Chapter 2
TWO
Rhett
“I don’t know why you won’t accept my offer.”
My brain hurt.
“You know you could use the money. Hell, you could use it to take a trip. I don’t give a shit. But I know it would help you out.”
My brain really hurt.
Listening to my silent business partner who wasn’t so silent at the moment, argue with me for the last hour, was beginning to give me a headache.
Rubbing my fingers into my temples, I took deep cleansing breaths trying to ward off the throbbing inside of my head.
I needed to take up meditation or yoga. Owning a business was stressful as fuck and with a partner like Camden West, who needed to be in control of everything, I was beginning to rethink my life choices.
“You’re ignoring me now.”
I lifted my head, finding Cam sitting with his arms crossed under his chest and a dark eyebrow raised.
“If my son wasn’t in love with you, I’d kick your ass out and do this all myself.”
“Nah, you wouldn’t.” Cam chuckled. “Even if your son wasn’t in love with me, you’re a good guy, Rhett, so you wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize our business relationship. Besides, I know you love me. I’m your favorite.”
I grunted, rolling my eyes. He was right.
Maybe not that he was my favorite but when we started working together, we became good friends right away.
I went in assuming it would just be all business.
I never expected to gain a friend out of it.
Although he did have different intentions at first. He said often that I was hot as hell, and he would love to see me on my knees for him.
I ignored his advances, and we quickly became friends instead.
Truth was, he didn’t do it for me. He liked to be too in control and so did I.
Maybe not so much of my business because clearly, I needed help there, but when it came to sex, I craved my partner’s submission.
Cam owned several businesses around the country and moved quite often.
But because of my son, he stayed in our city and decided to slow down a bit.
I was thankful for that. Even though Brady was an adult, I couldn’t handle not seeing him every day.
His mom and I had him young. So, we were more friends than father and son.
Only when he was being an ass did I treat him like my kid.
“I don’t feel right taking your money,” I told him for what felt like the hundredth time this morning.
“You wouldn’t be taking my money,” Cam corrected me. “I would be investing.”
I didn’t like talking about it, but business wasn’t doing well. The building I currently owned, needed a lot of work. It took me years to be able to afford opening my bar there. Now I felt like I had to start all over again.
“I don’t know.” I stood from my chair and went up to the mini-fridge I kept stocked. I poured myself a tumbler of scotch, shot it back in one gulp and repoured a drink.
“It’s not even nine in the morning, Rhett.” Cam came up to my side and took the tumbler from my hand.
“Yeah, well, when your business is about to go under, it doesn’t matter what time of day it is,” I mumbled, the reality of the situation weighing heavily on my shoulders.
“That’s fair.” Cam threw back the amber liquid in one shot as well before placing the tumbler back on top of the fridge. “I have an idea.”
“You do?” Now this I had to hear.
“Why don’t you and Coffee Beans & Love collaborate on something. It could be marketing, drink or food deals, a huge fucking party or something else entirely. They’re doing well, so I think it could be good for your business to work with them.”
“I don’t want my son knowing that I’m in the hole.” Brady would worry and I didn’t want that for him.
“He won’t know anything.” A dark shadow passed over Cam’s face. “But I really don’t like keeping secrets from him.”
“I know and I’m sorry I’m making you do this, but right now, I need to keep this to myself.
Collaborating wouldn’t be too bad.” An image of someone suddenly popped in my head.
His smile that, as cliché as it sounded, reached his eyes and made those baby blues twinkle.
The freckles on his nose and cheeks. His dark blond wavy hair that always appeared messy but hot as fuck.
“Um…Rhett?”
I jumped, giving myself a shake. “Sorry.” I coughed, forcing those images out of my head.
Cam only grinned. “Let me make some calls and I’ll set something up. Also, don’t you worry. I’ll make it sound like this was all your idea.”
“Thank you.” I thought a moment. “Shane handles the books over there. Maybe he would want to collaborate.” I really hoped that it didn’t sound like I chose him because I wanted to spend time with him. No, in fact, I didn’t want to just spend time with him. I wanted to rip him apart.
“I’m on it.” Cam pulled his phone out of the inner pocket of his jacket and began typing away. When he was done, he looked up at me. “Now that that’s taken care of, let’s make me breakfast.”
I sighed, following him out of my office.
My bar was a full restaurant. Reviews came back often stating how good the food was and that it was the best in the downtown area of our city.
But it wasn’t enough. Those reviews wouldn’t pay for a complete renovation.
The building was old. It would cost more to fix up the place than what I originally paid for it years before.
“We’ll sort this out, Rhett.” Cam clapped my shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “I promise that you won’t lose your place.”
“You don’t know that.” I shrugged him off. I appreciated what he was saying but he had no way of knowing the outcome.
“I do. You don’t have to believe me right now but this collab will help and you will eventually believe me. Since you refuse to let me invest and all.”
I hoped he was right because if I lost my business, I had no back up plan.
I was too old to start over and definitely didn’t have the money to retire yet.
Maybe Shane could also help me with the books.
I had always sucked at keeping track of money and where it went and what I spent it on, but I wasn’t trusting enough to hire someone to do it for me.
So, I took care of it all myself. That was my issue.
But I thought over Cam’s words. Maybe I needed to take him up on his offer.
While Cam placed an order for his breakfast, I greeted my customers to make sure they were happy and had everything they needed.
I refilled coffee, took more orders and made sure everyone was satisfied.
This was my favorite part of running a restaurant.
I loved being around people. Even though most times I was quiet and also known to be grumpy, customers brought out a different side of me.
Sure, they weren’t always great, and we had to deal with some shitheads, but that didn’t happen too often.
When I was behind the bar, getting things ready for the lunch rush, the hairs on the back of my neck suddenly tingled. I looked up from the fruit I had been cutting and saw Shane sitting down on a stool right in front of me.
“Morning,” he greeted, his deep voice sliding over every inch of me.
“Morning.” My voice cracked, earning me a smile.
“So, I was told that you want to collaborate.” He reached over the counter and grabbed an orange wedge from the cutting board.
Cam worked fast. I didn’t even realize he had left. He must have gone over to Coffee Beans & Love and now here we were.
“I think it could help both of us.” I tried averting my eyes from that orange wedge between his lips that he was currently sucking on. I tried but failed. My dick twitched. “Did you want a coffee?” I asked, needing to distract myself from that damn orange.
“Sure, please.”
I could feel Shane’s eyes on my back as I made him a cup of coffee. Even though the business he owned with my son and their two other friends was centered around coffee, Shane always had one whenever he came to my restaurant.
“I’m not sure why you drink this,” I told him, placing the steaming cup in front of him. “Your coffee is way better.”
“I like the company here,” he blurted. “I mean...” He coughed.
“Well, thank you. I like the company too.” I winked and headed to the other end of the bar to serve a customer who had just sat down.
I had a rush of customers, so it took a half an hour before I could talk to Shane again.
I noticed that he watched me the whole time.
I also noticed that I liked having his eyes on me.
I had known him for years. I had known all of my son’s friends for years.
But I didn’t know enough about Shane. I knew that his parents had retired somewhere in Mexico and owned a beach bar that did really well for them.
I also knew that Shane was an only child.
He was a surprise for them much like Brady was a surprise for his mom and me.
Speaking of, I really needed to call her. Suzie and I had remained good friends, even though it never worked out for us. She had been nothing but supportive over the years and I, the same for her. She was now remarried but never had any more kids. I often wondered why but never asked.
When there was a lull between customers, I went back to where Shane sat at the bar. He was playing on his phone, doing who knew what. I stopped a foot away, watching him. He chewed his bottom lip every so often. That single action made the blood rush through my body.
“Everything okay?” The sudden urge to protect him, made my stomach clench.
“What?” Shane lifted his head. “Oh, yes. Just figuring out some...” He sighed. “Shit.”
“So, I guess we should talk about this collaboration, seeing as it could help both of us.”
“Yes. I guess we should.” He looked over his shoulder. “But not here. Maybe somewhere quieter?”
My heartbeat thundered in my ears that I would get him alone.
“Where are you thinking?” I asked, hoping that it would be somewhere private. We could go to my place, but if that happened, I wouldn’t be able to control the things I said or did to him.
“I’m not sure.” Shane turned back around to face me. “We can’t go to my place since the guys have a key and are fuck heads. They would show up randomly just to be nosy.”
I chuckled. “Oh, to be that age again.”
Shane laughed, a wide grin spreading on his handsome face. “If you were that young again, I’d be even younger and that would be…”
“What?”
He glanced down at my mouth. “Weird.”
“That’s true.” I cleared my throat and went back to wiping down the counter. Not that it needed to be cleaned any more but I needed to distract myself from my son’s best friend. Shane was no longer a kid, and I had known him for years. I shouldn’t want him like I did.
Yet I couldn’t control these feelings. I couldn’t control the way I wanted to devour him completely and never come up for air.
“We can go to your place since it’s quiet there,” Shane suggested.
“Sure. That’s fine.” But it wasn’t. It couldn’t be fine. None of this could ever be just fine.