“Well, I didn’t do anything special while you were away, but Jonathan and Sebastian were sure on fire.” he chuckled.
Leila had met his nephews once. But Ethan talked about them so often, that she felt like she knew them perfectly. The three were close in age, and although they hadn’t exactly grown up together, they were beyond close. They could never keep secrets from one another, nor could they even dream about taking an important decision without consulting each other. The bromance was real when it came to the trio.
“I heard Jonathan was in some kind of scandal, but I didn’t look into it.” She said as she lifted her gaze, her eyes now boring into his.
“Well, there was a problem with the stocks after his father died. Of course, like the good boy he is, he decided to make things worse by marrying a ballerina after getting drunk.”
“He did what?” Leila exclaimed as she rose her head slightly.
“Don’t worry, he got ahold of things. In fact, Sophie and he are in love now.”
“What about Sebastian? It’s kind of hard to imagine he would do anything stupid. He was always the smart one.”
“Gee, thanks.” Ethan said dramatically, earning a stern look from Leila.
“Stop acting like you didn’t already know that. “she chuckled.
“Touché, touché!”
“Just continue the story.” Leila sighed, as she pressed her head to his arm.
“Well, Sebastian kind of hired a girl to steal information from his competitor. But, one thing led to another, his cold heart melted, and he magically fell in love with someone other than his work.”
“I don’t know what shocks me more. The fact that he fell in love or that he hired someone to steal information!”
“Well, if it helps you decide, he pulled out of the initial plan.”
“And what about the girl?”
“They are living as happily as Sophie and Jonathan.”
“Seems like you guys had a lot of fun while I was away.” she nodded.
“Well they had. Meanwhile I was all alone and- “
Leila rolled her eyes and shushed Ethan with a glare, silently warning him that he will not get another round of whatever he was thinking. Ethan exhaled dramatically and sealed his lips, although he was smiling.
“You know, I have an idea for the restaurant.” Leila finally said after moments of silence. Ethan arched a brow and looked her in the eye. “what if the theme is cowboy?”
“Leila, I love the idea. But the place is known for this, I thought our goal was to bring something new.”
“I was thinking. And maybe that's the thing. The place doesn't lack new things. In fact, maybe going back to its origin is the key.”
“I don't know-"
“Come on Ethan. Think about it. People will be excited, so will tourists. I have a few ideas that will make the concept original. In fact, I don't even want to hire a planner. I want to take care of everything myself.”
She saw Ethan think for a moment. Before he finally said:
“Okay, I trust you! Talk to your CEO and start working right away!”
Chapter 10
Leila looked at her watch and then back at the double doors of the terminal. She tapped her foot impatiently against the tiles. A wave of people exited, all speaking loudly, some waving at family members while other simply sneaking around the crowd to make it out into the streets of South Dakota. Foreign languages swirled around her, echoing from different directions. Indeed, she felt like she was at the airport.
She had been there for over an hour, but her boss was still to show up. But then again, why was she even surprised. She had picked him up far too many times to still be surprised when he was late. The sound of a notification brought her out of her trail of thoughts, adding some excitement to the boring moments she was experiencing.
Ethan’s name flashed across the notification bar. The text message he had sent brought a smile to her lips. The message had been short and cheesy, but it still made her heart flutter. She wondered if she will ever get used to the idea of being his girlfriend again, even after days of being by his side she still couldn’t get used to the idea.
She was excited to figure out though. If fate was on their side, they still had a lot of time together. She meant to reply, her fingers already hovering above the keyboard, but before she wrote a word, she lifted her gaze to look at the doors again. Unlike before, this time, there was a young British man there. His red hair gave his presence away, the locks stood out of the crowd, attracting her attention.
With a sigh, she put away her phone and waved. She was nervous, but not because the CEO was there, but rather because someone biased was finally going to inspect her work. For weeks she had worked on the project, and now, she was finally going to have some feedback.
Initially, the project had been a way through which she was going to prove her capability. Through it, she was going to keep her promotion. Now, none of that mattered anymore. She was going to quit and return to South Dakota. Even so, she still wished she would get some praise out of the strict man that had gained his position as CEO at such a young age.
“Leila!” He greeted in his thick British accent. “South Dakota did you well. I see you got a tan.”
“Well, I thank the clear sky for that.” she chuckled. “I hope you had a good flight?”
“Not really, I went through my emails and discovered that one of our partners in Manchester decided to revise the contract. The problem is, this is the third time in the last two months. I have to tell him again that we won’t consider it.”
Leila knew exactly who he was talking about. She had had the misfortune to talk to the old man herself the first time he wanted to change the terms. He simply couldn’t wrap his mind around the idea that they didn’t want to. It wasn’t like he was losing anything either, he had one of the best deals they had ever sold out.
“Enough about that though, how are the preparations going?” he asked while they got into the car.
“Well, when I left the team, we’ve hired were touching up the last details. There are some things we weren’t able to provide on such short notice, but luckily we managed without them too.”
“What about Jack?”
“Ethan’s lawyer is taking care of him. We should have a court meeting sometime in the next two weeks.” Leila said as she stepped on the gas, her eyes set on the road ahead.
It was weird to have someone to report to. For the last couple of weeks, she had been her own boss. She had been the one to take the final decisions and hand instructions for her team. Luckily, Liam wasn’t a man hard to please. He didn’t ask for miracles. He just wanted things to go according to plan. That much she could do.
“You know, I’m really happy with what you did here. There had been a crisis, but you got over it. I’m not sure how well tonight will go, but I am sure of the fact that you earned your place as COO.”
All the hard work she had done had been with the purpose of hearing those words. She felt fulfilled, knowing that she had finally reached her dream. Happy as she was with the words spoken, she still didn’t find it hard to utter the next words:
“About that, I decided to stay here.” Leila said without a moment hesitation.
At first, she thought she would regret uttering those words. She had worked so hard to reach the top, so giving up on the position felt like she was throwing herself off of the cliff. However, she didn’t feel like that. She was just as happy and fulfilled as she had felt seconds before. It was just then that she realized her journey had never been about the money or success, it had been a journey for self-improvement and realization.
“Leila, maybe you should think about it more. I’ll act as if this conversation never happened.”
Maybe this was life’s way of saying how stupid she was. Maybe it was her only chance of not throwing away her life’s work. The possibilities were all there, but she still didn’t take them into consideration. Instead, she shook her head.
�
�Thank you, Liam. Really. You taught me a lot. But this is my home. I was always meant to come back. This trip just reminded me of it.”
The car was silent for a moment, and although she didn’t turn to look, she felt Liam’s gaze on her. She expected him to tell her how stupid she was. Maybe remind her of the opportunity she was tossing in the trash. Instead, however, Liam sighed and said:
“Well, I expected this day to come.”
“What do you mean?” Leila asked in shock.
“Well, you are brilliant Leila. You can have anything you want. It was only a matter of time until you realized that and went solo. I’m glad you decided to do that back here. After all, there is no place like home.”
*****
Ethan buried his fingers in his hair, his eyes following the delivery guys. He had told them at least ten times that the leather items were supposed to go in the back, but his words had entered through one ear and exited through the others. He prepared to yell the same instructions again, but he decided against it. They were going to leave in a matter of seconds, and he will do them on his own.
Across from him, the chef was giving clear orders to the waiters. With the menu in hand, he reminded everyone of the ingredients and of the details they were supposed to remember. Hopefully, his staff would be smarter than the guys with the leather.
There was also the band, they were arranging the instruments. Their life seemed to be as uneasy as his. The singer and the drummer seemed to be in a conflict, pointing different instruments at one another. Ethan couldn’t care less about their personal quarrels, all he hoped was that it won’t interfere with his opening day.
Taking care of so many people was by far the hardest thing he had ever done, he wondered how Leila had been able to do it for the last weeks. It was in those moments that he understood the importance of a planner. His previous openings had been so stress-free. Thinking of Leila made him look at his watch, she should have probably dropped off her boss at the hotel and was heading back home to change for the evening.
He couldn’t wait to see how she looked. He had tried sneaking a peak at the dress she had placed in the closet, but she had somehow showed up every time. Unfortunately, now his poor heart didn’t know what to expect. It was bound to stop again the way it had been every other time.
Susan had left too, a couple of minutes prior, she had to make a stop at another one of their restaurants and then go prepare too. The only one that was unfortunate enough to have to change in the office upstairs was him.
“Mr. Hunter, the flowers arrived, I thought you might want to see them before we place them around.” The new manager said, taking him by surprise.
Ethan sighed and nodded, following the man out into the parking lot. He wasn’t the one to ask about flowers, he barely knew the difference between lavender and lilies, but he still nodded and rubbed his chin as he inspected the boxes inside the white minivan.
Luckily, Leila hadn’t ordered too many. They were all wild flowers, with neutral colors and scents. Their names remain unknown until this day. Ethan wasn’t sure what could be wrong in flowers, so after a couple of minutes of staring at the plants, he allowed them to take them in.
“The place looks good.” Ethan could recognize that voice anywhere.
In a heartbeat he turned around, his eyes widening at the sight of his two nephews. A wide smile inevitably tugged at his lips. The two stood a few feet from him, with arms crossed. They were both smirking, happy to see the reaction playing on his face.
“I thought you couldn’t come.” Was the first thing that Ethan found himself saying.
“It’s your fault you believed us.” Sebastian shrugged.
“I hate to admit it, but he’s right. When did we ever miss a chance to eat for free?”
They had been back for only a couple of minutes, but they were already acting as arrogantly as ever. And Ethan couldn’t be happier. The day suddenly caught a new flavor, having the two there made it feel so much fun and less stressing. With a chuckle Ethan closed the space between them and engulfed the two goofs in a short hug.
“Please, no hugs. The weather is already too hot for me.” Sebastian groaned, pushing Ethan away.
“So, where are the girls?” Ethan asked as he stepped back.
“We dropped them at your place. Thankfully, Leila was there so we didn’t have to break in.” Jonathan said nonchalantly.
Ethan should have been surprised, but how could he be? He was used to the guys. That’s how close the three were. They were beyond blood related, and above any kind of relationship. They were more than friends or brothers.
“You already saw Leila?” He arched a brow. He didn’t know why he was so nervous, the guys had met her before, and they had approved her, but having them see her again after all the trouble he’d caused when he had been heartbroken, he wasn’t sure how they would react to her again.
“Yep. She was nearly ready. I have to admit, you’ll have some trouble when you see her.” Sebastian joked, and Jonathan chuckled in agreement.
Ethan narrowed his eyes and was about to kick Sebastian’s ass when he noticed the bag he was holding. The narrowed eyes turned into a frown and his previous motivation vanished in a wave of confusion. Eventually, he pointed at the bag and asked:
“What’s that?”
Sebastian seemed to have forgotten about it too. He looked at it and then his mouth formed a large ‘o’.
“This is just a little something to show you, you have the best nephews in the entire world.” Sebastian claimed dramatically.
“In translation, we got beer.”
“We can’t drink, the opening is in a couple of hours.”
“Oh, come on, stop being a baby. What bad can one beer do?”
Agreeing to it would have probably been irresponsible. But that would be, yet another bad choice added to the long list he already had with the two. No one would even remember it. Without even a word, he looked around and nodded, his hands already pointing towards the little garden he had going on in the back of the restaurant.
*****
Leila laughed to something Aline said, her hands still wrapped around the steering wheel, her eyes set on the road ahead. She took a turn while she listened to the story Aline animatedly shared. The girls had only met only two hours ago, but if anyone was to see them, they wouldn’t have guessed it.
They got along as if they’d known each other for years; the conversation flowed between them like water. It could have been because they had the same culture, that they were all African-American women coming from harsh backgrounds. It could have been because of all the similarities they had when it came to their family and life, or because of the love they held for the Hunter boys. The reasons were vast but not important. It had been so long since Leila got along with anyone. She always had a hard time relating to people or blending inside their circles. She usually put in so much effort, but that miraculously didn’t happen with the two girls.
“So, Leila, what’s your plan now? I heard Ethan says you’ll be staying. That surely can’t be easy.” Sophie said after a moment of silence.
“It doesn’t matter. I made it back in England, there is nothing that holds me back from making it here too. The important thing is that I’m with Ethan. Back in England I had everything I ever wanted, but I still felt empty.” Leila was surprised by her statement. She was suddenly reminded of what Ethan had once said to her.
The car was suddenly filled by dramatically ‘ows’. Both girls gushed at her statement, giggling at the cheesiness behind the words. Leila laughed too, she had never imagined herself talking like that. It seemed like rediscovering love changed her.
“Well, for all its worth, Ethan loves you a lot. I think you’re making the right decision.” Aline said just as the restaurant came into view.
The sky was red and orange, glowing into flames above the building in front of them. The restaurant was unrecognizable. It resembled an old house now, with white walls and wooden windowpanes. T
here were flowers on a structure that resembled a porch and a stone pathway that led to the entrance.
There were hay arrangements around the corners, and the statue of a bull on the side. The English flag fluttered in midair right beside the American one. There were other elements too, all related to the same theme. The sound of country music was already booming inside, although the opening hour was still an hour away.
“It looks amazing.” The girls said in unison.
Indeed, the place was just like she envisioned. Leila was on the bridge of tears-happy ones at that. Seeing the result of her hard work was a priceless prize.
“You know, I’m glad you didn’t go with the other theme. This one represents the area much more.”
“Let’s not forget it suits Ethan’s style like a glove.”
It was in that moment that Ethan and the guys came into view. They each held an empty bottle of beer in hand, wide smiles plastered on all their faces. Their laughs vanished when they caught sight of them. Sophie and Aline both walked towards their guys, their hands enveloped around them, pulling them into tight embraces.
She heard them greet Ethan, laughing at the jokes he threw around as he welcomed them. She could tell Ethan had managed to get under their skin too. His goofy nature found a place in the girls’ hearts too. After they exchanged their greetings, and the guys made a couple more jokes about Ethan, their four guests retreated inside the restaurant, leaving both of them alone.
It was only then that Ethan closed the distance between them, his hands getting a hold of her hands. He pulled her against his chest, his mouth crashing onto hers, welcoming her lips in a graceful kiss. Much to her disappointment, they had to keep it short. They pulled away in a matter of seconds.
“So, how was it to be in my shoes for a few hours?” Leila joked.
Ethan pretended to think for a couple of seconds, his eyes gazing upwards before returning to her again.
“It was hard to walk in heels.” As lame as the joke was, she still found it funny. A laugh brushed off of her lips.
The Cowboy One Page 9
