“That’s because Rowan is everything I will never be. I’m just a man who cleans up messes for Dex.”
Dex walks from around the corner, shaking his head. It’s clear he’s heard at least some of the conversation. “Don’t sell yourself short, man. You’re so much more than that. Always have been. You’re my best friend. My brother. And The Whitney wouldn’t be what it is without you. You are just as much of this hotel as Katja and I are, and just as much a businessman.”
When I open my mouth to argue, Dex raises his hand to stop me.
“I get it. Your father was a cleaner and didn’t want much more involvement with business besides that. But you’ve been different since day one. You run the hotel right alongside us, and we both know it even if you don’t.”
Dex sits down next to Katja and pushes a folder across the table.
Realizing that this wasn’t just an ambush by Katja, but also Dex, I’m wary to see what’s inside the folder. Sighing, I finally open it to see it’s paperwork concerning the new London hotel being opened.
“We need someone to get it off the ground and running,” Dex says. “Katja and I are both needed here in New York.”
“So, you want me to go check things out and report back?” I ask.
“No, we want you to relocate there and run the hotel,” Katja corrects. “Build it up like you helped us build The Whitney.”
“Me? You want me to move to London?”
They both nod. “We’ll miss you,” Dex says, “but I think the change will be good for you. Plus, there is literally no one else I trust more than you to handle this.”
“You’re perfect for the job,” Katja adds.
“Maybe I know how to run Dex’s side of the business, but what the fuck do I know about hospitality and being the face of the hotel? Dex has you,” I say to Katja. “Yeah, I know a lot about the business, but I’m still a tattooed, rough around the edges criminal who can’t fake a smile if I tried. I prefer The Rooftop.” I close the file and push it back toward them.
Dex pushes it back at me, clearly not taking no for an answer yet. “The London hotel will have a Rooftop. It’ll also have a secret floor. It’s going to be a sister hotel to The Whitney. You’re an expert on what needs to be handled there,” Dex explains. “There’s a demand in Europe, and people are losing patience. If we don’t open soon, they’ll find another place to use for their business. Plus, if I hire some stranger, we’re going to lose trust. The one thing that the entire Luciano mess has shown me is just how much the people in our industry trust you. You. There’s no one better for this job.”
“And you don’t need to handle the hospitality side. I already hired someone to run that part of the hotel,” Katja adds. “She’ll have a learning curve, but I’m going to teach her everything I know. She’s smart, ambitious, and knows hotels in a different way. Her fresh outlook will even teach me a thing or two.”
“I don’t play well with others,” I say, looking for any hole in this plan. My friends have lost their minds if they think I can take on something of this magnitude.
“You’ll play well with who I hired. She’s amazing and I think you would agree,” Katja says, smiling at Dex.
The two have planned this entire conversation, this much is clear. They are bouncing off each other like a well-rehearsed orchestra.
And then the light comes on. I see exactly what they have planned…
“Rowan?” I ask even though I already know the answer. “You hired Rowan?”
Dex nods and Katja’s smile widens. “I think you two could make a really good team,” he says. “Just like me and Katja. You could balance each other out.”
“Rowan is in London?”
“I offered her the job,” Katja says, “and though she had some doubt like you’re having, she was up for the change in life. She wanted something new just like we suspect you do as well. You both went through a life changing experience, but one that should bring you together. Not push you apart.” Katja reaches for Dex’s hand. “Sometimes you have to take risks. They pay off.”
I notice that Dex is watching Katja with an intense love in his eyes. A love I can only hope to one day have with—
Rowan.
Dex finally breaks away from his stare to focus on me. “What do you say? Ready to expand our empire?”
Chapter Twenty-Three
ROWAN
“Would you be okay with leaving these samples with me for a few days? My business partner is flying in from New York later today and I’d like to go through things with him,” I ask.