Josie glanced at it and then back at Eve. “Yeah, I…I guess.”
Eve’s gaze searched her face. “I see you’ve already sat with hair and makeup.”
Josie scoffed, trying to stifle the nervous laughter that threatened to bubble out of her. The combination of her lack of sleep, the camera crew currently assembling in the bar, the folder resting in front of her, and her attraction to Eve was getting to her. “Should I be offended by that observation?”
She expected Eve to have little patience for her fragile ego, to come back with a curt response, but to her surprise, Eve very pointedly dropped her gaze to Josie’s black tee and lilac pants before returning to her face. “Not at all. You always look good. I merely meant that you’re obviously already wearing camera-ready makeup.”
“Oh.”
Eve’s blouse strained slightly over her breasts, revealing enough cleavage to completely scramble Josie’s brain. So much so that it took her entirely too long to realize she was staring. She yanked her gaze back to Eve’s face, but the intensity in her eyes made it clear she’d seen Josie staring…and she liked it.
“You look good too,” Josie said, sounding slightly breathless. They were flirting, definitely flirting, and her heart was about to beat its way out of her chest.
“I…” Eve looked down at her hands, which were clenched around the edges of the folder. She drew in a deep breath, uncharacteristically flustered.
“Where are the kittens?” Josie blurted.
“At the office with my intern.”
“Oh.” Josie gulped as the camera crew moved in, adjusting their positions and calling out instructions.
Eve opened her mouth, then seemed to falter, glancing down at the folder again and back at Josie. “I need to speak to you for a minute in private.”
“What?” Josie’s head was starting to spin. What was happening? Was Eve about to throw caution to the wind and kiss her? Of all possible moments, right now all Josie wanted was to find out what she’d planned for Swanson’s.
“We’ll be right back,” Eve called to her crew as she led Josie down the hall to her office. Once they were both inside, Eve shut the door, turning to face Josie. “I asked my producer to let me give you a heads-up about this, and she…well, she wants your reaction on camera, but I can’t do it. I have to follow my conscience. Which means…” She drifted off, giving Josie a somewhat desperate look.
“What?” Why did her voice sound so squeaky? What was Eve trying to say? Josie had never seen her look so rattled, and it was unnerving.
Eve pressed a hand to her brow, pacing from one end of the office to the other. “I think I need to start at the beginning.”
Josie gulped, pulse skyrocketing from the situation and her proximity to Eve. “You’re starting to freak me out.”
Eve turned to face her, calm veneer back in place. “Okay, to make a long story short, my research showed something you probably already know. You’ve lost the majority of your customers to several newer, trendier bars that have opened in the neighborhood, most notably the gastropub down the street.”
“Yes,” Josie confirmed. “I suspected as much.”
“Swanson’s has become somewhat of a dinosaur. Your aesthetic is dated, you’re one of the only bars in the area that doesn’t also serve food, and you’re suffering for it.”
Josie winced. It hurt to hear, but she’d expected this. So why was Eve breaking protocol to tell it to her in private? “Okay.”
“I also noticed something else,” Eve said, and the hesitance in her eyes made it clear she was about to answer Josie’s question. “And it has to do with your identity, so I’m breaking the rules here and giving you the chance to tell me to fuck off if you feel like I’ve overstepped.”
“Okay.” Josie gripped the back of the chair in front of her. What in the world…
“New York City has one of the most prominent LGBT communities in the world,” Eve said, and the bottom dropped out of Josie’s stomach. “On any given night, approximately half of your customers belong to that community, largely because you’ve created such an inclusive space here.”
“Eve…” Josie was already shaking her head. Howdareshe…
“Let me finish,” Eve interrupted. “There isn’t a gay bar within a ten-block radius. You have a unique opportunity to reposition yourself, to cater to a different demographic, a demographic you’re already serving on a smaller scale. This is your niche, Josie. I can make youshine.”
“No,” she gasped, tears swimming across her vision. A gay bar? It was too much. She straightened, crossing her arms over her chest. “But I can’t say no, can I? Because I signed your stupid contract. I gave you permission to do this to me, to do anything you want.”
Eve’s chin went up, brown eyes flashing. “I just told you I was giving you the chance to say no. I’ve come up with a detailed plan for renaming, remodeling, and rebranding the bar. We can proceed with my plans, minus the gay-bar aspect, if that’s what you want.”
“It’s not what my dad would have wanted.”
“Oh.” Some of the fight went out of Eve’s stance. “I’m sorry he wasn’t supportive.”
