Tonya’s dimples deepened when she smiled. “Thanks. I want to put them on the menu for my restaurant’s Caribbean night.”
Nydia had no doubt that the restaurant Tonya and Gage planned to open once the inn was operational would become a much sought-after dining establishment. Tonya told her they would offer a few of Chez Toussaints’s signature dishes, and also a variety of small plates featuring international cuisine.
It appeared as if her former coworkers were busy planning the next phase of their lives, while her future was still in limbo. And she knew she had to make a decision before the end of the year when it came time to renew the lease. Nydia had talked about her ex finding a real job, but now she found herself in the same situation; she had to stop dragging her feet and seriously think about securing permanent employment.
Hannah had asked her to invest in her new business venture, which would give her ten percent ownership in the inn. Even if she did decide to invest, she still would have some money from her severance payout, and if she did move to New Orleans she would live rent-free in her own suite at the DuPont Inn. Whenever she thought about going into business with her former coworkers, the more appealing the notion had become.
She didn’t have children or a significant other to consider, and her extended family was only a couple of hours away by plane if she needed to fly up to New York. Nydia had a month to contemplate her next move, and once she returned home she would know whether to accept or reject Hannah’s offer to become an innkeeper.
* * *
Hannah touched the corners of her mouth with her napkin. “This hotel is where St. John and I reunited for our fortieth high school reunion.”
Nydia met her eyes. “It didn’t take you long to become reacquainted before you married him.”
Hannah smiled and nodded. “Remember, St. John and I were high school classmates, and when you get to my age you don’t want or need a long engagement. I knew even before we slept together the first time that I wanted to marry him.”
Tonya gave Hannah a side-eye glance. “You didn’t act like it when you came back to New York to close up your apartment. When we asked how things were going with St. John you said they weren’t, because he’d admitted to cheating on his ex-wife. And if we hadn’t threatened to sleep with your man, you would not have married him.”
Hannah lowered her eyes. “I’ll tell y’all about that later.”
Nydia knew Hannah had aroused her curiosity along with the others. She’d known with a single glance that there was something going on between her former coworker and the handsome college professor when he’d come to the DuPont House to take Hannah for their ballroom dance lesson. St. John was the total package: looks, brains, and breeding, and it was obvious the way he’d looked at Hannah that he was as enthralled with her as she was with him.
“How are the renovations going on the inn?” Nydia asked Hannah, deftly changing the topic of conversation.
The former corporate attorney rolled her eyes upward. “Much slower than I’d anticipated.” She gave Nydia a direct stare. “The offer’s still open if you want to become the CFO.”
Suddenly Nydia felt as if Hannah had put her on the spot in front of the others. It was one thing to discuss the business arrangement one-on-one, but with Jasmine and Tonya already onboard she felt vulnerable. She knew her friends wanted her to relocate and join them in their new venture. “I’m still thinking about it.”
Tonya patted Nydia’s back. “Don’t think too long, sweetie. My mother used to say, ‘Opportunity is like a baldheaded man. You have to catch him as he’s coming toward you. Once your hand slips off it’s gone.’ ”
“Amen to that,” Jasmine and Hannah intoned at the same time.
Nydia angled her head as she struggled not to laugh. “Please don’t tell me you rehearsed this in advance.”
Jasmine shook her head. “There’s nothing to rehearse. We all feel that you would be perfect looking after our investments. I was really shocked when Wakefield Hamilton let you go, because the word was you were one of the best accountants they’d ever hired.”
Nydia made a sucking sound with her tongue and teeth. “I was one of the newbies, so that meant I was expendable.”
“Don’t even go there,” Jasmine drawled, frowning. “You were ten times brighter than that idiot who headed your unit, and there were rumors that you completed his monthly reports. I’d occasionally sit in on the department head meetings, and when it came time for Hank to give his report he babbled like someone under the influence.”
“That’s because he was taking meclizine for vertigo. He told me this in confidence, so I never mentioned it to anyone,” Nydia said in defense of her former supervisor.
Tonya took a sip of water. “So you covered his ass?”
“It wasn’t so much covering.”
“What else was it, Nydia?” Jasmine questioned. “You did the man’s job, and you’d think he would’ve recommended you for a promotion.” Her mouth twisted in derision. “I saw more underhanded crap I didn’t need to see working in HR.”
Hannah emitted an unladylike snort. “It was the same in the legal department, and it wasn’t until we were standing on the sidewalk with our banker boxes that I realized that more than half the downsized were female. Not only do we make less than our male counterparts for the same work, but when it comes to handing out pink slips we’re the first to be shown the door. Now talking about promotions, Jasmine, you should’ve been the one to head HR after Brian Harvey left. Instead they brought in that pimply-faced boy who didn’t know his ass from his elbow to replace him.”
Jasmine raised her goblet of sparkling water. “I agree, but that’s because they didn’t want me privy to the merger and who they’d planned to lay off.”
“Would you have let it slip about the layoffs?” Nydia asked Jasmine.
“No. Even if my name was on the list I wouldn’t have said a word to anyone.”
“That’s because you’re ethical,” Hannah stated.
