Chapter 16
LOGAN
Ryan looks up as I approach, locking his phone and tossing it onto the table. His brown eyes, a near match to Rosie’s, sharpen as they take me in.
“You look like shit.” His dark brows lift.
I snort as I take a seat across from him. “Good to see you too, asshole.”
He smirks. “What’s the matter, pumpkin? Haven’t had much sleep lately? Too busy sinking balls-deep into hot ski bunnies? How many were there? Be honest. Two? Three? Twenty-Five?”
Nope. Just your sister, dude.
“Jesus.” I roll my eyes, shaking my head. “You really think I spent the entire time I was in Tahoe hooking up with strangers? And twenty-five?! I was gone ten days. What the hell, man?”
“Okay, maybe twenty-five was a bit of an exaggeration.” Ryan shrugs.
“Ya think?” I deadpan.
“But a few wouldn’t be all that unreasonable.”
“Hi, Pot. The name’s Kettle.” I flip him off and flag down a waitress.
When I told Rosie her brother no longer blabbed about his exploits, that didn’t mean he wasn’t interested in hearing about mine.
Not that I’ve shared—I’ve never been one to kiss and tell—but since I’ve taken a break from dating, he’s been awfully invested in getting me back on the horse, so to speak.
I’d say maybe he wanted to live vicariously through my adventures, but Ryan always has a beautiful woman on call, so that can’t possibly be it.
I think he misses going out to clubs more than anything.
I’m certainly not stopping him from going, but he says it isn’t the same without me.
“But seriously. Why’d you come back early?” He reaches for his water, taking a sip. “I thought for sure I’d have to fly up there and drag you away from some blonde with big tits.”
“Nope, no blondes.” Technically true. “Talk to me about PPA. What’d you find out?” I keep my voice casual, hoping he doesn’t notice my obvious deflection.
Ryan leans back, draping one arm over the booth. “Rumor is, they’re considering licensing the algorithm instead of selling it outright.”
My jaw tightens. “Since when?”
Our waitress, Beverly, shows up before he can answer. “Two bacon cheeseburgers, extra fries, and a Coke?”
We both nod, confirming we’d like our usual order. As soon as she walks away, I cross my arms over my chest. “Go on…”
“I got wind of it this morning, so I think it’s fairly recent.
If it’s true, we’re hosed, dude.” He rubs his jaw.
“If they license instead of selling, we lose all leverage.” He shakes his head.
“Olympus would be dead in the water before we even had a chance to formally pitch. They made it clear they’d only be interested in exclusivity.
No proprietary rights to the algorithm, no deal. ”
Fuck.
Partnering with Olympus would be a game-changer for our profits, and we’re so fucking close to making it happen. If we owned PPA’s algorithm outright, and subsequently closed the deal with Olympus, BetMasters would dominate sports betting and sports data analytics.
But if PPA changes course? We’re fucked. Back to square one, with zero options on the table.
“What’s their angle?” I ask. “Why switch to licensing at the last minute? I thought Simon wanted to take the company in a different direction and focus on that.”
Ryan exhales, shifting forward. “I don’t know yet, but I’m working on it. My gut says someone’s gotten in his ear.”
I frown. “A competing firm?”
He shrugs. “Maybe. Or maybe an investor convinced him he’ll make more long-term money by licensing instead of selling outright.” He taps a finger against the table, deep in thought. “Simon was all in on selling a few weeks ago. Something changed his mind.”
I rake a hand through my hair, already running through ways to counter this. “We need to shut that shit down. If he wants more money, we offer more money.”
Ryan nods. “That’s exactly what I was thinking. I have a call lined up with him later this afternoon. I’m going to try getting a read on him, and if I’m lucky, ferret a confession out of him.”
“Good.” I nod. “Call me as soon as you’re done. And see if you can schedule an in-person meeting for Monday. I’d like a few days to gather as much information as we can.”
“Already done.” Ryan smiles.
I arch a brow. “That was fast.”
“I’m a man of action.”
Beverly swings by with our drinks, refilling Ryan’s water and setting my Coke on the table. “Your food will be out in just a few more minutes.”
“Thank you,” we say in unison.
Ryan takes a sip, then shifts gears. “Now that we’ve got that out of the way, what do you have planned on Friday?”
I narrow my eyes. “Why?”
“You know Penelope, the hot barista from the lobby?”
“The blonde with the nose ring?”
He points to me. “That’s the one.”
“What about her?”
“Well…I have a date with her on Friday. But her friend just came into town unexpectedly, so now she can’t go unless I have a friend to set her friend up with. She doesn’t want to ditch her.”
“Oh, hell no.” I laugh.
Ryan gives me a ridiculous pout. “C’mon, man. It’s not a pity date. I swear this girl is a smoke show. Penny showed me a picture. When’s the last time you went on an actual date? It’ll be real chill. She wants to hit up a food truck then we’re going to see a movie at the rooftop cinema.”
The last thing I want to do is cozy up on a bean bag for two hours with someone who isn’t Rosie.
I shake my head. “Sorry, man. Not gonna happen.”
“Why not? You got your eye on someone?”
I hesitate, making his eyes narrow.
Shit.
I shrug. “I’m just not in the mood for a setup, man. Work’s a mess right now, and I don’t need the added distraction.”
Ryan scoffs. “I call bullshit. You haven’t been in the mood for a distraction for several months now, which is weird as hell for you, dude.
You say you weren’t fucking your brains out in Tahoe.
You claim you’re not interested in anyone.
So, what’s the harm in spending a few hours with a beautiful woman?
She lives in Sonoma, so it’s not like she’s looking for anything beyond one night. It’s a win-win situation, Logan.”
I reach for my drink, buying myself a second to think. I don’t trust myself to sit here and outright lie to his face. But if I don’t come up with a solid reason, he’s going to keep digging. And if he keeps digging, it won’t be long before he realizes that all signs point to Rosie.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
“Okay, fine. There is someone I’m interested in.” I hold a hand up when he opens his mouth to speak. “No, I’m not giving you any details, because it’s new, and she’s asked me to keep it between us for now. I’m going to respect her wishes.”
Well, look at that. One-hundred-percent honesty, no fists to my face. How’s that for a win-win situation, buddy?
Ryan studies me, a little too intently for my comfort, as he swirls the ice around his glass. “Where’d you meet her? Is she an actress? Model? Oh, maybe an influencer? She must have some level of fame if she asked you to keep it quiet.”
I shake my head, shutting him down. “No details means you don’t get to ask questions.”
He leans forward, resting his arms on the table. “Fine. I’ll let you have your little secret for now. I’ll get it out of you eventually.” His lips curve into a smirk. “Or maybe I’ll have my mom grill you for answers. You’re still coming to her birthday party, right?”
I nearly groan.
There’s no way I can flake on this party.
But the thought of me and Rosie being in the same house as her brother, their parents, and half their extended family feels like a live grenade, waiting to blow.
It’ll be hard enough keeping my hands off of her, but I honestly don’t know if I’ll be able to keep my eyes off of her, too.
And I’m scared shitless I’ll give something away the second one of her family members catches me doing it, especially their mom.
Tatum Morales is nothing if not tenacious when she senses one of her children is interested in someone.
And even though I’m not blood, she’s almost as invested in my love life as Ryan is.
Dammit. I need to veer this conversation into safer territory.
“Of course, I’ll be there. I’d never miss an opportunity to make you look like a chump when it’s time to open gifts.”
“Real funny, dick.” He flips me off.
I laugh. “You’re worried now, aren’t you?”
Ryan glares. “No.”
“Sure, buddy. You keep telling yourself that.”
“Fuck off,” he mutters.
Beverly’s back with our food, and after that, thankfully, our conversation remains in neutral waters. But my brain is still running calculations. If PPA is playing us, I need to figure out a way to get ahead of it. Because I really can’t afford to gamble on this deal.