Page 5 of Say You Hate Me
“It’s true. Lots of late nights,” Nathan chimes, his eyes twinkling.
I swallow. It appears my brother does not share my misfortunes in love. I’m happy for him.
“I had to hire someone else because it was becoming a conflict of interest,” Luca adds, grinning.
“That’s adorable,” I smile, looking between them.
“What did you do for your job?” Nathan asks. I wince, and he gives me an apologetic look. “Sorry. Too soon?”
I smile. “No, it’s fine. I was the marketing assistant for a literary agency.”
“And then they started receiving a ton of queries and notoriety,” Luca adds, giving me a proud smile. “She’s gotten them tons of exposure in magazines. She basically brought them to the level they’re at, and what did they do? The twats fired her.”
I look down, remembering the day Dean told me we’d met an important milestone, and it was all because I’d started social media accounts for Amour, giving us so much more visibility. The lump in my throat grows larger.
It was all for nothing.
“Well, what about the open marketing position?” Nathan asks. “You need to hire someone… and she lost her job…”
Luca raises his eyebrows. “Oh, that’s true.” His eyes are alight with something I’m not sure I’ll like.
“You know how I feel about working with you.” I look at Nathan. “Talk about a conflict of interest.”
Nathan laughs and leans forward. “Listen, this guy needs all the help he can get. His Instagram skills are severely lacking. I think Gather needs a marketing revival.”
“I’m not sure,” I reply, wincing. “I need details.”
Luca looks at Nathan and then back at me. “He’s right, we need to revive our social media, especially since we’re opening the restaurant in Hawaii soon. And our mailing list is a mess.”
I look between them, my foot tapping against the marble floors.
“Maybe,” I answer, my voice skeptical.
I love Luca, but he’s a tyrant at work. Dark hair, dark eyes, and bold eyebrows, mixed with his sass and impeccable style? He is a force to be reckoned with. There’s a reason he’s CEO at twenty-seven. Do I really want to work with him? I love him, and we’re best friends. I don’t want to ruin that.
“Please? Come work with me,” Luca begs. “I can start you freelance. No contracts. You can walk away any time. I’ll pay you what the market rate is, so you don’t need to worry about any of that nepotism bullshit.” He claps his hands. “Oh, I can take you on our business trip next week. We’re going to Maui to make sure the restaurant is on track, and it would be good to have someone from marketing there to give us exposure in another state. And we have a Harry Potter World team building day coming up. Oh! And Napa the week after. Lots of fun travel,” he squeals. “Lots of opportunities for a marketing guru like you.”
I pull my lips to the side, smirking. “Fine, I suppose I’ll let you drag me to a tropical island. But only until I find another job.”
He grins as there’s a knock at the door. Nathan jumps up, leaving Luca and me alone.
“You saidwe. Who iswe?” I ask.
Luca is texting on his phone. “Anderson and I.”
“Whois Anderson?” I really should start paying more attention when he talks about work.
“My business partner.”
I gawk at him. “Since when do you have a business partner?”
“Since a year ago, Natalia. Anderson is a renowned CFO and I brought him on to expand our brand and help with our long-term financial goals.”
I quirk an eyebrow, leaning forward. “How much bigger could Gather possibly get? You guys have juice bars all over Southern California, for God’s sake.”
Luca chuckles and stands, walking over to the cabinets for some plates.
“You have no idea.”
