Chapter 28
Alex
The rain is coming down in that persistent Pacific Northwest drizzle that's more mist than actual drops, the kind that soaks you without you realizing it's happening.
I'm sitting under the covered patio at Harbor & Ash, leaning back in my seat with my feet propped up on the railing, watching the evening light fade over the harbor.
It's chilly, the late October air cold enough to bite, rain dripping steadily from the edge of the awning as I overlook the harbor and the dark silhouettes of pine trees in the distance beyond the water.
I'm nursing a beer and thankfully the patio is completely empty. No one sits outside this time of year, especially not in weather like this. Most people have better sense.
I hear footsteps behind me and turn to see Theo shutting the door to the restaurant and making his way across the wet deck, pulling his jacket tighter against the cold. He sits back down next to me in the other chair, the wood creaking slightly under his weight.
"Sorry about that," he says, pulling out his phone and silencing it.
I smile despite the weight in my chest. "Don't apologize. I need to stop sulking out here in the rain anyway. Though I will say you still haven't told me 'I told you so' about the Jean-Pierre situation. You called it that it would all blow up spectacularly."
Theo shrugs, settling back in his chair. "Eh, not in my nature to kick you when you're down."
I chuckle. "You really are the better person between us. I definitely would have roasted you mercilessly if the situation were reversed."
He smiles that smug smile of someone who has superior morals. "I know."
We sit in silence for a moment, watching the rain create expanding circles on the surface of the harbor, the water dark and choppy under the gray sky. A fishing boat motors past in the distance, its running lights barely visible through the mist.
He shifts in his chair. "Well, you still have this place. Harbor & Ash. And maybe Jean-Pierre has reach, but we can still find a way to make Seattle work eventually. To make it all happen on our own terms. A sister restaurant to Harbor & Ash, maybe not as big as what he was offering, but still. It’s something. "
I smile at that, grateful for his optimism even if I'm not sure I share it. "You know, this will sound crazy, but I don't even know if I want to open in Seattle anymore."
He turns to look at me, eyebrows raised.
"I honestly can't keep up with you." He shakes his head. "A month ago you were ready to sign your life away for Seattle. Now you're not sure?"
I take a long pull from my beer. "I know, I know. But the more I think about that deal, the more I don't know how happy it actually would have made me."
Theo nods thoughtfully, tapping his fingers against the arm of his chair. "I mean, he's a hell of a guy to go into business with. I think we learned that pretty definitively."
"It’s not just that. It was so much ego driving it. The Seattle restaurant, the prestige of having Jean-Pierre Beaumont backing me, the idea of building this empire. I think I'm always just chasing external validation—the accolades, the recognition, trying to prove I'm as good as I think I am."
Theo grins. "You know I think I could have told you that. In fact, I'm pretty sure I did tell you that."
I laugh. "Yes, I think you mentioned it a few times over the years when I was being insufferable."
He takes a sip from the beer he brought out with him, looking out at the rain for a moment before turning back to me.
"So what, is Dark River enough now? Giving up on the whole expansion dream?
Because I'm not going to lie, part of me would be relieved if you did.
But I also don't want you to wake up in five years and resent being here because you gave up on something you actually wanted. "
I take another sip of my beer. "I still want to branch out eventually, do more than what we're doing here. But I just don't think I care enough about the Michelin stars and the critical praise and the whole circus of chasing recognition anymore."
He looks at me, a slow smile spreading across his face. "Well well, who knew the deal falling through would bring you such insight and wisdom. Very mature of you, little brother. Though I have to say, I never thought I'd see the day when Alex Midnight turned down prestige and recognition."
I laugh. "Yah well, I think it's the deal collapsing but also spending so much time in Napa Valley that finally knocked it into my head.
The whole Seattle trip I was telling myself how excited I was about the new restaurant.
But I didn't stop to actually look at how much happier I was in Napa with Isabelle.
Or visiting Dark River for that one day when we had a break from meetings. That's when I felt good."
Theo's expression softens. "And Isabelle? Any word from her in NYC?"
I shift in my chair. "No, she and Margot are exploring the city today so I didn't push for updates. She had that job interview thing with her old colleague. I haven't heard how it went."
Theo watches me carefully. "You worried she's going to take it?"
I stare out at the water, watching the rain create patterns on the surface. "I don't know. Maybe. I mean, she flew all the way out there to look at it, so she must be considering it seriously."
"You letting her go if she takes it?" Theo asks quietly.
I turn to look at him. "I don’t want to, but I'm not really sure where we are right now. If she wants what I do, or if she wants to take that New York job and go back to the life she had planned. I mean, she flew out there to look at it. That has to mean something."
"Did she seem super interested when she told you about it?" Theo asks.
I shrug. "She's pulled back a bit emotionally, so I'm not really sure what she's thinking.
I keep telling her I don't hold the deal falling apart against her, which I don't, but I think she feels guilty about it and maybe New York was her running away a bit.
Or maybe it's what she actually wants and she's trying to figure out how to tell me. I don't know."
Theo nods slowly. "I'm sorry, man. I hope you two can figure it out and get past this. We all loved her."
I smile at that, impossible not to when thinking of Isabelle.
I've been missing her like crazy these last few days since she left for New York.
The kitchen feels wrong when I'm cooking alone, and I keep reaching for my phone to text her before remembering she's three thousand miles away, probably making decisions about her future that might not include me.
The door to the restaurant opens and Michael, one of our servers, pops his head out. "Uhhh, Alex? There's some guy here to see you. He's kind of intense, but do you want me to send him out?"
I don't really know what to say to that. "Sure? Is he a customer who wants to complain about something?"
Michael shakes his head. "I have no idea. He just walked in and said he knows you and needs to speak with you. Very formal, very... I don't know, intimidating?"
I glance at Theo who shrugs at me, looking as confused as I feel.
I nod at Michael. "Yeah, send him out I guess."
Michael disappears back inside, the door clicking shut, and Theo laughs. "Maybe one of your adoring fans came to praise the chef and tell you how amazing the salmon was."
I laugh. "Jokes on them since Miranda is cooking tonight. I am enjoying being lazy."
The door opens again and shock runs through my entire body as Jean-Pierre Beaumont steps out onto the patio.
He's dressed in a long wool coat, dark and expensive-looking, and he looks irritated and cold as he surveys the covered deck with obvious distaste.
His salt-and-pepper hair is slightly wet from the rain, and his expression when he sees me is exactly as warm as I expected, which is to say, not at all.
I stay seated deliberately, keeping my feet propped up on the railing like I don't have a care in the world. As if I'm going to fucking get up and greet him properly after everything that's happened.
He nods politely to Theo, acknowledging him with the bare minimum of civility, then turns to me with a look of barely disguised disgust.
"Alex," he says. "May I speak with you privately?"
I glance at Theo and give him a small nod.
Theo stands and gives Jean-Pierre the coldest, most contemptuous look I've ever seen him give another human being.
Theo's the kindest and most patient out of all of us brothers, never one to be outwardly hostile or mean-spirited even when someone deserves it.
But he's fiercely loyal and protective of the people he cares about.
I suppress a smile and take a sip of my beer.
Theo walks past Jean-Pierre without a word, his shoulder nearly brushing the older man's, and disappears back into the restaurant. The door shuts with a definitive click.
"So," I say, not bothering to stand or change my posture, gesturing lazily at the seat where Theo just was. "Come to yell at me in person?"
Jean-Pierre looks irritated, his jaw tightening. Good.
He moves to the chair and sits stiffly. "I've come to talk to you about my daughter. I want you to stay away from her."
I stare at him for a long moment. "You're serious right now?"
He looks at me with cold certainty. "Entirely."
I shake my head, letting out a laugh that has no humor in it. "You came all the way out here to Dark River, to my restaurant, in the rain, to tell me to stay away from your daughter? You're something else, Jean-Pierre."