Page 28 of Thanking Her Brother's Best Friends

With Niall and the management team by my side, we brainstormed cost optimization strategies.

We pored over data, considering portion control, menu engineering, and renegotiating contracts with other vendors.

We were determined to find the delicate balance between maintaining quality and maximizing profitability.

As we implemented these strategies, the true test lay in the hands of our customers. Would they notice the changes? Would their feedback reflect our efforts?

We anxiously monitored their reactions. I think I lost out on a week's worth of sleep.

But as the months passed, our efforts began to bear fruit. Positive feedback trickled in, and our profitability showed signs of improvement.

We still had a very long way to go, but hey, any good progress was worth the effort.

After Dom and I got Pierre back in good spirits, I headed back up to my office. I crossed the polished wooden desk and the leather chair to stand in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows framing a panoramic view of the ocean.

Normally, the office would be flooded with natural light. I liked to surround myself with the sun's golden warmth as much as I could.

Too much time in the darkness, and I'd retreat to a place I didn't want to face. I didn't want to think of the past right now.

Instead, I focused on scrolling through Selene's Instagram profile and cursing myself once again for not taking her number.

"Fuck it," I muttered before leaving her a message. It probably made me look like one of those dicks trying their luck on a verified celebrity's DMs. Maybe she'd see it.

Or maybe a dragon would come and light my ass on fire. The latter seemed more probable.

Thedingof a notification caught me completely unaware, and I almost dropped my phone. It was her.

She'd responded to my bland "hey" with a tentativehi.

My fingers worked at breakneck speed, bringing back fond memories of when I was a teenager.

What are you doing right now?

Selene: I'm at the pastry shop. Full house today.

Me: When do you get off from work?

Selene: Why, what d'you have in mind? Looking for more ways to convince me you're a reformed bully?

I chuckled at that.

Me: How about I come over and show you?

The seconds dial on my watch ticked furiously. Time seemed to slow down and open a chasm.

Selene: Drop in at eleven. I'll go home, put my kid to bed, and come back. Could do with picking that lawyer's brain tonight.

A window had opened.

8

SELENE

Ispent an entire night dreaming about my ex coming to steal my son away from me.

By the time morning rolled in, all I could think about was how angry it made me feel. This rage followed me, from making breakfast to taking Ollie to school to work.

Ollie and Chloe did their best to cheer me up, but it was just one of those days. You know, the kind when you wake up, and your body is just screaming at you, saying, "Girl, stop. Even the biggest creatives need time off."

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