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"Thanks." I look at Xavier, but he's glaring at RJ, his jaw tight. When he looks back at the screen, his expression is stony, but he doesn't say anything. My confidence sinking, I go on. "I have other ideas if you don't like the mood menu. You can just list the candies or add descriptors that make it feel like a spa experience. Like revitalizing hard candies, or calming caramel."
"You don't want to make promises you can't keep." RJ crosses his arms over his chest and dips his chin toward the laptop. "This is all really pretty, and I get you want to keep your girl happy, Xavier, but it's never a good idea to put your business decisions in the hands of a woman whose main talent is shopping."
A growl rumbles out of Xavier, but the server shows up with the food before he can say anything. Alice glares at RJ, but RJ's staring at me, lip curled in disgust.
"Go on," Xavier says after the server has left. "Show us the rest."
"Shouldn't we eat first?"
"No." Alice pushes her plate to the side and leans in. "The food's too hot. And I want to see what else you have."
"Right." I clear my throat. "So, right now, your site's a bit clunky. You want the customer experience to be streamlined. They choose happy hard candies. You upsell them a larger size or suggest an add-on of caramel or chocolate. Then there's the packaging. No one wants to pay extra for packaging, so you want it to feel worthwhile. The basic option is cellophane with your label on it and they can go from there, to the level of boxes with ribbons that are unique to your company, the way the Tiffany's box is immediately recognizable all over the world."
RJ snorts. "That's for jewelry that costs thousands of dollars. Come on, Cherry, I get you're trying to impress me and maybe even make me jealous with this whole thing, but don't take Xavier's business down with you."
I stare at RJ, my heart racing. I didn't expect him to fall at my feet after this presentation, but I didn't think he'd be so dismissive. Are my ideas really that bad?
A small square of pancake flies through the air and lands on RJ's cheek. His face reddens and his jaw works as the pancake slides down his chin, leaving behind a trail of syrup.
"What the fuck?" RJ says between clenched teeth.
"You're lucky I didn't punch you." Xavier's voice is strained. "It's what you deserve for talking to Cherry that way."
RJ grabs his napkin and wipes at his face, but there's a sticky sheen left behind. "I'm just telling the truth. Cherry's never been serious about anything in her life."
My throat gets tight and tears sting my eyes. "I've never—"
RJ looks at me, his eyes bright with anger. "You helped your mother rob the nightclub where we were having our bachelor party. You spent our bachelor party in a jail cell, Cherry. What kind of person does that?"
"That was my mother, not me."
He snorts. "Right. Yet here you are, trying to break up my relationship after we broke up two years ago. Twoyears, Cherry. Who does that? Want to know what I think?" He doesn't give me a chance to answer. "You only showed up here, because you couldn't find a rich enough man, so you came back for me. You thought you could win me back now that you're desperate."
Another bit of pancake lands on RJ's other cheek and he glares at Xavier. I'm more grateful than I can say to have RJ's attention and anger focused somewhere else.
"Wanna know what I think?" Xavier asks. "I think Cherry's too good for you, James, and I think you know it. You're lashing out now because you're the type of man who only has the guts to kick someone when they're already down."
"Fuck you." RJ slides out of the booth. "I don't need to stick around and listen to this."
He storms off, not even stopping by the counter to pay for his meal.
Alice's expression is a mixture of sorrow and anger. "You can't even make an effort for my sake, can you?"
"I know you don't see it now." Xavier speaks to his sister, but he's glaring out the window as RJ stomps past. "But this is me making an effort for your sake. I'm trying to save you from that asshole."
"He's not an asshole." Alice looks at me. "I'm sorry he was so rude to you. I love your website ideas. But James is genuinely concerned you're here to ruin his life, and he's worried about me and my family getting hurt." She looks pointedly at Xavier when she says this.
He raises his brows and tilts his head toward me. "Why don't you ask her where she was when RJ dumped her on the eve of her wedding?"
"It wasn't quite the eve of—" I start.
"Because I'd be willing to bet he dumped her while she was sitting in a jail cell or soon after. Probably didn't even do it to her face. That's the kind of man you're dating, Alice."
Alice looks at me, the question clear in her eyes. I nod. "It was my one phone call. I called, and he dumped me. It was awful, but I understand why he did it. My mother is a difficult person, and he had good reason to believe I was helping her commit a crime."
Alice purses her lips and scoots out of the booth. She stops before she walks away and leans over to her brother. "Stay out of my personal life, Xavier. This is the last time I'm telling you. If you keep interfering, I'm cutting you out completely."
"Alice, come on." Xavier looks genuinely pained. "I was just trying to—"
