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“He’s Claude’s husband. Said you shouldn’t be in charge of a hot dog stand, let alone a major resort.”
Oh no.If word got back to New York that he’d managed to lose two senior members of the resort team mere weeks from opening, his father would be on a plane to LA. For a millisecond, Jordan toyed with the idea that having Edward onsite might not be such a bad thing. But then the words of Chloe’s song came back to haunt him.
Only little boys go running back to daddy.
She’d certainly sucker punched him with that line. Telling him exactly what she thought about him having put the resort and his need to please his father ahead of their relationship.
I can’t call dad. He’ll come, take one look at me, and know I’m a mess. Know I’ve lied to him.
Edward wouldn’t let him manage anything ever again. And while he was fast coming to the realization that he didn’t think he evenwantedto manage anything ever again, he knew he had to fix this mess himself.
“Thanks, Austin. Let me make some calls. I’ll talk to you in the morning. In the meantime, could you go back through the budget and see where we can find some more money to spend on the opening. I’m thinking gift bags for the first guests. Bottles of wine. Spa vouchers. That sort of thing.”
“Will do. Talk to you tomorrow.”
Jordan’s gaze flitted back to the TV. On the late night show Chloe was taking a bow and waving to her fans. His heart stirred in his chest. Aching, longing for her.
The hypocrisy of employing the use of special gift bags for the opening of the resort when he’d looked down his nose at them at Chloe’s album launch wasn’t lost on Jordan.
He’d lost the woman he loved, and now he was walking eyes wide open into a billion-dollar disaster.
Jordan glanced at his phone, then dialed the number of the very last person he wanted to call to ask for help. To his relief Matthew picked up on the second ring.
“Speak of the devil, I was just about to call and see how you were. Did you catch Chloe on TV just now?”
Old memories came flooding back. All the times he’d messed up and all the times he’d called his arch nemesis to come bail him out. His life was fast unravelling, and he was backsliding into bad habits.
I can’t put Matthew in a situation where he has to lie to dad, or worse, feel compelled to go tell him the truth.
“Yeah, I did, but can’t I just want to say hi to my kid brother and see how things are going with him?”
A gruff snort drifted down the line. “I’m calling bullshit on that Jordan. I know you must still be struggling after the breakup with Chloe. I’m guessing from your silence over the past weeks that you didn’t go to the health retreat after the fourth of July, but rather went to the other place. So please, just tell me what you need?”
There had been times over the years when the two of them were more frenemies than friends, but Matthew had always come through for him, no matter what. Jordan took a deep breath, knowing that if he didn’t ask for something, Matthew would worry.
“Do you know of any Catering Managers who might be looking for a job, mine just quit?”
His new resort might be about to fall flat on its face, but he couldn’t let the guests go hungry.
“Let me make some calls.” There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line and Jordan braced himself for what might come next. Matthew had always been one for calling in favors as soon as they were granted.
“I’m doing a short trip out to LA mid-week and when I leave on Friday, I want you to come back to New York with me. I’m worried about you, Jordan, and I think a relaxing weekend away from the resort would do you a power of good.”
Jordan glanced at the TV, relieved to see that the segment with Chloe was over. She was gone.
Matthew was asking him to come home for two days. It was a tempting offer.
It would be good to get out of the place even for a couple of days.And if he can find me a new catering manager then that will take my biggest worry off my mind.
“Ok. Friday, then back here Monday.”
He would go home to New York for two days. What could possibly go wrong between now and Monday?
CHAPTERTHIRTY
Los Angeles
December, five months since she and Jordan imploded
