Page 103 of The Arrogant One

“Since Dear Foodie’s review of Charred, Walker has been off the wall. He’s working day and night to make sure Toro opens without any hiccups. But so much of that is out of our control.” He set down my glass and took a drink from his. “What if the staff has a shitty night? What if a patron asks a question our servers aren’t trained well enough to answer? What if we cross-contaminate food and serve it to someone with an allergy? What if an appliance breaks? What if someonecalls in sick? So many variables, and that’s not even a tenth of them.”

Why the hell had I pushed him for this answer? Hadn’t I known deep down this was coming?

Especially with the review Dear Foodie had posted?

Of course it affected him. And of course it’d only added to the stress they had already been feeling.

“It’s a lot, huh?” My voice was barely above a whisper.

“Since her review posted, we’ve gotten thousands of new dinner reservations—not just in LA, nationwide. But that means if Dear Foodie reviews Toro, it could really make or break us.” He focused on my right eye and then shifted to my left. “We’re feeling that pressure.”

I nodded. “I get that.”

He stared up at the ceiling for a second. “Walker said if her review isn’t positive, it could put the restaurant under.”

My stomach dropped, my lunch threatening to rise. “No way. I don’t believe that?—”

“She has that much power, Sadie. Her review of Charred brought up reservations by over twenty percent throughout the country. There isn’t another influencer in this space who could replicate that result.”

Just like my boss’s compliment on what the article had done forSeen, I should have been flattered by what Lockhart was saying.

I should have been proud that all the years of hard work had paid off.

But I didn’t feel that way, not even a little.

I felt ashamed, knowing so much was riding on my opinion. I felt embarrassed that I couldn’t come clean. I felt distraught that once Lockhart found out the truth, nothing would ever be the same between us.

I pulled my hands back from his neck and positioned them on his face. “Listen to me. Everything is going to be perfect. You and your family are a team of rock stars. The build-out will get finished, and it’s going to be spectacular. The staff will get trained. Walker will get the kitchen in the shape it needs to be. And the diners are going to flock to Toro. Not because Dear Foodie sends them in, but because your company has a reputation that’s untouchable and you’ve worked your ass off for it.” I gave him a soft kiss. “You have nothing to worry about. So, I don’t want you to focus on the things that could go wrong or what she’s going to say or any of that noise. I want you to focus on what you guys know how to do right, and that’s opening restaurants that exceed everyone’s expectations.”

He rested his forehead against mine. “I appreciate you.”

“I’m just speaking the truth.”

I was—I believed that.

But I wasn’t fully speaking the truth, and that killed me.

I pulled my face back, separating us. “How about I pop dinner into the oven, and you make us another drink—or, I guess I should say, make me another drink?” I tried to laugh, although I was sure it sounded forced.

“You got it.” As I went to move away, his hand lowered to my ass, and he stopped me from leaving. “Are you sure you’re okay? You feel … tense.”

When I swallowed, my throat felt extremely tight. “Just one of those days when anything and everything has kicked my butt. I’m sure you know what that’s like.”

He nodded. “I do.”

As I pressed my lips to his, I realized where the tightness was coming from. It was the knot that was wedged in the back of my throat, and every second it sat lodged there, the emotion was threatening to spill from my eyes.

“I just want to make sure that whatever it is, it has nothing to do with us,” he added.

I flattened my hands against his chest, and as I tried to breathe through the anxiety, I knew the only thing that could make this situation feel worse was if my experience at Toro turned out to be a fail.

“No, it’s not you,” I said to him. “I promise, this is all on me.”

I gave him a light kiss, and then I turned toward the counter, pulled out the pan of enchiladas I’d prepared this afternoon, and set it in the oven without even bothering to preheat it. I set the correct temperature, and as I faced Lockhart, I realized he hadn’t moved. He was still in the same spot, staring at me.

“Do you want another old-fashioned?” he asked. “Or do you want—” His voice halted as he reached into his pocket.

“Sorry, my phone is blowing up. I just need to make sure someone isn’t dying or there isn’t a fire …” He looked at his screen. “The Weston and Spade group chat. I should have known.” He shook his head. “Everyone is chiming in about the hockey game since Brady just got into town. They can all wait. It’s date night.” He smiled as he put his phone away. “Are you sure you and Bryn can’t come to Beck’s game? You know I would love to have you there. And Eden and Colson are dying to meet you.”