Page 136 of The One I Hate
“Getting breakfast.”
I look around to quickly see if anyone is noticing us. Or if Charlie has made the quickest trip to the bank in recorded history. “You know what I mean.”
My whisper-yell is shortened when the waitress comes over and pours Emmett a cup of coffee. “Thank you, darlin’.’”
I watch the blush cross her cheeks as she slowly walks away. Any other day I’d love to play wingman for my friend andbusiness partner, but right now I need to know what the fuck he’s doing here.
“Done flirting yet?”
“Never.”
“You’re an asshole.” I signal for him to follow me through the kitchen and into the office. I know this isn’t the best place for this conversation, but in here we can close the door and shut the blinds. I ignore the greeting from Mellie as I storm through the kitchen, which I’m sure is going to raise a few red flags but I can’t focus on that right now.
“What the fuck are you doing here?”
“No matter how many times you ask me that question, the answer is going to be the same. Getting breakfast.”
“Why? Don’t they have breakfast places in Nashville?”
Emmett goes to sit on the corner of Charlie’s desk. “They do. But every Tuesday is Rolling Hills day. You would know this if you read your emails.”
“I read them. Mostly…”
Emmett shakes his head. “To catch you up, each Tuesday I come into town and start my day off with breakfast from this amazing place. The Breakfast Burger is something to rave about.”
“I can send you one so you don’t have to make an appearance.”
“Not the same. Anyway, I come in for breakfast, grab a coffee to go and then head next door to the construction zone we’re currently in to make sure things are on track for that project. You know, the construction you’re paying for? Anyway, today I’m also doing a walkthrough of the apartment that Charlie has moved out of so we can potentially rent it. You know, so you’llactuallymake some money on this place since I know you aren’t cashing Charlie’s rent checks.”
“I’m cashing them. Now,” I defend. “I’m just not taking the money.”
“Same thing,” he says.
“It’s not.”
“In her mind it’s going to be,” Emmett says before letting out a frustrated breath. “And when she finds out that the apartment she thought was too good to be true actually was? How do you think that will make her feel?”
“She’ll understand.” I say.
The growl Emmett lets out is almost feral. “Simon, I need you to hear this. I’ve gotten to know Charlie pretty well these last few months. What do you think her reaction is going to be when she realizes that you’re behind every single part of the restaurant without her knowledge? That her hard work is going to seem for nothing.”
“It’s not for nothing,” I say. “She’s still paying rent. She’s managing this place. This is all her. She’s making money off her customers and her food.”
“What about when the ice machine shit the bed? You think a new one would have magically appeared in twenty-four hours if it were anyone else?”
“Well…”
“Or when the ceiling leaked? How should that be explained when it was fixed in a matter of hours?”
“But that’s the owner’s responsibility. That one I’m good on.”
“While that might be true, you got it done when she didn’t have to close for a day. Not many people would have done that.”
“We can just say that we provide top-tier service for our tenants.”
“Does that include driving twenty miles outside of town to get the mushrooms? Because I know that guy just didn’t suddenly start delivering again.”
I start to reply, but don’t say anything. That one I thought I was getting away with. “The asshole needed to realize he wasn’t going to fuck with her.”
