“What are you talking about?”
“Jax said you were in a mood, and your expression confirms it.”
“Maybe Jax oughta mind his own damn business.” This is the downfall of doing business with two guys who’ve known me forever.
“Well?”
“Nothing, and speaking of Jax, did you ever find out why the fuck he was MIA for two days?”
“Said he had that stomach virus. Spent two days in the shitter.”
“And couldn’t even answer his fuckin’ phone?”
“He’s back now.” Samson nabs a cig out of the pack on my desk and lights up. “Any word from Pierce?”
“Not yet.”
My phone buzzes. I swipe it, then turn the screen toward Samson.
Samson nods, and I answer, “Yeah?”
“Good afternoon, Nick.” Graham’s polished voice sets my teeth on edge, but I stay silent. “Regarding the proposal… After going over everything, I think it would be advantageous for me to deliver it in person.”
“Yeah, all right. When?”
“Tomorrow afternoon, around two.”
“See you then.”
I swipe away the call and meet Samson’s gaze. “He’s delivering the proposal in person tomorrow.”
“Why?”
“No fuckin’ clue. Just another shitty part of this already shitty day.”
“I’m guessing you and Cheryl were pissing at each other this morning.”
My next question is gonna make me sound like a pussy, but Samson knows me longer and better than anyone, including Cheryl, so I need his input, even though I’ll probably hate it.
“Do you think I’m no fun?”
“Yes.”
“Well, shit, brother, don’t hold back; just hit me square between the eyes.”
“I assumed you wanted the truth. If you want me to blow smoke up your ass, I’ll say, ‘Hey, Nick, you’re the life of the party, always down for a good time.’”
“You don’t have to be a wiseass.”
Samson draws deep on the smoke, then shrugs. “I don’t know what you want me to say. You’ve always been the serious one. Even when we were first starting out, it was you who had a head for numbers. It was you who made it all happen. Frank put us in charge of the Oasis, but it was you who turned it all around. That fuckin’ dump turned a profit for the first time ever, and then you transformed it into a top-notch club.”
“I didn’t do it alone.”
“I know, but it was you with the ideas, you who kept the books in order. Shit, if it had been up to me, I would’ve taken those first profits and headed to Atlantic City with a couple of bimbos.”
Those days were all about survival. Samson and I waded through the shit, and somehow came out on the other side.
“What’s got you doin’ all this deep thinking?”
