Page 125 of Taming the CEO

I pulled back and tilted her chin up. "I can take care of all of that. You don’t even have to see Bill again."

"I don't actually have to see him. He signs the permits, but I just make appointments with the assistants. I think in all my years I've had to deal with the town council, I've never actually run into him at the office."

“My offer stands. Just say the word, and I’ll take care of it.”

“Thanks.”

"All right, then. Let's go back," I said, taking her hand and leading her back to the living room. I handed the phone to Leo. Before we all sat down, I noticed Jake and Colton were laughing.

"What have we missed?" I asked.

"Nothing. We're still the main topic of conversation," Leo said in a resigned tone.

"Yeah, maybe you want to shift the focus off us?" Nick asked, a hopeful note in his voice.

I was a bastard. I wanted to squash it for no reason at all just because I liked to see their asses being roasted.

"No, not at all," I said.

The whole table burst out laughing.

"Well, at least that's settled," Nick said. "This Thanksgiving, it's all about us."

Chapter Thirty

Cami

Over the next few weeks, I worked hard to find another space for my new business. I'd decided that I didn't want to deal with Bill in any capacity, not even as a landlord. The man simply liked to push my buttons. Well, not mine specifically; he liked to do that with anyone in order to get his way.

He did not take it well when I told him I wasn't going to rent the space from him. I'd emailed him because I'd been in no mood to have a conversation on the topic. His response had been as I’d expected.

Cami, you're making a mistake. This is the best you'll find.

Well, he could shove his opinion right up his ass. I didn't write that, of course, because he was still on the town council and had to sign any permits I’d need for my future business. But I'd really wanted to.

Bill was right in one respect. I didn't find a location that was as good as his. But what I did find came pretty close to perfect.

It was two blocks off the main street, so it wasn’t exactly on the beaten path. However, the rent was much lower, so I called that a win. And the cherry on top was that my landlady was my old English teacher.

We'd signed the contract quickly, but I was still waiting for the permits in order to start the necessary remodeling. I was supposed to receive them last week, but no one answered when I called the council, so I was paying a personal visit today.

"Hello, snow," I chanted as I got out of the car, taking a deep breath. It smelled like winter even though we'd only just had Thanksgiving.

In the past, I would have panicked at the prospect of such an early winter, but not anymore. I was looking forward to enjoying a cozy Christmas season. Since signing those papers, I’d felt completely free. It was what I'd needed for a long time, but I just hadn't realized it. The prospect of starting over with a blank slate was exhilarating.

I walked inside Miss Walker's coffee shop to buy my favorite winter drink—hot fudge chocolate mocha. It was her own creation. And in my humble opinion, it was the absolute best drink. I couldn't understand how she wasn't world-famous for it.

I stood in line, patiently waiting for my turn. Whenever there was a snowy day, you could bet there was a line here. That was good. I was very happy for her.

"Morning, Cami," she said when I reached the counter. "Your usual?"

"Yes, please."

"I'm in a good mood today," she admitted. "Want some extra caramel sauce?"

"Whatever you want to put in it is fine by me. I trust your gut instinct."

I'd never, not once, drunk anything she made that wasn't absolutely delicious. This was no different. I couldn't help myself and took a taste before I'd even paid for it.

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