Page 10 of Love Me Forever

“I'm comfortable with my life here.”

He’d only been here one year. What exactly tied him down?

"You'd have a much better salary in Chicago.”

"Maybe, but I like the personal touch. I like what I’m doing here," he countered. “I know my customers, staff, and can offer them anything I want to. It’s all my call.”

"And that's exactly why I want to hire you. That’s what I want for Maxwell Hotels. You’d have free rein. We’re still putting the final touches on the place, and I’d want your input.”

He straightened up, training his eyes on me. For the first time, he looked interested. I'd finally found out what made him tick. It was only a matter of time, I always said.

“And yet you plan to open in four months?”

The corners of my mouth twitched. I knew where he was going with this.

“Yes. We can accommodate last-minute changes.”

“That’s a deep pocket you’re digging in.”

Very deep, but I kept that tidbit to myself. I liked teasing Bonnie that self-praise was acceptable if it was true, but bragging about money was a dick move in my book.

“I want the best for my hotel, and I’m not sparing expenses. Think about it," I said, downing my scotch and getting up from the chair. I knew the importance of pacing. I'd laid the groundwork today; I would reap the rewards tomorrow. If I pushed him too hard tonight, I ran the risk of him putting up defenses, and it would cost me even more time to get past them.

"Have a great evening, Maxwell."

"You too."

As I left, I checked my phone. It had buzzed while I was at the bar, and I saw I had a missed call from my cousin Reese. I called her back right away.

"Hey!"

“Hey, Travis! When is my favorite cousin returning to Chicago?"

"At the end of next week. Maybe earlier. Depends how everything goes here.”

"Hmm.”

I stepped into the backyard of the hotel. There were a few round metal tables and chairs that looked uncomfortable as fuck, but it was quiet, and there wasn’t anyone around.

“Have you thought more about my offer to be CFO of my hotel?"

Reese had worked in finance for a decade, and she'd quit her job to start a business with her then-fiancé. They were supposed to open a spa on the top floor of Gran’s building, but their relationship had blown up when she discovered he was cheating on her.Bastard.Ever since that fiasco, she'd been helping out at The Happy Place, but she hinted that she wanted to go back into the finance world.

"I'm still thinking, though now that I heard you flew to the Winston Hotel to convince the manager, maybe I'll play coy and see what you'll do for me."

"Guess that means you want to be spoiled."

She sighed. "Am I so transparent?"

"Yes," I said truthfully. Reese could rarely hide her feelings or intentions.

“How is Project Convincing Tim going?”

“It’s slow,” I admitted.

“You must be bored to tears.”

“Not at all. You know I’m good at finding ways to entertain myself.”

---