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Holy shit, we’re talking about fuck you money.
I closed my mouth and forced my face into a blank expression. This was a negotiation too, and I didn’t want Hudson to think he had any advantage. If this was his first offer, he’d go higher. Possibly much higher.
“I’ve got a lot of things going on in Ohio right now, and the store will be opening in a few weeks.”Ten days...if I’m lucky.
“I figured that. It sounds like a great concept. I like the combination of bar, event space, and bookstore.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m sure you’ll need some time to work out how you can turn over management and get down here.”
I pulled a face. He expected I’d say yes to his offer, as if this was a foregone conclusion that I’d leave my new endeavor and relocate here, walking away from everything I’d built in New Burlington.But maybe I can figure out a way to make this work...
“I’ll need at least a few weeks,” I said.
Hudson grinned. “We’re going to do big things, my friend, and I’m sure when you meet the rest of the team, you’re going to agree that this is exactly the route your life needs to take.”
It was a heady proposition. He was right, and some of the best opportunities in life came in the moments you weren’t looking for them, when you were just going about your business. You never knew who was noticing you, and that was the best part—the possibility that someone would see you for who you were and what you could do.
“Don’t take too long to think about it,” Hudson added. “Miami and all she can offer won’t stick around.”
He was right. I had two choices. I could either move fast or get out of the way. There was no third option.
Leaving New York City had been a no-brainer. I knew I wouldn’t last in an environment that had felt so ethically immoral. But could I get a management crew to run the bar? It was too small a town to sell it, success untested. Maybe I could run it for a month, train up new management, and run it as a silent backer from Miami?That could be doable.My mom had been disappointed when I left the Big Apple, but she’d probably love the idea of being slightly closer to her geographically, especially with so much financial promise.This is an amazing opportunity for me.
So why am I hesitating?
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
ANYA
Two and a half weeks passed.
Two and a half weeks of increased sales in The Green Frog, which had been great. Follow-up calls and emails regarding more events had popped up, but I’d largely declined those. External interest had died down, but I still had this strange celebrity status in New Burlington—that had been fun.Except when everyone asked where Robert was and why they hadn’t seen us together. Why there hadn’t been any morehot kissesin public. Even Morgan had asked about that one, and I hadn’t had the heart to tell her that the fairy-tale small-town romance had most definitely simmered down. Two and a half weeks of sleeping alone, not knowing the delicious warmth of the man I’d thought I could fall for.
The fact was, Robert had lied—hehadn’tkept me in the loop. He’d sent exactly three texts while he was in Miami. I replied with a couple of questions about what he was doing, and he never answered.
