"It went out of business. Max and Sam have bought it."
Harper studied me, confusion still on her face.
"It's less than a mile from the Sea Siren. He's going to put me out of business."
"Southern California's filled with clubs. Why would you think he would put you out of business?"
"All this time, he's been spending time around me at the club. I think he's been spying to learn how I do business."
Harper sat back, her head tilted to the side. "I don't know. He seems genuine. The guy is pining for you. You can’t deny that your chemistry with him is off the charts."
My jaw tightened in frustration that Harper wouldn't be on my side in this. "He was at the club with his Uncle Zach at Ethan's party. How much do you want to bet Zach will be doing the renovations? Then he showed up on Halloween to bartend."
After Halloween, Samantha had called to tell me that she'd been in an accident and that was why she hadn't shown up. But now I wouldn't have put it past Sam to have paid her to stay home so he could take her place.
"And he and Max came in for lunch the other day. Don't you see? They’re scoping out the competition."
"Or Sam is trying to get back with you. You spend most of your time at the club. Where else is he going to be able to see you?"
I finished my wine. "He promised to love me forever, and thirty minutes after his ex showed up, he told me it was over. A man who could do that could pretend to love me just so he could see what he was up against in business.” I rose from the table and started toward the front door.
"Hold on, Kate. I'm sorry if I'm not being sympathetic here. I'm just... I had been so sure that Noel had nefarious plans and I was wrong. I'm just saying, maybe you're reading this wrong as well."
"So you think I should give him a chance?"
She shrugged. “Love is worth fighting for."
"And what happens if I'm right? What happens if I let myself love him, and it turns out it's all a big scam?"
She gave me a sympathetic stare. "That's the thing about love, isn't it? It goes beyond trust. It involves openly risking your heart."
"I did that once. I won't do it again." I left her house, getting in my car and heading home. During the drive, I worked to remember details of Sam and Max’s club plans, wishing I'd studied them closer. If Sam planned to compete with me, I would give him a run for his money.
CHAPTERELEVEN
Sam
"Fuck!" I shoved all the blueprints and paperwork for the club onto the floor. "God damn her."
"Don't you think you should go after her?" Max leaned against the doorway to the kitchen with his arms crossed over his chest.
"Why?"
He arched a brow. "Because you're in love with her."
I glared at him. "Maybe you haven't noticed, but it doesn't matter what I feel about her. She doesn't give a shit about me. There's nothing I can do to change that." It's not like I hadn't realized that before. I was just that my stupid heart would fill with hope every now and then, and off I’d go to get stomped on again.
"So you're just going to give up. The only woman you've ever truly loved, and you're going to give up."
I jammed my hands onto my hips as I scowled at my brother, wondering why he was rubbing salt into my wound. "Did you not hear what she said? Have you not been paying attention this whole time about how she feels about me? She doesn't care about me anymore. I killed that five years ago. She hates me."
"Yeah, I can see that."
I gave him a look that said,So why are you busting my balls about this?
"But isn't there a saying about there being a fine line between love and hate? Her reaction to you is pretty strong, which could suggest that she still does love you. She just doesn't want to."
I gaped at him. "She doesn't want to. You just said it yourself." I threw my hands in the air and strode out of the kitchen, heading to my booze cabinet and grabbing the first bottle I could reach.