Should’ve Known It’s You (Not You Again #7)

Chapter 34

CHAPTER 34

KENNEDY

S itting in a local café near my apartment, I took in the leafy garland strung around the counter and the twinkle lights in the windows. Bright orange flames crackled in the fireplace and a couple at a nearby table was arguing over drama that went down at their Thanksgiving dinner.

I smiled around the sip of tea I’d just taken and inhaled the scent of homemade soup and bread in the air. I loved this place, especially at that time of year when it was chilly outside and their cook started to prepare that kind of fare.

From previous chats with her, I knew she came in early in the mornings to start baking their fresh breads. Her soups were a labor of love from recipes that had been passed down in her family from generation to generation.

Today’s special was chicken noodle with a fresh roll the size of my head, and I couldn’t wait for Austin to get here so we could order. On the other hand, I was also nervous to see him, not sure what to expect after our argument.

I was desperately hoping that this conversation would go well, but I just didn’t know if it would. In the heat of the moment, I’d solidly laid the blame for what had happened on his shoulders and the worst part of it was that I didn’t even know why.

I knew it wasn’t his fault that the float had been vandalized or that the incident had been trending on social media. I’d always known it wasn’t his fault, so why I’d made it sound like it was, I honestly didn’t know.

Things had been going so darn well with us until that moment. Business-wise, everything had been on track but it was about so much more than that. He and I had clicked in a way I knew was rare, and even after just a day of not talking to him, I already missed him.

When he finally appeared in the doorway, my heart skipped. I could tell he’d just left the office and he looked so handsome, but he always did. In a navy suit with a crisp white button-down underneath and a light blue tie around his neck and his dark hair just gently tousled after the day, he was like a fantasy of the man every woman wanted to come home to.

Especially when a warm smile spread his lips when he saw me. My heart nearly stalled as he kept that smile trained on me. His dark eyes glittered as he strode right over. I felt like the luckiest woman in the world, unable to look away as he finally pulled out the chair opposite mine and sat down.

“Hey, Kenny,” he said easily. “I was happy to hear from you, though the wording of your message was kind of ominous. We need to talk?”

My eyes widened and it took me a moment to unglue my tongue from the roof of my mouth as I stared back at him. “I, uh, I didn’t mean it like that.”

His relief was visible, softening his eyes and his jaw simultaneously. “That’s great news. In that case, should we order something to eat before we talk? I’m starving and this place smells amazing.”

“Their soup and bread are both homemade,” I told him. “It’s well worth the price.”

Austin didn’t even look at the menu. “Sold. What are you having?”

“The same.” I turned to seek out my regular server and smiled when my gaze met hers.

She came right over and took our orders, but once she was gone, things got a little awkward. I stared at Austin across the table, but I was more studying the fall-colored decorations and the beautiful candle between us than looking into his eyes.

After contemplating how to do this all day, I found the moment pretty freaking intimidating. Once again, I’d behaved poorly in his presence and the embarrassment was making it hard for me to remember everything I wanted to say.

“So, I, uh, I owe you another apology,” I started lamely. “I’m sorry for making it sound like it was your fault that the float was ruined and that we were going to get bad press for it. Obviously, it’s not your fault. I just feel bad, you know? Those historians had a point and everyone should care more about it, and we’re on the wrong side, and I hate that for us, and…” I trailed off, realizing that I was having a hard time getting my actual feelings across. Thankfully, Austin didn’t just get up and walk out, so I tried again. “None of this is coming out right. Can I try again?”

He lowered his chin in a slight nod, but his expression had hardened again now that the relief from before was gone. Shit, I’m really screwing this up.

“I apologize for getting mad at you,” I said slowly, trying to avoid rambling again. “Suggesting that you should’ve known what was going to happen was ludicrous, and I’m really sorry I did it. To be honest with you, I don’t even know why I said that. I knew all along that no one could’ve predicted what was going to happen and I lashed out at you because you were there.”

“I did push you into the float,” he said. “I stand by it, though. I thought it would be good for marketing and it was. Until the vandals got to it, but even then, there’s no such thing as bad publicity, right?”

“I don’t know about that.” I swiped my tongue across my lips. “Right now, I kind of feel like the public hates the hotel and that they won’t visit it even if we do manage to scrape together the money to get us that far.”

“Do you want out?” he asked pointblank. “All you have to do is say the word and I’ll cancel everything.”

I shook my head. “No, that definitely isn’t what I want. What I want is to open this hotel and to beat the odds by turning it into the most popular place in the city.”

He cocked his head. “The most popular place in the city? Since when are we aiming for that?”

“Since my parents decided to give Winrey an ultimatum. They’ll pay for anything and everything the baby could ever need, but only if she breaks up with Benji. How’s that for unconditional love?”

Austin’s chin lowered slowly. His eyes widened and his brows rose. “Are you serious?”

“I wish I wasn’t,” I said honestly. “Dinner was atrocious. It was just a ruse to get us there so they could promise her everything she could possibly want for her child, except that if she took them up on it the kid wouldn’t have its father.”

He let out a low whistle. “I’ve got to admit, that’s not one I’ve ever heard before.”

“It’s definitely a new level of low, even for them,” I agreed. “My point, however, is that I’m more motivated than ever to pull off our fundraiser dinner, make the money we need, and get my dream off the ground. I know the business will be lucrative. I feel it in my gut that if I can just get started, it’ll work. There’s no way I’m the only woman in New York looking for a little slice of something that feels like home.”

Just thinking about my parents made my inner teenager rebel like a beast, and determination raced through me to get this done. “I’m not going to throw in the towel just because my mission is misunderstood right now. People don’t get it yet, but they will.”

Austin was quiet for a long minute when I finally ran out of steam, but then a grin started tugging at his lips and it got wider and wider, fueling my hope that I hadn’t lost him. “I’m impressed, Kenny. Until you started talking, I was convinced you were going to pull the plug on this whole thing.”

“Well, I might have to if you’re not in anymore.”

“I’m all in,” he said without hesitating. “Of course, I’m still all in. I don’t give up, Kenny, but especially not because some idiots don’t know what’s really going on.”

Elated, I finally felt another smile break free and it wouldn’t quit—until I realized that this meant it was time to get to the hard part. My gaze slipped away from his and I felt an ache starting to build in my chest.

This next conversation we had to have was why it’d taken me so long to contact him. If it’d just been about the apology, I would have called him up last night after Benji dropped me off at home, but it wasn’t just that.

He and I had gone way past being only business partners—not that we ever had been only that—and I wasn’t sure that was the best thing for either of us right then. “This is too important to let it go sideways.”

“What do you mean?”

I wished I didn’t have to say this. It hurt to even just think the words, but I was getting too attached to Austin and I couldn’t let my heart risk my dream. “I’m worried that our relationship—whatever it might be, considering that I’m not sure myself—could only be a distraction with some pretty serious consequences if it doesn’t work out.”

Austin stared at me for a silent beat but then nodded. “Just tell me what you need, and I’ll meet you where you’re at.”

If only he knew how much that meant to me. Tears pressed at the backs of my eyes as I flashed him a weak smile. “I think I just need to take a step back and approach this like we’re business partners. If you don’t mind.”

“I can do that,” he said, not even seeming like he’d skipped a beat.

Relief fizzed through me, but maybe there was also a part of me that was disappointed that he hadn’t pushed back at all. Maybe I had even hoped that he would. I’d really thought he was starting to develop feelings for me too, but obviously, it hadn’t been quite the same for him.

Besides, for now, this was what was right. Let it go, Kenny. This is a good thing.

Breathing through the stabs of pain, longing, and disappointment, I smiled and nodded at him. “So where do we go from here, partner? What do you think we should do?”

“I think we should push forward with the original plan,” he said, still just appearing to take everything in his stride. “Your business is all about home and family, and this is the time of year to capitalize on that.”

I nodded.

“Plus,” he went on. “No matter what else is going on, people are talking about the Dahlia right now and no one really even knows what it’s all about. Any investor will tell you that when the public is talking about a business, that’s who they want to give their money to. We’ve got the season and the buzz on our side right now.”

“You’re saying we keep the event as-is?”

“I’m saying that today is the day we should crack down and send our invitations,” he said confidently. “We’ve got the file ready for the e-vites. Our guest list has been finalized. I’m not expecting everyone to accept our invitation, I should add, but those who do accept are the ones we should always have been focusing on anyway.”

“What if everybody declines?” I asked nervously. “What happens then?”

“Then we pivot,” he said. “Until that happens though, I think we ought to stay the course. It’s not up to me though. What do you think?”

My heart started pounding, but then I thought about the way my parents had looked at me at dinner last night and I nodded. “Let’s do it. Let’s stay the course and send out those invitations.”

“Regardless of what the vandals think?”

“Regardless of what the vandals think,” I said. “Look, there’s still a part of me that would’ve loved to invite them all. To invite everybody, but realistically, we can’t afford to do that. I can’t afford to feed a hundred people that don’t have money to make this thing happen, so we’ll invite only your wealthy contacts.”

“It’s a means to an end, Kenny,” he reminded me patiently, but it was like there was a sudden distance between us now that had never been there before. A distance I didn’t care for at all. “That’s business. Once the hotel is open, you can invite whoever you want for a meal that they can pay for, but until we’re at that point, you need to invite only those people who can help you get there.”