Billionaire Games Boxed Set 1-3 (54 page)

“When are they gonna let you know?”

“He said a couple of days.”

And there wasn’t a moment to spare. Nick could practically feel the antsy breaths of his suppliers breathing down his back.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

NICK STARED AT THE PAYROLL’S account balance on the computer screen. He might get a couple more paydays out of it, if he didn’t pay himself. He was surprised that the bank hadn’t taken it, but then again it was the restaurant’s money. Not his.

Nick’s eyes drifted to the bottom right corner of the computer screen, and looked at the date. It’d been three days since he’d met with Phil Beecham. Nick had been hoping to hear back from him
yesterday
.

Leaning back in his chair, he swabbed his hands over his face. He had to find a solution to his current financial crisis. Neither he nor the restaurant could go on like this for much longer. Walter’s foundation was his only hope. And they had to help. After all, it was the inheritance from Walter that’d allowed him to start the restaurant in the first place.

A gentle knock at the opened door pulled Nick’s eyes upward. Keri, Hang Ten’s hostess smiled, saying, “There’s a Phil Beecham here to see you.”

Nick closed his eyes, for just a second, and uttered a silent prayer of thanks. He stood and moved out from behind the desk. “Thanks, Keri. Let him in.”

Nick leaned against the front of his desk and waited for Phil and his good news. Hopefully, he had a check with him.

Seconds later, Phil entered with an optimistic smile, boosting Nick’s confidence. They shook hands, exchanged pleasantries and Nick invited him to sit at one of the chairs in front of his desk. Nick took the other.

“Nick, I’ve got great news.” Phil nodded, and Nick waited eagerly to hear that
great news
. “The board recognizes the relationship Walter shared with your mother,” Phil said. Nick wouldn’t exactly call it a
relationship
, but no matter. He pushed the thought out of his mind just as Phil said, “and because of that, the foundation wants to help you.”

Yes, yes…
Nick was pleased to hear it, but he needed to know when they’d cut him a check.

“The foundation is prepared to buy Hang Ten from you.” Those words weren’t at all what Nick had expected to come out of Phil’s mouth. Nick was so floored that he hardly heard Phil as he rambled on, “We will give you fair market value. Of course, the market isn’t great these days, but you’ll be able to pay off your debts, tuck a little something away, and you can still run the restaurant.” Phil clasped his hands together. “We will pay you a competitive salary.”

“You want to
buy
Hang Ten from me?” The notion was ringing in Nick’s head like a loud bullhorn.

“Yes.” Phil nodded. “This is a solution where everybody wins.”

Nick’s head was still reeling, but he managed to say, “To be honest, Phil, I hadn’t considered selling Hang Ten.”

“I completely understand,” Phil said, but Nick doubted it. He couldn’t possibly understand that they were asking him to give up the one thing in this world that he’d done right. He hadn’t saved his brother, he couldn’t save his mother, and if he didn’t save Hang Ten, well then, he’d be a three time loser.

“I’m gonna have to think about this,” Nick told Phil.

Phil nodded. “Take a couple of days. But Nick, it is the best offer we can make, and we think, the best one you’re going to get.”

Nick gave him that much. He didn’t exactly have people beating down the door to help him. No one else he could ever hope to sell the restaurant to would want to hire him to run the place.

Nick stood and Phil did the same. “I’ll be in touch,” Nick said, shaking his hand.

He didn’t want to commit to anything just yet. He knew he had little choice in the matter, but he wanted another day or two of being able to say Hang Ten was his. When it came down to the wire, and he was forced to sell out, that would no longer be the case.

O
n the hillside terrace overlooking the Pacific, a gentle, salt-scented breeze wafted past Lecie. The house was new to her, but she loved it. She loved California. She loved freedom.

Oh, Papa, why must you meddle in other people’s lives?
She let out a grumble and laid her head back on the sofa cushion.

“Turns out…” Camille said, sitting down on the chair to Lecie’s right, “being an adult is rough.”

Lecie snorted. “You said it.” She propped her shades up on top of her head and looked Camille in the eye. “I really don’t want to enter into an arranged marriage.”

“Well, no one says you have to.”

“I’m not going back to France any time soon, either.”

“Not willingly, anyway.”

“I keep hoping that Papa will see the light.” Lecie giggled, wondering how Camille would feel about her using one of Camille’s favorite lines.

To her delight, Camille laughed. Soon though, she was shaking her head. “But you and I both know that’s not likely.” Camille sucked in a breath and shot Lecie a smile that wavered. “When it comes to you and your brothers, Maurice thinks it’s his god-given right to direct your lives. And no matter how old you get, that won’t change.”

“You seem to have put him in his place.”

“Not really,” Camille said. “I just figured out how to appease him.” She chuckled, then her expression turned serious. “Here’s the thing…you need to decide what you’re going to do. If you wait until immigration approaches you, it’ll be too late.”

“Are you telling me to go out and find a husband today?”

“No.” Camille shook her head. “You have a choice.”

“I do?”

Camille nodded. “Either find a suitable man, or call your mother and tell her you’re returning to France with us next week.”

“So it’s like that, huh?”

“Pretty much.” Camille stared toward the ground, closed her eyes for just a second and then looked back up at Lecie. “Unfortunately, this is not one of those times when a person can simply choose to ignore something and it’ll go away. Your father isn’t going away. He’s coming at you full speed ahead.”

“As much as I don’t like to admit it,” Lecie said. “I know that. I don’t want it to be so, but you’re right…I have to prepare.”

Camille shook her head. “I’m not here to talk you into doing something rash. But I promised your brother that by the time I left this country, you’d either be married or returning home to France with me. So you see…” Camille grinned. “I have to make sure you choose the
right
guy.”

Lecie laughed. “Is there a
wrong
one?”

“Oh, yes.” Camille sighed. “Tons of them.”

Tell me about it.
But when it came to it, there was no right guy for Lecie because Mr. Right was already married. That alone should make her want to run back to France. But it didn’t. And even though this would probably turn out badly, she wasn’t ready to go, and she’d be damned if she’d let Papa make her.

“Well, then…” Lecie swallowed around the lump in her throat. “Perhaps tomorrow we will start looking.”

Either that, or Lecie had better start packing her bags.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

NICK STARED ACROSS THE TABLE at his and Dean’s childhood friends, Ken and Jerod. Getting together on Fridays for lunch was a ritual ever since graduating high school. Now that Nick owned a restaurant, that made it even easier. They never needed a reservation or had to worry about waiting for a table.

“I can’t believe you’re going to have to sell this place,” Ken said, gazing around Hang Ten’s dining room.

“Don’t you have any sort of legal recourse?” Jerod asked the same question that everyone—even Nick—kept asking.

“I went to the police,” Nick said. “They said that because I’d made her a joint owner on the accounts there’s nothing I can do, other than have a restraining order issued against her. So I did.”

“He’d probably get farther with a civil suit,” Ken, a paralegal for a top-notch criminal attorney, shrugged and bit into his fully-loaded burger.

Dean gave Ken a hardened glare. “A civil suit. Really? Is that the best you can come up with.”

Ken swallowed and said, “I don’t make the rules…”

“What she’s done is criminal,” Jerod said with a determined nod.

“Regardless,” Nick’s stern tone got their attention. “I made her joint owner on nearly all my accounts.” He shrugged. “We were gonna get married for Crissakes.” Nick shook his head. Even now, almost two weeks after being dumped at the altar, he still found himself dumbfounded over how naïve and gullible he’d been where Ginny was concerned. “It’s my own fault.” There was nothing or no one to blame except Nick and his own stupidity. “I’m just glad I didn’t add her name to Hang Ten’s title yet, otherwise, she’d be taking half of this place too.” Nick glanced around, realizing he’d been gifted with a bit of luck. Small as it may be, but a little luck nonetheless.

“But the fact remains that Nick needs an out,” Dean said, dumping ketchup over his fries. “I realize that legal or civil action may or may not prove gratifying in the end, but right now—” He pointed at Nick. “He needs money. And lots of it. Otherwise, we’re going to have to start paying for our lunches.”

Chuckles traveled around the table, infecting even Nick. “I’ve tried everywhere short of a lone shark, guys.” Nick shook his head. “I can’t get a loan.”

“Maybe what you need to do is stop thinking about getting a loan and start thinking about selling a small percentage of the restaurant to a silent partner,” Ken suggested. “Not a huge chunk of it. Just enough to pay off the actual debts Ginny racked up for you.”

“What about his savings? She wiped him out of well over fifty grand.” By the tone of his voice, Dean didn’t like the idea of Nick just cutting his losses.

“Look, if Nick wants to retain control of this restaurant,” Ken said, “he’s going to have to chalk some of this up to lost causes.”

Nick started nodding. “Yeah…I see where you’re going with this. Find an investor to sell just enough of the restaurant to pay off the bank fees, the line of credit, and the suppliers. But more importantly, Hang Ten is still mine.”

Nick ran a quick tally in his head. A hundred and fifty thou should do it. He’d have zip to fall back on, but maybe the bank would let him keep his line of credit.

“Great.” Nick clapped his hands together. “Now where am I gonna find an investor in this economy?”

All of Nick’s friends’ ogling eyes drifted toward the door. He glanced over his shoulder to see what they found so fascinating.

D
eidra pulled open the front door of Hang Ten. The cool air blowing past Lecie nearly carried away her courage. Camille and Tasha were sure that Dean was going to accept Lecie’s proposal, so long as he wasn’t involved with someone.
Yeah, right. Since when is a hot guy like Dean not involved?

Lecie was already on the verge of running when she glanced around the restaurant and saw Nick, Dean, and two other guys she’d seen them dining with in the past. Great. Nick and all his friends were here to witness her humiliation.

“Camille,” Lecie whispered as they lingered near
the “please wait to be seated” sign. “I’m thinking this is not such a great idea.”

Camille looked at her with a stoic face. “So you’re ready to go home?” she asked. “Back to France?”

No
. Lecie wasn’t prepared for that either. She felt a groan rumble up her throat. Damn Papa anyway. “All right.” She folded her arms at her waist and stiffened. “It’s just not that easy.”

Keri approached the group, grabbing four menus. “Ladies…how are we today?”

Goods
and
fines
came in staggering replies.

“Your regular booth?” Keri asked, looking at Lecie. She nodded. Keri gestured and cut a path toward the rear of the dining room. Lecie and the others followed.

Once they had settled into the booth and ordered a round of lemon drop martinis, Keri left and all eyes turned to the table off in the corner filled with men.

“The owner of this place…?” Tasha inquired. “What’s his name?”

“Married.” Lecie cut her eyes to Tasha. “His name is
married
.”

“Well that may be.” Tasha giggled. “But he is delicious—” She looked at Camille. “Isn’t he?”

“Oh, yeah.” Camille said, grinning. “Now we know why Lecie and Deidra like to come here.” Both women laughed.

Lecie waved her hand in the air. “Remember me?” she asked. “The sister-in-law…to both of you, I might add.”

“Oh, good Lord…” Deidra grumbled, glancing around the restaurant. “There’s nothing wrong with looking.”

“Thank you.” Camille and Tasha said in unison.

Then Camille took it solo, saying, “Guys do it all the time. Why can’t we?”

Tasha gave Lecie one of those reproaching looks. “I love your brother dearly, but I can still appreciate a nice looking man when I see one.” She smiled and her eyes drifted back over to Nick’s table. “Even married ones.”

“Speaking of married…” Deidra’s eyes fell over the restaurant again, looking troubled. “Where is Ginny? It’s not like her to
not
be here.” She gave the guys’ table another quick once-over and then looked back at Lecie. “She’s always here stalking Nick.”

“She doesn’t need to stalk him anymore. She’s his wife now.” Lecie took a sip of her drink to get the bitter taste of her words out of her mouth.

“And if you don’t want to head back to France pronto,” Tasha said. “You’d better turn into somebody’s wife real quick.”

Lecie replied, “That’s easier said than done.”

Tasha shrugged. “You just go up to the guy and say, you want to make a quick, what…hundred thou…for a few months of your time?” She glanced at the table of men, then turned back to Lecie. “He looks like he could put a hundred grand to good use.”

“Easier said than done.” Lecie repeated her mantra, but with more tenacity this time. She knew what she had to do. She got that she was dealing with Papa—a man who never played fair. Finding a husband, even a temporary one, was her only hope. But that didn’t make the task any easier.

“Nonsense.” Tasha rolled her eyes.

Lecie nearly laughed out loud and began shaking her head. Easy for Tasha to say, she wasn’t the one who had to walk up to Dean and make the proposal.