Page 2 of The Good Girl Effect

“This letter is a long time coming, and I'm sure you've guessed by now what it's about. With the help of my business partner, Matis Moreau, I’ve managed L’Amour for the past two and a half decades. It is time for me to officially retire.

“I’ve spoken to Matis about this, and we both agree that you should make the club yours now.”

“Wait,” Julian interjects with a scowl. “Who? Who the fuck is going to own the club?”

I scan the beginning of the email again, searching for the answer.

“I think he means…all of us,” Phoenix replies.

“All of us?” Amelia asks. “Own the club together?”

“Fuck this,” Julian mutters, tossing his phone back on the table and picking up his drink.

With a disgruntled sigh, I continue reading.

“I’ve known you all since you were born. Your parents created a legacy, and you were raised together like a family. You came to Paris with a dream, and you’ve all worked so hard at L’Amour. But what I see now are six adults who have lost their way. You’ve grown apart, and each of you has lost something you can never replace. I know how that feels.

“I see your potential. Each of you brings something special to the table. If you really worked together, you could make a club even better than what your parents created.

“There is nothing more powerful than family. The six of you are a family, whether you see it or not. There are three of you missing from this letter—Liam, Austin, and Scarlett. They are choosing another path for their lives, but this offer extends to them, should they choose it. And I hope they do.”

Across the table, my sister huffs, and I look up to find her clenching her teeth angrily. Trying not to let it affect me, I continue reading.

“That is why I am passing the club down to all six of you. You can do what you want with it. Change the name. Make it yours. The only catch is that you have to run it together for at least a year. If one of you pulls out, the ownership reverts to Matis, and he’ll sell the property.

“This isn’t a punishment. It’s an experiment. I watched your parents’ club save lives, and I’m hoping this one will save yours.

“One year. That’s all I ask. After the year is up, you can do what you want.

“I’m begging you to give it a shot.

“Find your family, and make this your home.

“Sincerely, Ronan Kade”

My jaw hangs open as I stare at the email. The rest of the table is silent as we let this news settle in.

Suddenly, I see my plans of leaving Paris slipping through my fingers. If I leave, the rest of them lose out on this opportunity. Do I really want that on my head?

I scroll through the message again. “There has to be some catch.”

“Well, that settles it.” Elizabeth stands angrily from the table. “Looks like none of us are getting the club after all.”

“Now, wait a minute,” Amelia pleads with a hand toward Elizabeth. “Are we not going to consider it at least?”

“Consider what?” Julian barks. “The six of us are more likely to sprout wings and fly to Neverland than work together and create something that could actually succeed.”

“Not with that attitude,” Weston replies sarcastically. He’s hardly looked up from his phone this entire time, and I doubt he’s even interested in what has been presented to us. Everything is a joke to Weston. He’s here to party, and everyone knows it. If he doesn’t get a crack at owning the club, he’ll just tend the bar here at Geo’s or at one of many other bars in Paris. He doesn’t have nearly as much riding on this as the rest of us do, and his cutting tone grates on my nerves.

“Maybe Dad is right,” Amelia says sweetly as she wrings her hands and glances around the table. “Maybe we could own it together. It could work.”

She barely gets through the sentence before her brother rises from the table. Weston is right behind him.

“What a waste of time,” Julian complains.

There is disappointment on Amelia’s face, but all I see is my sister sitting next to her. My sister, who I haven’t even been in the same room with for over a year. Who knows if I’ll get this chance again? If I want to repair my relationship with Elizabeth, working side by side with her on this club might be the only way to do it. This could be different than just seeing each other in passing like we do now. We’d be in meetings together. She’d have no choice but to speak to me.

But how the hell am I going to rally the rest of this group to join me? If I let them leave and Ronan’s offer goes up in smoke, then Elizabeth will go back to ignoring me, and it could be another year before I get her in the same room as me again. I can’t let that happen.