So unassuming that the sign on the front spelled out the Food Tycoon’s first name inFULL, unlike any of the other places she owned that only used a ‘c.’“This is it,” she said.
Jason nodded.She wouldn’t be surprised if he’d known this place.
“Shall we?”
He nodded in response and used his free hand to open the door.The jingling of bells heralded their entrance.
A tall woman with dark black hair was behind the counter, organizing pastries, adding a few, adjusting a few.A few customers chatted, drinking tea, and the smell of coffee came from the back.
Naomi followed Jason to the counter, and she could tell the minute the person behind the counter realized they’d arrived.
It took less than that for her to recognize the woman’s profile; considering it belonged to someone who’d launched atleasta thousand restaurants.
Charlotte Liu was gorgeous, even with a raised eyebrow.And on closer inspection, Charlotte was glaring.
Clearly it wasn’t at her.
“You two came all the way here?”Charlotte asked, shaking her head, grabbing two pastries and passing them over.“You didn’t have to, you know.I know Batya told me to expect you.She wouldn’t listen when I tried to tell her that you didn’t have to come here in person, considering many people have my number.”
“This isn’t about me,” Jason interjected, clearly realizing that Charlotte had been directing her ire at him.“And I don’t know you well enough to ask this kind of question.”
To keep things from getting out of control, Naomi interjected.“Hi.I’m Naomi…”
“Yes,” Charlotte said, turning her attention her way, “I’ve heard about you.You make beautiful events, and also weren’t you at Abe’s party a few months ago?”
The statement was dizzying enough that the words stopped in her mouth before managing to come out.“Yes,” she said.“I…”
“Everybody in the industry knew the power behind the scenes at Ida’s wasn’t Ida anymore,” Charlotte interrupted before Naomi could finish; Naomi thought it was probably because Charlotte had interpreted her inability to follow the conversation as fear.“She ran everything, but the only reason Ida was able to stay in business for as long as she did was because of you, your skills, and your contacts.Ida, it seems, was dust and didn’t want to face it.”
If Naomi was creating a list of the people Ida had alienated, Charlotte had just confirmed she’d been on it.She didn’t know how Ida had managed this one; Charlotte seemed way too focused to get those details.As if it even mattered.But even as Naomi could logically follow the conversation, this wasn’t anything she was ready to reply to.
How could she?
Because unlike most of the other conversations she’d had involving Ida for the last few days, this wasn’t about Ida.Not really.It was abouther.
And how did you respond to someone who put the nail on the central issue Ida had with her, and with life?
Each of the other conversations had hinted at the fact people thought Naomi was the hidden power behind Ida’s throne; Charlotte had just said it outright.
“Uh…”
“Yes,” Charlotte continued.“Ida traded off of your name and what you could do when she sold her business to potential clients, then took the credit for as long as she could before she let you go and closed said business, rather than admit she couldn’t hack it by giving it to you.And I’m sorry.”
That she could reply to.“Thank you,” she said.“I very much appreciate it.”
“Not a problem.”Charlotte paused, even as Jason seemed to be…hiding?That, she’d deal with later.
Charlotte continued, “And now that you’ve come all the way here from…Manhattan?Queens?”
“Manhattan,” Naomi replied.
“Good God.That traffic must have been horrible.”She glared at Jason, probably blaming him.“Anyway, more importantly, what do you need?”
Naomi sighed.“A cake.”
“That’s fine,” Charlotte said as if it was nothing.Which considering who Charlotte was, nothing was the least of the ways to describe how easy it would be.“I can do that.I assume it’s for your cousin?”
Naomi nodded.“Yes.”
