Page 42 of The Trouble with Runaway Brides

Lance

The next evening, I have a dinner set up to sample all the meals the hotel can make for Kenzie and Blake, but it’s already been reported to me about twenty times that Will Asbury flew in early this morning to surprise her. Why someone like him can’t manage to be here for the wedding preparations, I don’t understand.

“So, I understand he’s here?” My dad walks into the small room where I’m waiting for the tasting to start.

“I heard the same.” I light the candle in the middle of the table while the staff puts out some silverware and dishes.

“You’re good at this. Jeanette showed me your itinerary.” He puts his hands in his pockets. It’s amazing how similar we look now that I’ve grown older. My blond hair used to make everyone say I took after the Bailey clan, but I’m definitely more like my dad’s side now.

“If you’re hiring, I’m not applying.”

He laughs and comes over to put some rose petals on the white tablecloth. “I would never. I know you enjoy working for your grandfather.”

Do I? I’m not so sure anymore.

When I first talked to my dad about exploring the possibility of working for my grandfather, I was nervous, knowing he’d worked for Grandfather and quit before I was even born. But I should’ve known it would be okay. My dad encouraged me to find my own path and if that meant seeing if I enjoyed working with my grandfather, that was okay with him.

“Can I talk to you for a second?”

He glances over his shoulder at me after repositioning the silverware. He’s anal, just like me. “What about?”

“An investment I made before leaving town.”

He turns to me, crosses his arms, and nods toward the table. “How long before this starts?”

I flick my wrist to look at my watch. “Twenty minutes.”

“Let’s go.”

I step in line, walking to my dad’s office. Many of the employees greet us as Mister and Mister Whitmore, which sounds so weird, but I guess what else would they do?

My dad has expanded his office since he first took over the hotel, and it’s no longer attached to the reception desk. He unlocks the door and I follow him in, finding a seat on the couch while he pours himself a drink. “Want one?”

I shake my head. “After this tasting, I’ll need one though.”

“I give you credit, kid. I’m not sure I could be as gracious as you’re being.” He joins me on the couch.

Little does he know, I’m not. Or maybe he does and still thinks I’m gracious even after the fight at the cake place made Buzz Wheel last night. The writer’s opinion was that we fight as though there’s still a spark between us, an undying love that neither of us ever can truly escape. It even said that Kenzie purposely moved the wedding here to win me over. I really wish I could figure out who writes that damn thing.

But I don’t ask my dad if he saw it because I don’t want to get into it. I need his advice on my investment, not my love life.

“There’s a restaurant I frequent in the city named Nico’s. It’s attached to one of the Asburys’ hotels, The Orchid. The Asburys are raising the rent so steep that Nico can’t afford it. I don’t know if it’s to purposely push him out or what, but regardless, he asked if I knew any investors he could approach.”

“And?”

“I took the idea to Grandfather. Told him I thought we could partner with Nico, bail him out and expand to have other restaurants in our own hotels.”

Dad sips his drink and raises his eyebrows. “How did that go?” He asks as though he already knows.

“He said no, but I’m telling you, Dad, the food is good and it’s a family business that’s been around for decades. He has something. I feel it in my gut.”

He laughs and sips his drink. “Is this you asking me to invest with you?”

I shake my head. “No, I invested using the money from my trust, but what I’m asking is what will happen when Grandfather finds out. I’m not sure I’m a restaurateur. I mean, I have no real experience in that area, but I’m ready for a new challenge.”

He leans back and puts one of his legs over the other, dangling his glass of scotch from his thumb and forefinger. “Your grandfather won’t relinquish control over his company until he’s dead in the ground. He likes things done his way. Why do you think I couldn’t work for him?” He laughs.

“I know, but I made him a promise. He paid for my schooling, not to mention everything else. I don’t want to disappoint him, but this gets me excited.”

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