Page 49 of Our Cracked Pieces
And now, it was past seven in the evening, and I was at Clear Class, having another business dinner. It was a good thing I could still manage to get up at four to work out every morning, or I’d be seeing my business lunches and dinners stacking up.
And while Kristy Kyo was keeping it all business, I was still in too much of a shitty mood to appreciate having a business dinner with a beautiful woman who was treating the dinner as strictly business.
“I know our engineering team is small, but they’re the smartest, hungriest team you’ll meet right now,” Kristy said. “We just need a chance to prove what we’re capable of.”
I was about to tell her I didn’t care about the size of her team. I valued talent and determination, and if her team had both, I’d give them a shot. However, my attention was quickly diverted to a group being led through the restaurant, towards a corner booth, big enough to sit all six people.
Behind the hostess walked Grayson Lewis, a woman I didn’t recognize, followed by a man any football fan would recognize, Rowan, Mystic, and then Gage.
Ignoring Kristy, I watched as they all slid into the booth in the same order they had walked in on. And with the seating being what it was, it looked like they were all paired up as dates.
And all it took was four fucking days for Rowan to move on.
Four. Fucking. Days.
“Mr. Cavanaugh?”
I did my best to turn my attention back to Kristy Kyo. Letting outside distractions fuck with my work ethic was something I’ve never been a victim to before, and I was determined not to let it happen now.
“Mrs. Kyo, it really doesn’t matter if your outfit is small,” I told her. “Cavanaugh Industries is about innovation, drive, success, and integrity. If your team is capable of what you claim they are, it doesn’t matter that your company is a small one. That kind of discrimination is what makes blind businessman, and I’m not blind.”
Her shoulders relaxed before reaching for her wine glass. “We can set up a demonstration for your tech division whenever is convenient for you.”
“Gordon Diggs is the head of our technologies division. Give him a call, and he will work with you to set something up.”
She smiled, and there wasn’t anything else quite like a woman’s smile. It wasn’t about looks but about how beautiful a woman did look when her smile reached her eyes. Happy women were pretty stunning in my eyes.
“Well, now I can finish my dinner without a nervous stomach,” she laughed, and this time, I was the one that smiled.
We finished eating our meals, talk still revolving around work and what a potential partnership could bring, and it was fucking killing me. Knowing Rowan might be on a date, a few tables over from where I was sitting, was literally killing me. And the fact that her brother, Mystic, and Gage were in attendance bothered me even more.
What? Just because he was a famous NFL football player, he was granted the privilege of meeting the most important people in her life? He got star status because he could catch a fucking football? Then I remembered Grayson was a high school football coach, so it probably did give him special privileges.
When the check came, I had to argue with the spunky Kristy Kyo to pick up the tab. As chauvinistic as it was, I always picked up the tabs, business or otherwise, when it was a woman who I was meeting with. It was a bad habit, considering the day and age we were living in now, but one I wouldn’t stop unless I had to.
“Are you ready to head out?” I asked because I sure the fuck was.
“I am,” she replied. “And, really, thank you, Mr. Cavanaugh. For everything. But especially the chance to prove ourselves.”
“Prove yourself, and that’s all the thanks I need, Mrs. Kyo.”
We stood up, and there was no avoiding walking past the group booths located along the restaurant walls. There were three of them, with one centered along the east wall, one centered along the south wall, and one centered along with west wall. The rest of the restaurant was littered with random tables throughout. And there was no way we could pass Gage’s table without saying hello.
I wasn’t that big of a dick.
Glancing over at Mrs. Kyo, I said, “I see a group of friends I have to say hi to before we leave. Do you mind?”
She shook her head. “Of course, not.” Then her nose wrinkled. “It would seem rude not to say hello, no?”
I nodded. “Exactly.”
Making our way towards the table, silence ensued as soon as we stood before the group. I focused my attention on Gage and Mystic. “I noticed you guys walking in earlier,” I told him. “Thought it’d be rude to leave and not say hello.”
“Hey, Lorcan,” he returned easily.
“Gage.” I looked at Mystic. “Mystic.”
Mystic gave me a tentative smile. “Hi, Lorcan,” she replied. “You know Grayson and Rowan, but this is-”
