Page 44 of The Cask

Too bad that changes nothing.

Reviewing the numbers, I knew I had overspent a little for the festival. I sat back in my chair and sighed. I wasn’t going to extend my hours to three in the morning to compete with Luxe. I wasn’t going to change my business to compete with anyone. My plan was to enhance what I was already doing and keep growing. I wasn’t going to let some new, flashy bar get under my skin. I wasn’t going to let some new, flashy bar owner get under my skin either.

My phone vibrated against the desk. When I saw the number, my brows furrowed. “What?” I whispered in exasperation.

Luchesi Washington and I hadn’t spoken since we broke up a little more than two years ago. So, the fact that he was calling was out of the blue.

“Luchi?” I answered.

“Yo,” he greeted me in his gravelly voice. “How have you been, Ebony?”

Pressing the button so the call would be on speakerphone, I placed my cell on my desk. “I’ve been well,” I told him as I typed on my computer. “All is really well, actually. How are you? How’s Seattle treating you?”

“Seattle has been a great experience. The company set me up real nice.” He paused for a second. “You would like it here.”

“My home is here.”

“Your home could’ve been here with me, Ebby.”

I pursed my lips. “That name died with our relationship.”

He chuckled. “There’s that smart mouth that I’ve missed so much!”

“You missed it so much that you went across the country and I never heard from you again.”

“Well, when someone turns down your marriage proposal—”

“I told you not to propose way before you actually proposed,” I argued.

“You warning me that you were going to say no isn’t the problem. The problem was that you said no.”

“You gave me an ultimatum. You wanted me to walk away from my business.”

“No, I wanted you to walk into the future with me.”

I sighed loudly. “Why are we rehashing this? I know you didn’t wait two years to call me so we can replay the last conversation we had.”

“You’re right. You’re right. It’s in the past,” he agreed.

“So why did you call, Luchi?” I wondered.

“I wasn’t kidding. I really did miss you.”

I rolled my eyes. “Boy, why did you call my phone?”

He let out a deep laugh that felt familiar and strange at the same time. It was nostalgic, but it didn’t do to me what it used to.

I sat back in my chair and folded my arms. “What’s going on, Luchi? Why are you calling me?”

“You crossed my mind and I wanted to check on you.”

I rubbed my temple. “You wanted to check on me?” I scoffed. “What made you want to check on me now?”

“I got some news, and you were the first person I thought of. I wanted to share it with you.”

I didn’t know if I should be panicked or if I should be concerned. “What kind of news?”

“I made the short list of candidates to be vice president of the company.”

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