Page 37 of Always Right

"How about you invite Blake?" Lisa glared at me, and I chuckled, pulling her in for a hug. "We can see who settles their issues faster. "

Her eyes narrowed. "Ha ha. Really funny."

Our fallout had affected everyone around us, even if at the time I hadn't noticed.

I held her in silence, both of us lost in thought of everything that had slipped through our fingers.

"Lisa?” She pulled away from me, glancing up at me with a tender smile. "You know I appreciate everything you do, right?"

“I know.”

“You don’t,” I said. “I quite literally wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for you.”

Chapter 13

Hannah

I waited at the restaurant, impatient. I didn’t like to wait, and I was already frustrated that Nathan had canceled on me. Now I hoped Derek didn’t too. I sighed, running my hand over my face. Mom wouldn’t be happy that I struck a deal with Mr. Hensley despite her opposition, but she had to trust my decisions, too, didn’t she? After all, it was my signature on most of the contracts at the company. She wasn’t the one getting her hands dirty. Thanks to her tactics we had more than we could ever need, and I supposed it was something to be thankful for, but it made me hesitant as to what could happen in the future.

For once, I wanted to strike a deal that was legal. A deal that had no strings attached, no ulterior motive. And Derek Hensley...he made me want to do just that. Perhaps it was because his main goal was to help people in his restaurant rather than finding profit, he made me want to lend a hand without taking anything else.

I swallowed thickly as I watched him open the door to the outdoor patio of the restaurant. His lips tilted up with a smile and he unbuttoned his suit jacket, removing it before placing it on the chair. He leaned in, greeting me with a quick kiss on my cheek, the action sending a tingle down my body just like the way it had the first time he did it.

“Sorry for running late. I had a meeting. I hope you weren’t waiting too long.”

Clearing my throat, I shook my head. “No, not at all. I hope your meeting went well.”

Derek shrugged. “It went okay. I love having my restaurant but strongly despise the business aspect of it.”

“That’s the part I love.” I smiled and he chuckled. His emerald eyes took a shine with the action that made me falter for a moment. Nathan had beautiful eyes, but they didn’t take my breath away like Derek’s did. They never had. “Anyway,” I took out a folder with paperwork and placed it in front of him, an action that made him cock a perfect eyebrow. “This is the paperwork. We are very good with our clients. We handle marketing for all social media, billboards, online pages, and we cater to our upscale clientele, though we handle all types of businesses. However, we would like to--”

Derek shook his head, watching as the waiter poured us both a glass of wine. I drank all of mine in one gulp. I found Derek unnerving. I couldn’t read him.

He didn’t even touch his.

“You’re all business, aren’t you? If you’re nervous about me signing with you—"

I flushed, my hands trembling underneath the table. What the fuck is wrong with me? “Nervous? No. Of course not. I’ve been doing this for years and—" Derek raised his hands in defense, though a smile played on his lips. “I know we can offer you the best deal. Your business is already booming, and we’ve done wonders for restaurants like yours.”

“Like mine, huh? What exactly does a business like mine entail?” Derek asked.

I swallowed. A business like his?

What the fuck does he mean?

“You seem nervous, Hannah. Maybe if your husband was around, you wouldn’t be.” I felt myself tense. “Though that’s not it, is it? You two don’t have much of a relationship, do you? Marriage of convenience, perhaps?”

“We’re not here to discuss my relationship with my husband.”

Derek let out a soft chuckle, sitting back. “Fair enough. I’m not interested in making a deal so that my business will be prosperous and I’ll become some rich New York businessman and afford the biggest penthouse in the city, but that’s the type of people you help, no?”

“Not necessarily.”

He nodded. “I’ve done my research, Hannah. And I’ve hung around your family enough to know that all you seek is profit. I want my business to do well enough that I can help get more people off the street, help them get back up. My mother...” Derek sighed, his eyes losing the hopeful glimmer they held. “My mother was an addict, looking for her next hit. I watched it all. She had no support. No help. My oldest brother ran away as soon as he could, and I was stuck with her watching her lose her battle. I want to help people...give them a place to turn to. Many people go to rehab only to find they don’t have a place to live or work, and then they fall back on drugs or alcohol. I don’t need fancy marketing. I don’t need you to promote us as the most upscale restaurant in New York. I need you to promote us as what we are: a place where we help recovering addicts that serves delicious French cuisine. Can you do that? Is that something your company can offer?”

I stared at the man in front of me. He was nothing like the type of man I was used to...always searching for something in return. He wanted to give. And his childhood...

“It’s funny how we’re products of our environment, hm?” I looked down, surprised at the words that had come out of my mouth but not once regretting them. It felt nice to say it. It was the truth after all. He was trying to find the good out of a terrible childhood and there I was...contemplating how to not rip him off.

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