Page 101 of The Arrogant One
“Excellent. We’re already hinting that there’s more coming from The Weston Group—I don’t want to let anyone down.”
“You won’t.” I took a deep breath. “And I’m almost done with my other review that’s due—you know, the Thai fusion restaurant in Huntington Beach that you wanted me to go to. I went last night and worked on my write-up this morning. I should have it over to you in a day or two.”
“Perfect. And, Sadie …”
Oh God.
Why did I sense something else was coming?
My eyes squeezed shut. “Yes?”
“I want to talk to you about one additional article that we haven’t discussed. I suppose I was waiting to see how the Charred review did, and to no surprise, it exceeded my expectations.”
“Okay …”
“What are your thoughts on a comparison piece? Charred has locations across the world. I’m not saying you have to fly to Scotland or Alberta, where they have restaurants, but what ifSeenflew you to some of their other locations in the States? You’d order the same things you got in LA, and you’d highlight whether the brand was consistent across the board or if somewhere other than LA was better.”
My eyes flicked open, my heart pounding.
He was obsessed with the Westons.
Or did it just seem that way because I was in the middle of this nightmare?
And why did he want more written about them?
For views—that was why.
Seenwas on fire. He didn’t want the temperature to die down; he wanted to ride out this wave.
I couldn’t blame him, but that didn’t mean I wanted to be a part of it.
“ButSeenis LA-based,” I offered. “Why would I write about a location outside of the area?”
I needed an excuse.
An out.
Because … I couldn’t do this.
“The question is, does LA have the best Charred? Or does Laguna Beach? Or maybe Boston is better than the ones in our territory. Or maybe Park City, Utah, is far superior compared to Manhattan or Las Vegas. Do you see where I’m going with this?”
“Yes.” I sighed. “I see.”
“It doesn’t seem like you think it’s a good idea.”
He wanted me to go on tour, tasting their other restaurants, opening my boyfriend up to another opportunity of possibly being shredded.
I wasn’t the right person for a task like this. And I didn’t think I ever would be.
I would fulfill the three Weston reviews I’d promised.
But that was it. I wouldn’t do any more.
I just didn’t know how to have that conversation with my boss.
So, I said, “Can I think about it?”
“Of course. It’s a commitment—I understand that.”
