If You Give a CEO a Chance (Aspen Grove #3)

Chapter 30

T he past five days since returning from Aspen Grove have been nothing short of perfect. Harrison and I have made the most of every moment outside of work. We cuddle in bed each morning and share breakfast before he heads to the office. He’s even been coming home earlier and putting his phone away when we’re together.

Our evenings are spent making dinner, which means me cooking and him trying to distract me with kisses and the promise of sex. Most nights, we’ve ended up on the couch, with Cat on the other end, watching an episode of American Horror Story .

This penthouse has become my safe haven, and Harrison has made it clear it’s my home too, and I don’t want to risk losing that… or him. We’ve avoided a serious conversation about defining things between us so far. And while I’ve made up my mind that I want a future with him, I haven’t found the right time to tell him. For now, I’m content staying in our little bubble—where we have lots of sex and enjoy each other’s company.

Tonight, I planned to make gluten-free spaghetti and meatballs, but when I noticed I was out of tomato sauce and fennel, I went to the nearest grocery store rather than waiting on a delivery.

When I get back to the apartment, Walter opens the front door for me.

“Good afternoon, Walter,” I answer cheerfully, confused when he doesn’t reciprocate my smile.

“Hello, Miss Fallon,” he says.

I study him closer, noticing there’s a crease in his forehead and his lips are pressed into a thin line.

I rest my hand on his arm. “Are you alright?”

“You have a visitor waiting for you,” he explains.

I furrow my brow, unsure who it could be. Aside from the Staffords, Theo, and Lila, no one else knows that I live here.

“A visitor? Who would—”

“Elizabeth, there you are.” Grandmother’s voice cuts through the lobby, and I glance over as she gets out of her chair and heads toward me. “It’s rude to keep your elders waiting,” she scolds as she approaches me. “And your doorman is dreadful—wouldn’t let me wait upstairs and doesn’t even address you properly. What a disgrace.”

Walter stays silent beside me, his tight smile, the only hint of his irritation. He takes prides in his work and is, no doubt, insulted by my grandmother’s rude comment.

I cross my arms, narrowing my eyes at my grandmother. “What are you doing here?”

She ignores me in favor of addressing Walter. “Why are you standing here?” she snaps. “Don’t you have a job to do?”

“He’s my friend,” I interject defensively.

Walter waves me off. “It’s alright, Miss Fallon. I have a few things to take care of, so I’ll be at my desk if you need me.” He gives me a backward glance as he walks away.

Grandmother sighs. “I thought the insufferable man would never leave.”

“How did you find me, and more importantly, what do you want?”

She taps my shin with the end of her cane. “Don’t talk to your grandmother that way.”

I grit my teeth, struggling to process that she is actually here. The last time I saw her was over a year ago at one of Theo’s restaurants. She had been on a date with a retired stockbroker, and when I politely introduced myself, she acted like we’d never met and thanked me for the meal. We haven’t talked since, which leads me to question how she knew I was here.

As I release a deep breath, I adjust the grocery bag on my shoulder. “Grandmother, I have plans, so can you please get on with why you’re here?”

“It’s shameful that you ignored my calls, but you’ve always been disrespectful,” she huffs. “I had to reach out to Theo’s assistant to check in and imagine my surprise when she told me that you quit your job to become a private chef and moved to the States. Thankfully, she was kind enough to track down your whereabouts.” She fusses with her gold-and-silver scarf, resembling tinfoil more than couture. Grandmother might have money, but she’s never had style.

I let out an exasperated sigh. “You came all this way to comment about my new job?”

“Just when I thought you couldn’t be more of a disappointment, you make another disastrous decision.”

I almost believed I overexaggerated how bad things were between us, but then she shows up and proves me wrong.

“If I’m such a failure, why bother visiting?”

She rolls her eyes. “I’m in New York for the weekend visiting a friend and decided to stop by since you wouldn’t return my calls. You’re worse off than I thought. What a shame. At least you’re working for someone wealthy. Are you making as much as you did working with Theo? With him, there was a chance you’d manage your own restaurant someday. Now you’re just a personal chef, cooking like a glorified housekeeper. Hardly the career you envisioned for yourself, right?”

Grandmother has a way of dragging up old insecurities I’ve spent years pretending didn’t exist. She knows just how to twist the knife for maximum damage, smiling all the while.

The irony is, even when I worked with Theo, she disapproved. To her, being a chef was an embarrassment, and it didn’t align with the prestige she wanted me to project.

I think the real issue is that my mother wanted to be a chef, and the fact that I chose to follow in her footsteps bothers Grandmother more than anything.

“I appreciate your concern, but I’m doing just fine on my own,” I say, deflecting her question.

She scoffs. “I don’t buy it, Elizabeth. You used to go on and on about owning your own restaurant someday, and look at you, resigned to slumming it as a cook. It could be worse. At least you’re not a waitress like your mother.” I bristle at her insult. “You’re just like her—dreaming big, but never going anywhere.”

I lift my chin, my fingers curling into the grocery bag still on my shoulder. “My mother was hardworking and taught me more about strength and resilience than you’ll ever understand. I’d be lucky to be half the woman she was.”

Why is it that I can easily go toe-to-toe with a CEO of a multi-billion-dollar company, but my grandmother throws me off-balance? She has an uncanny ability to make me feel small and insignificant, even as an adult.

This time is different.

She crossed a line when she insulted my mother, and there’s no chance I was going to let her get away with that.

Grandmother sighs. “It’s a shame you’re as much of a disappointment as she—”

“You need to leave.” Harrison’s voice startles me, and I glance over to where he’s standing near the entrance, his gaze narrowing in on my grandmother. “It’s time for you to go,” he repeats.

“How dare you speak to me like that.” Grandmother shakes her cane at him. “I’m the second cousin of the prime minster of England, and I demand respect.”

Harrison glares at her, causing her to recoil. His gaze meets mine, silently confirming that I’m okay. “Lady, I wouldn’t give a shit if you were royalty. You won’t come into my place of residence and speak to my woman like that.”

His woman? I like the sound of that.

He comes to stand beside me, taking my hand in his and giving it a gentle squeeze. He’s a physical anchor, holding me steady when I need it most. I like this protective side of him. Like he’d burn the world down to protect me, even from a bitter old woman with a cane.

“I’m merely trying to have a conversation with my granddaughter,” grandmother says, her tone dripping with disdain.

“Doesn’t look that way to me,” Harrison growls. “You think you can walk in here and belittle her achievements without repercussions? You’re wrong. This woman is a culinary genius, and when she’s a household name, I’ll make sure you’re blacklisted from every one of her restaurants and Theo’s too.”

My eyes widen at his sheer boldness, completely unfazed by who she is.

“You have no right to threaten me. I’m Elizabeth’s only family.”

“Her name is Fallon,” Harrison retorts. “And you’re wrong. You may share blood, but that doesn’t mean shit. She deserves to be surrounded by people who will build her up, not tear her down. She has that in me, and with my family, and we’ll stand by her no matter what.” His posture stiffens, his tone growing more frigid with each word. “I’m going to tell you one more time before I call the police and report you for trespassing. “Leave and never come back. You’re not welcome here.”

“You’ll regret this.” Grandmother jabs a finger at us. “You both will.” She storms out of the building, and my shoulders relax in relief.

I’m grateful Harrison got here when he did. For the most part, I prefer to do things on my own, including standing up to my insufferable grandmother, but in this instance, it’s such a turn-on that Harrison was willing to stand up for me.

He lifts the bag from shoulder. “Let me take that for you.”

I throw my arms around his neck. “Thank you.”

Harrison presses a kiss to my forehead. “Always, beautiful.”

I glance at the clock on the wall to see that it’s only 3:30 p.m. “How come you’re home so early?”

“Walter called me when your grandmother got here and mentioned you had stepped out for an errand and would be back shortly. I wish I could’ve been here sooner to intercept her.”

I offer him a feeble smile. “It’s alright. I appreciate you getting here when you did.”

“Do you want to talk about what happened?”

“Not right now.”

“Okay, well, I’m here when you’re ready and don’t let a damn thing she says get to you.”

I force a smile to mask the insecurities creeping in. What if my grandmother is right and my dreams are meaningless? What if I end up as a washed-up chef with nothing to show for it, all because I wanted to carve my own path?

The next afternoon, I’m in the kitchen making dinner when my phone pings.

Lila: Are you alive? Do I need to call 911 or have a Diet Coke IV delivered?

Fallon: The latter. Stat.

Lila: I’ll get Brooks right on that. The man’s a walking Rolodex.

Fallon: Fully leaning into the girlfriend perks, I see.

Fallon: My grandmother stopped by uninvited yesterday.

Lila: Shit. I wish I could have been there to give her a piece of my mind.

Fallon: Harrison beat you to it.

Lila: I’m glad. Does this mean you two are official?

Fallon: Is it too late to invoke my right to remain silent?

Lila: Yup.

Fallon: Harrison took me to Aspen Grove this past weekend.

Lila: Omg really? I’m so jealous. I’ve always wanted to go.

Fallon: We’ll have to plan a trip. Winston and Cat have to meet soon.

Fallon: They’ll either love each other or start a feud. Both scenarios will be entertaining.

Lila: You didn’t answer my question. Are you and Harrison official yet?

Fallon: Not exactly.

Lila: What does that mean?

Fallon: We’re having hot sex and enjoying each other’s company.

Lila: It’s never that simple.

I wish I could argue, but she’s right. Every day that Harrison and I spend together, the more intertwined our lives become, and although it’s not easy to accept, I don’t see a future without him. The person who used to be a thorn in my side has become as essential to my happiness as the air I breathe. It’s a startling revelation that I haven’t fully come to terms with yet.

Fallon: I’d like to live in my bubble for a little while longer, thank you very much.

Lila: Falling in love isn’t something to be ashamed of.

Lila: Not when you find someone who treats you right.

I can’t shake the memory of Harrison defending me in the lobby yesterday. He didn’t benefit from it, but he still left work early and stood up for me when my own flesh and blood put me down. If I wasn’t already falling hard for this man, that would have been enough to seal the deal.

I’m distracted by an incoming call, smiling when I see who it is.

“Took you long enough to call,” I answer.

“Sorry,” Theo says. “I haven’t had a second to myself this past week.”

I pull the mixture I made earlier for shepherd’s pie out of the fridge as I speak. “You’ve always been impossible to reach, acting like you were too important,” I remark playfully.

“I was your boss,” he retorts smugly, a detail he never fails to remind me of.

“Maybe on paper, but we both know who everyone listened to.”

Theo was frequently out of town, so I oversaw the culinary operations at one of his restaurants in London.

I hear someone shout, “Camera B, get a tight shot on the garnish,” in the background, followed by another voice yelling, “We need a drizzle in the shot next.” A chorus of voices agreeing follows.

“Where are you?” I ask.

“I’m at the studio in LA. Hold on just a second.” The voices fade and a door slams shut. “Are you still there?”

“Yeah.” I wedge my phone between my shoulder and ear as I scoop out the shepherd’s pie into the glass dishes I prepared earlier.

“Sorry about the noise. We’re filming season two of The Great Cook-Off Challenge , and the crew is trying to get some still shots between takes,” Theo explains.

“It’s no problem. I know you only have a few minutes, so why don’t you tell me what you wanted to talk about.”

He clears his throat. “During the last meeting with my market research team, they suggested that we open an allergy-friendly restaurant in London. Based on the data, there’s a big demand. I told them I had to talk to you before I made a decision.”

“Wow,” I say, shocked, setting the bowl down on the counter.

“It’s a lot to take in,” Theo agrees. “I know your dream is to create a safe place for people with allergies, and I want to help you make that a reality. London might not be New York, but there’s always the possibility of us expanding down the road. Just know that I’m only doing this if you’re involved.” My heart races, and I pull the phone from my ear, staring at it in disbelief.

The news is unexpected. I hadn’t thought about moving back to London since arriving in New York. Now, just the idea of leaving has knots forming in my stomach. Harrison and I haven’t discussed next steps yet, but we’ve been down this road before. I know what it’s like being apart from him and that was before I was falling in love with him.

I bring the phone back to ear. “Can you repeat the last part?” I want to make sure I didn’t misunderstand what Theo said.

“If you’re not interested, I won’t move forward. You’ve wanted this for so long and I’d never take that away from you,” Theo states.

“What kind of autonomy would I have?”

“You’d have the final say over the menu, and would work with my team on the design elements, and hiring the staff. And of course you’d have a state-of-the art kitchen.”

“You’re serious, aren’t you?”

“Very. If you’re on board, the investors want to get started right away.”

“When would I need to—” The shrill sound of the timer for a batch of snickerdoodles I have in the oven catches my attention. “One second, Theo.”

My head is spinning as I take the cookies out and set them on the stovetop to cool.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. There aren’t many companies willing to invest in specialty restaurants and this could be the chance to create something truly special. The problem is that it’s not mine. I wouldn’t have full ownership, so most decisions would go through Theo and his team before being approved.

On the other hand, my practical side understands this could be as close as I’m going to get—unless I settle for a food truck or run a pop-up kitchen at local events. Even the considerable savings I’ve built up since working for Harrison won’t make a dent in what I’d need for a lease on a storefront in New York City. And opening a restaurant without a seasoned team would prove to be challenging.

Theo’s offer might not be everything I envisioned, but it comes close. The question is, can I compromise on my dream?

“Fallon? Are you still there?” he asks.

“Yeah, I was just thinking about what you said.”

“Take all the time that you need. This is a big decision and I want to make sure you do what’s best for you. I’d never want you to put your own career or dreams on the back burner if this isn’t what you want. Whatever you decide, I’m here to support you.”

“I really appreciate it, Theo.”

“That’s what friends are for,” he replies warmly. “I’ve got to run, but we’ll chat when you’ve had time to think about this, okay?”

“Sounds good, thank you.”

When he hangs up, I stare at the phone, still trying to wrap my head around our conversation.

Maybe I should have turned Theo’s offer down outright, but my grandmother’s remarks about me not being good enough play on a loop in my mind. What if this is my only shot at getting remotely close to honoring my mother’s legacy and making a positive impact for those with food allergies?

My mind is racing, realizing that I have to tell Harrison about the offer. Which means I can no longer avoid the talk about where we stand, and what our future looks like. And if we even have one together.

Now the question is how to bring it up?