Chapter 18
Porter turned and walked back to his car. Fiona stayed where she was.
“Are you coming?” he asked, the frustration evident in his voice.
She crossed her arms. “That depends. Are you going to dump me off in South Carolina? Or better yet, the ocean?”
“Clary’s,” he said brusquely. She raised a brow, but begrudgingly got in the passenger side.
It was early. He hadn’t slept well the night before, and found himself obsessing about the potential lounge space early in the morning. Instead of trying to get back to sleep, he decided to get up and go see the space again. He parked his car outside the restaurant, got out and took a short walk, and when he was heading back to his car, he spotted Laura. He wondered if she was there to give another tour to an interested tenant, but he was not at all expecting what he saw.
He noticed Fiona first. She looked determined and confident as she shook Laura’s hand. He thought he must have been mistaken, but then, he saw them go inside.
They weren’t there for too long. Maybe twenty minutes, tops. He drank his coffee and checked emails on his phone while he waited. But he definitely saw them pull out a tape measure and assess the space through the windows. His only hesitation was that there was a very intimidating looking older man with them, and he wasn’t entirely sure what was going on.
That is, until he heard the women talking about massage tables and moving in. Then it clicked.
Their new business.
He really didn’t know what he was going to say to Fiona. All he knew was that he was extremely confused.
And now, she was in his car, filling it with the scents of lavender and vanilla and a very heavy tension.
He’d only suggested Clary’s because it was nearby and he knew it was open now. But immediately after he said it, he was taken back to their stroll through the park and the memory of her nearly kissing him, and he felt his resolve weaken.
Here she was, potentially about to steal his only shot at a lounge, and he was still thinking about that damn morning they spent together.
“We were interested in that space before I knew you were looking at it,” Fiona told him, breaking the silence.
“Maybe we should wait until I have some coffee in my system,” he said, though he had a feeling she wouldn’t.
“The day you told me you were interested, we had just looked at it,” she told him. “I didn’t say anything because I had no idea if we were seriously interested in it or not. And you’re my boss, I didn’t want to piss you off over nothing.”
“Not for long,” he said.
She turned to him, eyes wide.
Dammit.He hadn’t meant to say it out loud.
“Are you firing me?” she asked, temper in her voice.
“Oh look, we’re here. And we made it before the long line started,” he said, pulling into a parking spot.
He unbuckled his belt, but she stayed firmly in her seat.
“I am not getting out of this car, Porter. Not until you tell me if I’m fired or not.”
He was distracted, momentarily, by the way she said his name, and how stunning and wild she looked when she was angry.
“Um,” he said, and cleared his throat. “No. I just meant that I know your business is doing well, and you’re probably going to leave soon anyway.”
She tilted her chin up, her temper cooling into something that made him even more uncomfortable.
“Yes. And that’s why we need a space.”
He turned off the car and got out.
“The eggs benedict and corned beef hash are some of my favorites here, but you can’t go wrong with the pancakes,” he said, walking ahead of her. He had no idea if she was following or not, but he eventually heard the car door slam.
He held the door to the restaurant open for her, smiling at her glare as she walked inside.
“Two, please,” he said, relieved that they had one more table available. In 20 minutes, this place was going to be packed with a line out the door.
“Right this way,” the hostess said, and led them to a little table by the window.
Fiona didn’t say a word to him until after their waiter had brought them water and a carafe of coffee.
She waited for him to take a sip, then spoke up.
“You’ve had your coffee. Can we talk now?”
He hid his smirk behind his coffee cup. The woman was planning to take the lounge space he was already dreaming about. So why was he enjoying this?
“You start,” he said.
She sat up straighter, and moved all of her dark hair over one shoulder.
“Look. My friends and I need a space. Fast. But it also has to have a good location, and it’s really, really slim pickings right now. That spot is just about perfect.”
“Your old salon on the other side of the restaurant closed,” Porter said, shrugging. “It’s already outfitted for a salon. Why not go for that?”
“Too big,” she said, listing the reasons on her fingers. “Too expensive. And already rented to Norm’s friend, who’s turning it into a spa.”
“A spa,” Porter said, considering. “I like that. People can get a massage, stop in to Hearth for lunch or an early dinner…that could work for us.”
Fiona looked at him flatly. “I’m so glad it’s all working out for you.”
“Won’t the spa be competition for your business?” he asked.
“It’s kind of perfect, actually,” Fiona told him. “We have some bachelorette parties and bridal parties booked, so we can send some of them over there to get their nails done or have a massage while we’re working on hair and makeup. I’ve already introduced myself to the new owner, and she gave me some brochures.”
Her phone buzzed a couple of times. He wondered, briefly, if that was Sergio texting her. Maybe they’d gone out the night before, or they were making plans for tonight. He pushed the thought away.
Suddenly, she gasped. “I have a great idea. Did you see the space above your restaurant?”
Porter frowned. “Yeah, actually. That run down place? They showed it to us before we rented the restaurant in case we wanted to use it for storage or something. But we already have the basement.”
“Perfect,” Fiona said. “You guys can take that spot for your lounge, and we can take the main level rental.”
Porter laughed. “Come on. The logistics don’t make sense. We would need a connected space, we can’t be sending our customers outside to get to the lounge. Why don’t you take the upstairs space?”
Fiona sighed. “I wish. It would be too expensive to fix up. But if I had the money, I’d do it.”
Porter drummed his fingers on the table.
“I’m going to have to tell David about this,” he said. “I can’t promise he won’t recommend letting you go, given the conflict of interest.”
“Oh, that reminds me,” Fiona said, taking a sip of her coffee. “I’m putting in my two weeks’ notice.”
Porter nearly choked on his own coffee. “Excuse me? Did you not just freak out over me potentially firing you?”
She shrugged casually. “It’s the principle of the thing. Plus, it’s wedding season. We have two brides to style for their showers this weekend, one for a rehearsal dinner, and three women celebrating anniversaries this week. Not to mention my hair clients in between all of that.”
He leaned back, considering.
“So what do you propose we do here?”
Before she could answer, the food arrived – eggs benedict for him, corned beef hash and toast for her.
They ate for a bit, each of them lost in thought.
“I have an idea,” she said. “But it might not work.”
“Shoot,” he said, his mood lifted by the food.
“We tell Laura to give us two weeks. One of us will be taking the rental space, guaranteed. But we take two weeks to decide amongst ourselves who gets it.”
“So,” Porter said, frowning. “...you talk to Stella and Cassie, I talk to David, and one of us gives up the space to the other.”
“Yeah,” Fiona said, taking another bite of toast. “Unless you have a better idea.”
Never gonna happen, he thought.
“David stops at nothing when he has a goal,” he told her. “I can’t see him ever giving up the space to you guys, just as a warning.”
Fiona smiled conspiratorially. “We’ll see. Maybe something better will open up for you guys.”
Porter smirked.
“Unlikely, seeing as how this space is literally next door to our restaurant. But there is almost certainly a better place for your business.”
“Find one, and I might consider it,” Fiona lied. She held out her hand. “Do we have a deal?”
Porter looked down at her hand, then back at her. She looked very determined, her enchanting blue eyes locked on his. He held her gaze as he took her hand.
“Deal.”