Page 89 of Beyond the Hate

True. They wouldn’t. “There’s too much to do. I can’t leave my beer without supervision for the day.”

His body moves against mine as he chuckles. “Is your beer going to be naughty if left unsupervised?”

I elbow him. “I’m serious. It’s important to keep a close watch on the brewing process.”

“You could have your assistant watch over your precious beer.”

I consider his question. I’ve been training Blossom to handle several of my tasks. Except developing new recipes. It’s my favorite aspect of my work and I will never hand it over to another person.

“Blossom’s not ready yet,” I conclude.

“You don’t know until you throw her in the deep end.”

My nose wrinkles. “I’m not fond of the throw a person in the deep end management philosophy.”

Eli rolls me over until we’re facing each other. “How about this? Let her handle things this morning. We can have a lazy morning and it will give her an opportunity to prove herself.”

“A lazy morning?”

He brushes my hair out of my face. “You do know how to be lazy, don’t you?”

“Not really. But it’s of no concern. You can’t be lazing around all morning. You have two businesses to run.”

“I don’t runApparoo.I’m merely the Chief Financial Officer.”

“Merely the Chief Financial Officer of a company worth several billion dollars? I’m concerned you don’t understand the meaning of the word merely.”

“Smartass.” He tickles my ribs.

I bat him away. “Stop.”

His eyes light up. “Are you ticklish?”

“I don’t enjoy being tickled.” His fingers pause. “At least a third of people do not enjoy being tickled.”

“I’m sorry, Lace.” He kisses my cheek. “I won’t tickle you if you don’t enjoy it.”

“Thank you.”

He cups his ear. “What did you say? I couldn’t hear you over the sound of your stomach grumbling.”

I smack him. “I’m hungry. I’m always hungry after a night of winning poker.”

“Don’t gloat or I won’t make you breakfast.”

I perk up. “You can cook?”

“I practically raised my five younger brothers. Those heathens demanded food three times a day. We didn’t have money for going out or getting take-out, so I learned to cook.”

At his admission, guilt swamps me. “I’m sorry.”

His brow wrinkles. “Sorry for what?”

“I shouldn’t make fun of your wealth. I understand the need for financial stability given your background. I will cease to joke about your money.”

He smiles. “There’s no need to apologize. I don’t have money issues. I didn’t become a billionaire because I have this deep driven desire to have financial security.”

“How did you become a billionaire then?”

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