“Every city has a rich history, and if we don’t care enough to preserve it, these buildings disappear.”
“An act of pure altruism, eh?” Tyler took a bite of his steak.
Troy’s eyes glittered with amusement. “It’s not wrong to benefit from your sound business decisions.” He dabbed his lips with his napkin.
“I think it’s a gift that the two of you get to work together and that Tyler jumped right in after moving to Calgary.”
Troy cocked his head to the side. “Jumped in?”
Emma chewed the tender chicken and swallowed. “I think it takes most people some time to get acclimated to a new place. Tyler’s already killing it on his hockey team and is well-connected. It’s impressive.”
Troy chuckled. “Getting connected hasn’t ever been our struggle, eh Ty?” Tyler’s lip twitched as he reached for his water.
Emma put a hand on Tyler’s knee under the table. “Have you been to one of his games?”
The easy smile on Troy’s face slipped a little. “I’ve been extremely busy with work.”
Emma nodded, but couldn’t believe what she was hearing.Tyler had been here for how long, and Troy hadn’t seen him play?With every comment out of Troy’s mouth, Tyler retreated a little further into himself, and she hated it. Even if he hadn’t fallen far from his father’s tree on paper, something clashed within Tyler, and the energy rolled off him in waves.
“But enough about the Bowens,” Troy continued. “Tell me about your work, Emma.”
Tyler cleared his throat. “Emma does food styling, and product shoots through a photography studio downtown—”
“For the next two weeks,” she muttered, then froze with her glass halfway to her lips. Tyler frowned, and she waved the comment off. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring that up. I just found out things at work will be shifting a little, that’s all.”
She’d decided not to share anything about the studio because there hadn’t been time for her to process or find solutions. There was nothing to tell besides the fact that she’d be out of a job, and she didn’t want to make this dinner about her.
“Shifting how?” Tyler lifted a hand onto the back of her chair. The distance between their bodies seemed to be directly linked to her heart rate. Inversely proportional.
“The owners of the studio got an offer for the space, so they’re selling. It just means I’ll need to go back to working freelance.”
The furrow between Tyler’s brows deepened. “You’ve solely been there for a few years. Do you still have connections with other brands?”
He didn’t miss much, did he? “Between the three of us, we’ll pull some strings. It might take a little time to get our volume back up to what we’re used to, but I’m not worried.” Emma was terrified. A little time could be months to years, depending on the market, and she’d opted to purchase her apartment rather than rent. She had some savings, but not enough to cover a year’s worth of mortgage payments.
"The three of you?” Melanie asked.
Emma drank the last of her water. “Two friends of mine. Photographers. We’ve worked together for years. Kind of a package deal at this point.”
Melanie shared a look with Troy. He sat up and clasped his hands, setting them on the table between them. “The three of you do marketing work?”
She nodded. “Yes, food and product styling, commercial spots.”
Troy considered this, swirling the last of his wine in the flared glass. "You know, Emma, I've been looking to build my marketing team for all three of my properties. I need content for our social media platforms, online menus, booking sites, and advertising. Do you think you’d be interested? As long as I like your portfolio, of course."
He reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out a business card, and extended it toward her. The gold embossed lettering shimmered in the warm light of the Edison bulb. "Consider this an open invitation.” Troy flashed a charming smile. “I’d want you to be available full-time for the length of the project. I’m kind of a fast and furious guy.” Tyler stiffened next to her. “Take some time to think about it, and send me your work and fee schedule. I have a feeling you'd make an excellent addition to the team.”
Emma took the card from him, her thoughts buzzing. “Wow, I don’t know what to say. Thank you for the offer. I’ll submit that to you and talk with my partners.”
“Do that, and don’t dally. I want you to think about it but know that it doesn’t take long for the Bowen men to get distracted. Keep our attention, Emma, and we’ll get along just fine.”
ChapterEleven
Tyler and Emmastepped out of the warm, bustling restaurant into the brisk Calgary night. Emma gently pulled her hand from his grasp as soon as they were out of eyeshot of the restaurant. His dad and Melanie had just ordered another bottle of wine, so they wouldn’t be following.
The crisp night air nipped at their cheeks, and Tyler shoved his hands into his pockets. The streets were slick with a thin layer of frost, reflecting the dim glow of the streetlights above. Laughter echoed from a nearby pub, blending with the distant hum of traffic and the muted sounds of footsteps crunching on the icy pavement.
"Thanks for dinner." Emma shivered and wrapped her scarf around her neck.
