“Can I talk to you?” Robert asked, not waiting for Landon’s answer. He took Landon by the arm and pulled him through the restaurant to the back office.
“We’ve got less than five minutes before the doors are unlocked. I need to be up front waiting,” Landon said once they made it to the office, away from any prying ears. Robert used a key to unlock the door then pushed Landon over the threshold, crowding him into the small space.
“You have to calm down,” Robert said, taking both of his hands, giving a gentle, firm squeeze.
“I can’t,” Landon shot back, exasperated. “I told you this wasn’t for me. I’m just so out of my league.”
“You can’t know that. We’re just getting started.”
When Landon started to object again, to explain exactly how he knew his words were fact, Robert pressed his fingers to Landon’s lips to stop him from speaking.
“You have to trust me, Landon. I would never put you in a situation that’s over your head. La Bella Luna is our restaurant. Yours and mine. From the napkins to the menu selections to the uniforms we chose, you’ve played a part in pulling this restaurant together.”
Landon edged past Robert, not that there was a lot of room to pace, but he attempted it. “That’s not true, and I don’t know that I can do this.”
Robert let out a frustrated huff, his hard stare pinning Landon, stopping his movement. The look brought Landon’s honest fear tumbling from his mouth.
“What happens if we fail?”
Robert looked at Landon as if he were insane and his greatest fear meant nothing to the big picture, making Landon blurt out the obvious result of failure.
“We’ll lose La Bella Luna.”
“That’s right. We—me and you—lose the restaurant, not anyone else and nothing more.” Robert came toward Landon, taking the steps to him. “We won’t sell to the highest bidder like Rodney planned to do. La Bella Luna may have run its course, but now I own my daddy’s recipes and at least we tried.”
Landon stood there, processing Robert’s explanation, not quite ready to let the fight go, even as he better understood Robert’s perspective, knowing his husband was right. If they tanked at operating the restaurant, it wasn’t anything close to being as bad as losing the rights to Kane Adams’s signature recipes. As important as those were to Robert, Landon felt Robert would have paid anything just to secure those back into the family fold. Landon muscles softened as tension leaked out of him, then he rolled his eyes and looked up at the clock above the door. They had one minute before the front doors opened.
“You shouldn’t have spent so much money on this suit.”
Robert laughed. “I’ll take that as a win in my favor.”
“It’s only a win because you cheat.” Landon’s grin grew as he formulated his argument as he went. “You bring up your father, and I want his recipes protected too. It’s not a fair win, but I see your point.” Landon bypassed Robert to open the door and start for the dining room. He was so distracted with his thoughts that the hand that reached down and patted his ass instantly woke his dick. He swung around, his gaze landing on Robert. What was the man thinking? They had a party to throw; he couldn’t roam the restaurant with a hard-on. It was going to be a long night.
“Dear, help me to my chair,” Kennedy said to Landon. She’d been their surprise guest tonight, not letting Robert, Landon, or Autumn know she had planned to attend the party. It had been such a surprise when she walked through the front doors and made Robert’s magical night turn epic. Reasonably, he understood the private party couldn’t truly be a measure of the restaurant’s success with its free food and alcohol, but he did concede they were off to a great start. The patrons attending tonight really seemed to enjoy some of the changes they had made to the menu and many reservations had been booked for the future.
The way Kennedy had commandeered Landon warmed Robert’s heart. His husband was right on board with her plan too. Kennedy had hit her mid-nineties and needed an arm to hold on to every now and then. His grandmother seemed a bit vain in that she didn’t want to appear weak—her words not his. Instead of the chauffer standing nearby, she’d replaced him with Landon. It had been the perfect diversion for his husband.
He had taken Kennedy around, and with that photographic memory of his, his husband had reintroduced her to the pillars of the community. Landon had the guests eating out of his hands, knowing all their stats and accomplishments. Kennedy had then helped ease Landon with her ability to engage in small talk.
Robert was pleased to see Landon relax and enjoy their hard work. His beautiful husband had captivated the crowd at the party. Robert had had many guests comment on Landon, wanting to know more about him. It made Robert proud. Landon had found his place inside the La Bella Luna world.