Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 114284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 571(@200wpm)___ 457(@250wpm)___ 381(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 571(@200wpm)___ 457(@250wpm)___ 381(@300wpm)
I let out a laugh.
“And here’s to a bright future of double dates with you and Macklin,” Peyton added. “I’m looking forward to getting to know him.”
I could definitely drink to that. Unfortunately, Macklin had already been committed to work when we’d learned Ed was bringing his husband down from Boston, but we’d get more chances in the future. Many of them, after what we’d agreed upon today. I would come up to Boston once a month—and I’d do my best to bring Macklin with me—and sometimes, as per Peyton’s request, he and Ed would come down to us in DC.
Peyton was, in short, Ed’s right-hand man. He’d once been Ed’s assistant, but he’d retained some responsibilities, such as work-related travel. It was simply their goal to always travel together, something that required a fair bit of planning. Between work, two homes on opposite sides of the country, and raising their young daughter, they had a packed schedule.
“If you’ll excuse me,” Peyton said, getting up, “I’m gonna make sure Julia’s gone to bed.” That would be the daughter, who was spending the night with her cousins.
Peyton left our dining area and headed downstairs, and I returned to my food.
Macklin’s food. If he had to work, I ate at his restaurant. It allowed me to feel a bit closer to him.
“This is a wonderful place,” Ed commented, scanning the artwork on the walls. “And the food—my compliments to the chef.”
Yes, Macklin had certainly followed through on his dreams. His restaurant had once been a residential building, but he’d decided to knock down fewer walls than most others probably would. Resulting in several smaller dining areas—with different themes. With them came an eclectic menu that deserved all the praise.
“He gained fame for his brunch service, but if you ask me, the dinner menu is even better,” I said.
“Hopefully, we’ll have the chance to experience both before we go home,” Ed replied with a smile. “You really do seem happier now, Walker.”
“I am. I’m home.” I grinned and tipped my beer at him. “Being able to keep my job is a big bonus. I appreciate that more than I can say.”
He waved that off. “It’s a win for us both. Considering you found an office so quickly, you’ll be up and running soon, I take it.”
Absolutely. I would have my hands full with Westwater’s next project. “We get the keys in a week.”
Truthfully, it’d helped greatly to narrow down the geographic search field. Macklin had requested I work close to Logan Circle, so that’s what I was going to do. I’d be right across the street, almost. Or intersection, as it were.
Given that we’d be an unofficial branch of the headquarters—and I would only bring three staff members with me—we didn’t need much space, and our lines of communication would still go through Boston. In other words, minimal setup. No unnecessary fuss.
I’d recruited an excellent team too, and I’d been asked to keep an eye on them for future opportunities within the company. Ed saw great potential in my former PA, Emma. She was my new scout. She and another employee, Max, would be on the road a lot, as my eyes and ears. And Peyton’s top choice for my third crew member, Andrea, was happy to be home again. She was a DC local who’d missed her family, so she would arrive first—on the day I got the keys. Emma and Max would follow a few days after.
Work was a big part of my life, much like this restaurant was part of Macklin’s life, and we would have to do our best to make sure the puzzle pieces fit together. Looking at Ed and Peyton, I knew it could work. Because they didn’t view the different passions that separated them as compromises. They viewed the “struggle,” for lack of a more fitting word, as ways to build something that brought it all together.
Peyton had explained it wonderfully to me once.
“I fell in love with an ambitious businessman. If I were to take away the ambition and the business, what’s left? Not the man I love, anyway.”
I loved Macklin as a driven entrepreneur, restaurant owner, and chef. That was who he was. And much like Peyton, Macklin had fallen in love with an ambitious businessman as well.
We both enjoyed a good challenge, and now we had one.
When Peyton returned, he had news for me. “I ran into Macklin downstairs, and he asked me to tell you that he’s sending up a new server.”
A new server?
I felt my forehead wrinkle and—wait a minute. Lane was stopping by soon, wasn’t he? Oh, that must be it.
“Was something wrong with the other one?” Ed asked, confused.
I smirked and shook my head. “I believe you’re about to meet Macklin’s second partner and submissive.”
Ed and Peyton were in the lifestyle too, so it didn’t feel strange revealing so much.