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“For now,” he repeats. “Tell me what you think of the macaroni n’ cheese.”
“I can’t wait to try it,” I say, picking up my fork and poking the bubbly, wonderful layer of cheese.
Reid picks up his fork too and I have this moment of realization; this is our first restaurant meal together. His eyes meet mine and I read the same in him. We are no longer hate-fuck buddies. We are something more, something I cannot name, but I don’t feel the need to either. He motions to my food and together we take a bite. “Mmmm wow. Okay. I believe our waiter now. This must be world famous. This is amazing.”
His eyes warm with my reaction. He’s pleased. I’m not sure Reid is ever pleased, but he is now. “Good,” he says softly. “I wanted you to like it.”
“I do,” I reply. “I mean, this is the kind of dish you come back for.”
“Then we’ll come back. Just you and me. No Grayson on the menu. We’ll finish the weekend we planned.”
“I’d like that,” I say, warmth spreading through me. “And for the record,” I reach for my glass, “I like your wine choice more than Grayson’s.”
He laughs as the waiter reappears to check on us and by the time he’s gone, Reid and I have managed to down half our glasses of wine, and the macaroni is now cool enough to eat more heartily. We dig in and start eating and for a few moments, we both watch the ocean crash against the shore. “It’s beautiful,” I murmur.
“It is,” he says. “I like the city, but it’s been a while since I remembered the benefits of just getting away. Maybe it’s time to remember. Tell me something else I don’t know about you, Carrie.”
“I’m not complicated. I live for my job. Despite working for my father, I’m not one to lean on him or anyone. I make my own way and I like it like that. West Enterprises is everything to me. It’s where I always knew I would be.”
“Then we understand each other, as all of those things apply to me with our company. Let’s win Grayson together for both our families.”
“With Japan? I don’t like Japan, Reid. You know how Asia’s burned me and no, that has nothing to do with my brother living there, as well as presently fucking my ex-best friend, or any past history with him. The regulations and money are both hard to manage from afar.”
“I have a couple of investors who eat up the Asian markets that I trust completely and they represent big money. Because of my work with them, I’ve invested an exceptional amount of time into the understanding of the regulations there and enlisted a variety of insiders to aid my efforts. I can protect us, but then I need you. We need a project that entices them and Grayson.”
I hesitate and he notices.
“What?” he asks, pushing his food aside.
“This is an unconventional investment to pair with a law firm and it’s really not an option anyway.”
“Carrie,” he prods.
I sigh. “Okay. Right before the takeover, I was emailed a lead about the investors in a major event center—as in sports, concerts, you name it are held there—wanting out.”
“And?”
“And I dismissed because a) timing, we were in trouble. B) Asia is tricky and in light of the trouble, that seemed bad at the time, and c) the lead came from my brother who only told me because he wants some sort of payout for finding the deal. And neither one of us has a high opinion of my brother.”
“He wants to make money. We’ll make sure it makes money together.”
“Then you like the idea?” I query.
“It’s an option,” he says. “It’s thinking out of the box.”
“It’s not a for sure thing though,” I remind him, “and we have to present to Grayson next week,”
“Be honest with him,” he says. “He knows the short timeline. I might bite when I need to bite, but I play devious where devious is needed, but I do that with people who deserve it. Grayson is an honest man. He’s hard. He’s demanding. He will cut you if you cut him, but he won’t cut you just to cut you. He’ll appreciate that you don’t fluff it up.”
“But if I work this, I may not have time to come up with something else.”
“Then don’t,” he says. “Just give him an idea of how you think. He can decide if he wants to be on board with that or not. And he will.”
“You don’t know that.”
Reid leans forward. “You won me over and believe me, baby, I didn’t want to be won over. You’ll win him over, too. But leave out the cuffs. Those are for me, right along with the emerald dress, I’m not going to get to see this weekend after all. Just another reason to bring you back here next weekend.”
“Next weekend?”
