oh?”
I dropped the jeans in the bag and made my way to the bathroom to grab my toothbrush and other toiletries. “Oh yeah. Just not in Vegas. I want you to help me find an agent on the East Coast. I’m thinking Washington DC or somewhere near there.”
Dana laughed in surprise. “That’s quite the change, moving from the desert to DC. I can definitely help you find an agent out there, though. Don’t worry. I’ll have someone call you tomorrow, if that’s okay.”
“Perfect. The sooner the better.” I zipped my toiletries bag closed and tossed it into my duffel as well. A few moments later, we said our goodbyes and I checked over the bag to be sure I’d packed what I needed. My next call was to Grant, but this time I video called him. I wanted to see the look on his face when I told him my plan.
Grant answered quickly, his video feed crisp and well lit, which is when I realized I’d called him at work. “Hey, man. What’s going on?” He twirled a pen in his fingers as if he was going to take notes during our call.
“I wanted to tell you to hold off on the divorce proceedings.”
He rolled his eyes and shook his head, smiling in a way that I knew was fond, not smug. “Hate to break it to you, but I haven’t even started on the divorce, friend.”
I frowned. “You haven’t?”
“I told you, I was doing research. That’s all I’ve had time for. I did have one of my paralegals do some digging on him though. Do you want to hear what we found?”
My chest squeezed tight. I shook my head. “Not unless it’s deal-breaker stuff.”
“Then I’ll keep it to myself.” He scratched the back of his neck. “Is that all you called for?”
“It’s so much bigger than that. I’m going to go out to DC for a few days. Well, probably a week or two, actually. Can you cat-sit?”
“What are you going to DC for?” He smirked like he knew the answer already.
“Cam lives out that way. I was thinking—”
“Of course you were.” He waved his pen at me in a gesture that meant I should keep talking.
I cleared my throat. “As I wassaying, Cam lives east. Port Grandlin to be specific. That’s pretty close to DC. I was thinking I might talk to my investor and see if they’re interested in expanding out east. If not, well, I can scale my plans back and cover it myself.”
“So you’re staying married after all?”
I sat down on the edge of the bed. “I don’t know. What I do know is you were right. I want to give it a shot. He’s a great guy and I want to see if I can make it work.”
“You deserve to be happy. I’m glad you’re giving this thing a shot. Of course I can watch Tenderloin for you until you come back.”
“Thanks.” I hesitated for a moment. “Okay, I have some calls to make and I have to go by the restaurant and talk to the team.”
“Keep me posted.” He lifted two fingers in a goodbye wave as the video call ended.
I went to the living room and pulled out my laptop, sending a long, detailed email to my investor, a very wealthy man not much older than I was by the name of Joseph McCann, explaining my change of plans, how I was going to make the change work for the better, and even the why behind the change. His family was well known in Vegas for developing property and he’d partnered with me on Hidden Cove when I’d first opened it. I not only knew Joseph was a sucker for a sappy story, I also knew if I could show him how this would actually make him more money in the long run, he’d jump at the opportunity. I hit send, praying to whatever love gods were watching over me that Joseph would agree to the changes.
Once that was done, I threw my duffel in the back seat of my car and headed to the restaurant. I glanced at the clock—it was late afternoon and dinner service would be gearing up soon. Instead of going in the back door, which I usually came through, I went through the front entrance.
Cara raised her eyebrows when she spotted me. “Chef, is everything okay?”
