Page 27 of Flirting with Trouble

“You work for other people now,” Fitz points out.

“I work for myself,” Keira insists. “Customers buy the things I choose to make.”

As they dispute the subject, my father speaks over them. “Wells, how did things go in New York?”

“Yes, honey. Tell us all about your trip,” my mother adds.

“He had a great time hobnobbing with the stars,” Bellamy chimes in.

“I heard about that from the Bra Brigade,” my mother says. “They said your picture was all over social media.” Jules’s grandmother Lenore is the ringleader of the Bra Brigade, a group of women who seek out private areas on the island and sunbathe in their bras. She started the group decades ago when she was a teenager. She and her friends have continued the tradition, and over the years, they’ve recruited their daughters, granddaughters, and friends.

“It was. I saw the pictures,” Keira confirms.

“How’d you get invited to that party anyway?” Bellamy asks. “Did you go with Victory Braden?”

“You were with Victory?” my mother asks with far too much excitement. “As I recall, you showed quite an interest in her at Sutton’s wedding, and it’s no wonder. She’s as sharp as a tack, and beautiful.”

“She blew him off at the wedding,” Keira throws in casually. “I don’t think she’s into guys like Wells.”

You’d be surprised at just how into me she was.

Until she blew me off.

“What do you mean a guy like Wells?” Grant challenges.

“He’s not exactly boyfriend material,” Keira says.

“Neither was I,” Grant says. “But things change.”

“Thanks, Grant, but it doesn’t matter. I didn’t go with Victory.”

Fitz raises a brow in a silent question.

I kept my word to Victory about our tryst staying between us and didn’t tell him we hooked up Friday night. I’m not about to give him any indication of it now. “I wanted to network for the restaurant, so I asked Leni to get me on the list.”

“Does that mean you saw an acceptable property in the city?” my father asks.

“Not yet, but I met with Seth Braden while I was there, and he’s interested in partnering.” As I say it, my thoughts return to Victory. If she really wants to forget we ever hooked up, is it fair to partner with her brother? But even that thought feels wrong. I can’t shake the feeling that whatever this is between us isn’t over.

“Are you sure you want to be in New York City?” my mother asks, drawing me from my contemplation. “Did you get the listing of available properties in Chaffee from Charmaine?” Chaffee is one of the other small towns on the island.

“I did, Mom, and I appreciate the time you took speaking with Charmaine, but as I said before, I want to branch out.”

“I thought you didn’t want a partner,” Fitz says.

“I wasn’t looking for one, but partnering with Seth might make sense. He and Jared Stone own a number of highly successful restaurants. Partnering could save me from making mistakes. It would also allow me to expand faster.”

“Those are good points, son,” my father says. “But be careful expanding too fast. You don’t want to spread yourself too thin. I assume you’ll talk to your attorney about this before doing anything?”

“Of course,” I say.

“Are you planning on moving to the city?” Bellamy asks.

“Not permanently, right, honey?” my mother asks.

“If you’re in New York, who’s going to run this Rock Bottom?” Keira asks.

I’ve been wrestling with all of those questions, but now I can’t think beyond Victory.