He had never played games like that. If he liked someone, he hadn’t hesitated to let them know. Even now, after being jerked around by Heather, he still held that belief deep at his core. Games were for little children.
By the time he entered the conference room an hour later, Hattie was already seated at the table, talking animatedly with True. He sucked in a deep breath at the sight of her, taking a moment to remind himself that this was a business meeting. As always, she looked beautiful. A light floral scent hung in the air, one he associated with True. Xavier couldn’t allow himself to be distracted by True’s presence despite her close physical proximity. Moments after he sat down next to Hattie, Red walked into the room and took the seat beside True.
He sat through the meeting, listening as the tavern was discussed. True was the star of the show. Today she’d dressed in a pair of cream-colored slacks, a matching blazer, and black flats. She knew the establishment backward, forward, and upside down. Her love for what she did for a living was apparent every time she opened her mouth. She was a bit nervous, though, which didn’t mesh with her usual confident vibe. Maybe she perceived this meeting as a critique of her managerial skills. He sure hoped not. Hattie was lucky to have her at the helm.
Thankfully, Hattie took a moment to praise her managerial efforts. “True, you’ve done a fantastic job with the tavern. This isn’t personal at all.” She looked at her from over the top of her glasses. “Moreover, I think we need to update the model. Perhaps tweak a few things to get business rolling again. With the launch of our new line of ciders, I’m hoping we can come up with a profitable tie-in.”
“That’s a great idea,” True said. “Patrons always get excited about new flavors.”
“I’ve heard a lot of great things about the chef,” Redremarked. “It would be interesting to do some pairings with her meals and the new ciders.”
“I really like that idea,” True said, typing notes on her iPad.
“Me too,” Hattie said, rubbing her hands together. “Let’s do this!” She turned toward Xavier. “You’ve been awfully quiet. Got anything to add?”
“Not really, but having frequented the tavern on a few occasions, I can attest to the great ambiance and food selections.” He glanced over at True. “And the karaoke is a lot of fun. The place was packed with patrons.”
“Thanks for your vote of confidence,” True said, meeting his gaze. Xavier didn’t want to look at her too long, in case Hattie picked up on any vibes. The last thing they needed was for her to be involved in whatever was brewing between them.
Ifthere was anything. At the moment he wasn’t so sure.
Once the meeting concluded, Xavier wasted no time catching up to True in the corridor.
“Hey, True! Wait up!” he called out.
When she stopped in her tracks and turned back toward him, he tapped his wristwatch. “Still waiting for that call.” He placed his other hand on his chest and made a painful, wounded sound.
True looked away from him, casting her gaze downward. He waited for her to say something. If she sent out any signals that she wasn’t interested, he wouldn’t make any further attempts to pursue her. The last thing he wanted to do was become a pest.
“It’s not that I didn’t want to reach out to you, but time kind of got away from me,” she explained, shifting from one foot to the other.
“Mm-hmm,” Xavier said. It was a pretty lame excuse.Maybe she really wasn’t feeling him, which caused disappointment to nearly swallow him whole. He was so out of practice, he had probably read the whole situation wrong between them. That would leave him no choice but to walk away from the situation.
No way!He hadn’t imagined their blazing chemistry. He’d kissed enough women to know if there was heat or not. And there had definitely been fireworks. A five-alarm fire, if he was being honest.
“And now, I’m thinking… are we working together?” True frowned. “Because that might get awkward. I don’t date co-workers.”
Xavier quirked his mouth. “I think that would only be a problem if I were your superior or you were mine. That’s not the case at all. We don’t have any power over each other, and I’m not working at Northern Exposure.”
She raised a brow. “Well, you are Hattie’s grandson.”
“Meaning?”
She let out a sigh. “Are you serious? That holds a lot of weight in Moose Falls. It’s like you’re a Kennedy or something.”
Xavier burst out laughing. Never in his life had he been compared to a member of the illustrious Kennedy family. But True wasn’t laughing along with him. She was gazing at him with a concerned expression stamped on her face.
He didn’t want to be in the position of twisting her arm to get her to go out on a date. At this point his ego was a bit wounded. Maybe he should just quit while he was ahead.
“I have a theory,” he said, scratching his jaw.
True groaned. “Oh, no. Do I want to hear this?”
“People make time for what they want to. So, if you’re not interested, that’s cool. But if you’re just finding reasons not to call me, maybe you should ask yourself why.” He leaned in and whispered, “I promise that I don’t bite.”
True clutched her purse to her chest. “Okay, here’s the thing. I’m raising my little brother. The one who happens to be your biggest fan. He thinks you walk on water, by the way.” True made a face, letting him know she didn’t agree with her brother’s assessment. “I spend most of my free time with Jaylen. Cooking for him, helping him with homework, driving him to his events. But I do have a window this Saturday if you want to meet up.”
Relief swept through him. “Yes. I do. That would be great.”
