Tiffany was clearly trouble with a capital T, and I was still dealing with the aftermath of the last woman who had ripped my heart out.
“I’m not demoting you.I appreciate that while my brother was here, you accepted additional responsibilities, but I don’t run my businesses like that.I prefer to work at least as hard as the people who work for me.Yourself included.
“Now, I’m going to review the sales figures for the last two months and make some decisions.In the meantime, the bar will operate largely as normal, but I will require you to honor the managerial changes and redirect any staff queries to me.”
“Ok,” she said quickly.Too quickly.
“Ok?”
Then came a smile, too calculated to be cheerful.“Sure.Take the bar management stuff.Have fun.But if you really want to know how things work around here, you could just ask me.I’ve been running this place for years.I know every single person who has taken a sick day, every bottle we need restocked, the name of every wholesaler we deal with.”
“So, tell me.”
She snorted.“Didn’t your mama ever tell you to say please?”
“Tiffany.”
Her grin sharpened, but I had the distinct impression it was forced.She really hated her full name.I locked away that piece of information.“Riley.I want to fire her.She’s been either late or skipping out on shifts, and she didn’t turn up today.”
I thought it over.“I’ll consider it.Is that all?”
“We need a coffee machine.”
“I hardly think that’s a requirement for a bar.”
“I think it’s a crucial requirement if you’re going to want me awake before noon.Besides, aren’t espresso martinis a popular drink?”
I flexed my fingers against my thigh, grounding myself so that I wouldn’t do something irrational like laugh.She was gunpowder, kerosene, and oxygen to my system.
Definitely.Trouble.
It was going to be crucial for me to put some distance between us.Be professional.For one thing, I was her boss.And that was absolutely not something I wanted to take advantage of.The fact that I had to sit here and remind myself of that did not bode well.
“I have work to do.I’d appreciate it if you locked up on your way out.”
With a smirk, she left.
Once I’d heard the tell-tale click of the lock, I allowed some of the tension in my shoulders to bleed out, finally relaxing back into my chair and contemplating the enormity of the job ahead of me.
There was no denying it.I felt tired.Drained and battered if I wanted to be honest about it.And yet underneath it, there was a small thrill in starting over.With the benefit of distance, I was able to face that I had been running on autopilot these last few years.
Not since opening my first bar had I had the option of being bold.After that, I’d been a brand.I’d needed to be consistent.
Now, I had the chance to do something fresh.Re-evaluate my brand.Re-evaluate myself.I groaned.Great.My therapist would be thrilled.
Drumming one hand on the desk, I mentally started splitting up the tasks ahead of me, the first of which had to be cleaning up Harry’s office.
My office.Right.
Then I’d finalize the order for the new POS we needed.
I couldn’t help replaying the conversation with Tiffany.Her statement about the bar almost failing was news to me.In the many years since I’d left, I’d tried to keep in touch with Harry, but my work had always been my priority.Of course, I’d known he was out of his depth, but I had my own businesses to run, and I’d accepted it whenever he’d told me things were going well.Even though I knew I should have questioned it.Guilt that had always plagued me about leaving him behind now stirred worryingly from Tiffany’s accusation, even though there was no chance she’d meant it to.But my mind filled the gaps anyway.
The bar had been floundering, and she’d been the one to step in.Because I hadn’t.
He never asked me to, but I knew he hoped.I should have been here.Perhaps if I had, I wouldn’t feel the weight of my guilt so heavily now.
Over the years, I’d listen to my brother’s stories about Tiffany, although he’d been careful to be diplomatic.But I’d read between the lines.I’d seen how she had railroaded Harry into their current working situation, and I’d grown angry on his behalf.It was easy to recognize Tiffany as similar to my ex—someone who would take advantage when the opportunity arose.
