Harrison Cross set the price—whether you liked it or not—and walked away with it.
FIVE
HARRISON
Day #0.5 of the Company Takeover
“Why are we stalking Starbucks tonight instead of getting ready for your first day at the office?” Aaron asked from the passenger seat.
“Because I want to take a good look at the competition.”
“It’s closing hours, Harrison,” he said. “There’s nothing to see.”
“There’s plenty if you pay attention.” I gestured for him to look out the window, to focus on what was happening across the street. “Look.”
“Oh. Okay.” He leaned back and started a new zombie game on his phone.
“We need to watch everything that they’re doing,” I said, “and then we’ll compare it to what the employees do when we go to our cafe an hour from now.”
“Ourcafe?” Ciara scoffed from the backseat.
“Yes.Ourcafe, Ciara.” I hesitated to look at her through the rearview mirror.
Her notebook was splayed open in her lap, full of doodles instead of notes. Even though she’d long served as a pain in my ass, she was one of the few people I could actually trust.
She could also run research better than any specialist I’d ever employed, and I couldn’t fire her if I wanted to. Even if she blatantly tempted me to do that at least ten times a year.
“If Aaron is going to sit here and play games,” I said, “you could join me in watching.”
“What am I supposed to be looking for, Harrison?” She waved her hand at the window. “Two baristas wiping down chairs and tables? Taking out trash?”
“You’re supposed to get a good look at what won’t exist a year from now.” I narrowed my eyes. “You could also get their names and find out what they hate about their jobs this week, so we can fix it before we poach them.”
“I thought you usually wait a few weeks before going in for the kill…”
“You of all people know this takeover is personal.” I finally turned around to face her. “Don’t you want to see them brought to their knees in our lifetime? Don’t we all deserve to see that?”
Silence filled the car—thick and unbearable, wrapping around the three of us with the topic we always avoided. It was the thought that kept me up every single night—the thing that shattered our worlds and tethered us together forever.
“I need some air.” Ciara opened the door, but then she looked at me before stepping out. “And yes. I want to see you ruin them like they ruined us.”
She slammed the door shut and crossed the street.
“I think I need some air, too.” Aaron rolled down his window. “Are you planning to stalk every Starbucks in the country, or just New York?”
“All of them.”
“And I take it you’re serious about running Sweet Seasons for the long-term and not selling it for parts?”
“I am, Aaron. Truly.”
“Well, in that case, I need three huge favors.”
“I’ll consider granting one.”
“First, don’t overload Ciara with too much Starbucks stuff. Given the emotional trauma, she should focus on Sweet Seasons far more.”
“I know that. Tonight is an anomaly.”
