Page 31 of No More Billionaires

Thank God I hadn’t invited him to dinner. It would’ve seemed like a double-date or something.

ELEVEN

Double Date

I texted Heidi as we turned onto 3rd Avenue South.

The entire SoBro area in the heart of Nashville’s downtown was charming, packed with restaurants and cocktail bars, trendy hotels, and cute shops.

If I’d never been to Nashville, I might have imagined the city was all country music and cowboys. But it was actually quite cosmopolitan.

Yes, the country music business was huge here—all sorts of music was performed and recorded—but it was also the state’s capital and the headquarters of major national companies like Vanguard Health Systems, Hobby Lobby, Cracker Barrel, Dollar General, and Gibson Guitars to name a few.

Our car came to a stop at the curb in front of The Southern Steak and Oyster on the ground floor of the Pinnacle building, and Heidi burst out of the restaurant’s artsy wood and glass doors onto the sidewalk.

She bounced, waiting for the valet to open my door.

When I got out, she skipped over to me, squealing and grabbing me in an enthusiastic hug.

“Kens! Oh my God, it’s so good to see you.”

The valet ran around to the driver’s side, apparently thinking Larson planned to get out as well. Heidi stepped up to the passenger side and banged on the window with her palm until Larson lowered it.

He wore a quizzical look. His voice was brimming with unspent laughter. “You must be Heidi—I’ve heard good things.”

She leaned in the window. “Hi Larson. You’re joining us, right? My fiancé Aric is inside, getting us a table for four. He wants to meet you.”

He darted a glance at me and must have read something forbidding in my expression. “Nah—thanks anyway. I think I’ll just head back to the hotel, grab some room service, and watch a game or something.”

Heidi looked back at me over her shoulder. “Do you believe this guy?”

Turning to him, she put on a mock-bossy tone, her thick rural Georgia accent breaking free from its usual TV-news restraints.

“You’re in my city, mister, and I’m not letting you stay holed up inside a boring hotel room. Now give the nice man your keys and get out here, and I don’t want to hear another word about it.”

Larson’s gaze shifted back to my face.

What else could I do? “Of course you should join us,” I said, cringing inside.

Heidi and Larson would no doubt be BFF’s within ten minutes and launch us into intimate dinner conversation during which all sorts of personal land mines could be unearthed.

“Okay, you talked me into it,” Larson said, handing the waiting valet his keys and a folded bill before joining us on the sidewalk.

Heidi looked up at him towering over her petite form. “Wow—you’re almost as tall as Aric. I’m surrounded by giants. It’s nice to meet you. Kenley’s told me how much she’s enjoyed working with you.”

“Really?” he said, lifting a brow and giving me a side-glance.

“Yes, I’ve told her how much I like thejob,” I said.

“The job. Right.” Larson huffed a short laugh and opened the door for us.

We all walked inside together, with Heidi still chattering away. “Thanks for driving here. You saved me a trip across the city in the wrong direction during rush hour—not that I wouldn’t have done it—she’s worth it, I guess.”

She wrapped an arm around my waist in a side hug, leaning her brunette head against mine.

“You, I’m not sure about yet,” she teased Larson with a wink.

The restaurant was packed and loud with low lighting and a vibrant bar-like atmosphere. We followed the host toward an out-of-the-way back corner, passing an open kitchen and separate oyster bar.

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