"I promise you, man," Parker said, clapping me on the shoulder as we stood outside of Indigo. "And I'm not one to go back on my promises, you know that. We go way back, you and I, don't we?"
"College wasn't that long ago, Parker," I said evenly. "What has it been, honestly? Five years?"
"And look what you've done since then," he said smoothly.
I swear he was flattering me so hard I may as well have whipped it out and allowed him to give me fucking hand job right here on the sidewalk.
He grinned that grin of his that always made me want to count his teeth and see if there really were more than should be in a human mouth. "You're gonna be thrilled with the numbers we're working with here," he said, clapping his hand down on my shoulder again.
The wide sidewalk was empty of people, but I could hear the hum of diners inside. It sounded like the place was packed and it was only four in the afternoon. If it was this busy during the down-season, I couldn't imagine the throngs that must gather here in the summer time when the tourist season was at its height. A quick glance around me told me that Cole was working in smart phases, making certain everything was leased before the next round. He'd paid careful attention to fitting the development in with the landscape, building a pretty promenade that jutted out into the water. Seagulls wheeled overhead and I could hear the lapping of the water against the pier. It was altogether a pretty place and I was clearly not the only person who wanted to get in on the action. Coming Soon signs were in the windows of nearly every unopened shop.
But I kept my face studiously neutral as I regarded Parker coolly. "Let's hope I'm thrilled," I sniffed, shifting from one foot to the other like I was in pain. "After everything that's gone wrong."
The overgrown frat boy snatched his hand back then took a step back and winced. "Sorry man, was that too hard? Your assistant told me about the accident."
"Yes, well..." I trailed off, glancing away without bothering to hide my contempt. I'd never liked Parker Henley, not even back in our early days at Penn, but he was a brilliant money manager and Cole Granger had snapped him up to run the investment side of his little real estate empire up here. It was too bad Parker looked like a Ken doll with his overly gelled hair and toothy grin. Plus, I was pretty sure his nails were manicured. They were far shinier than any man's fingernails had business being.
Parker was an overgroomed idiot, but he was no fool. He could see that my interest in being chatted up was waning so he quickly stepped aside. "How about we head in?" he asked. "Man, I am so glad you rescheduled. I've been wanting to come here for ages and you've given me the best excuse possible."
"What, you can't get in?" I jeered. "Your company owns the building."
He shrugged. "The chef is a bit of a control freak." He moved to open the door for me. "You'll see. Staff is excellent though. And so is the food."
"Better be, I'm starving."
"Uh oh," Parker joked. "You're a beast when you're hungry. Hey, remember that time in junior year when we broke into the cafeteria..."
He launched into some sordid tale of college debauchery that I immediately tuned out. The fact I'd gone to the University of Pennsylvania on scholarship was something that very few of my peers knew about. I was good at keeping up appearances and fitting in, and my luck had held pretty well the whole four years. Only Cole, a fellow scholarship kid, knew the real story. That I had run away from home, gotten myself legally emancipated from my parents at seventeen and worked my way through business school by writing code in my dorm room.
Cole knew all this and that's why he'd called me, but Parker still thought I was part of his crowd. The trust fund babies and their never-ending flow of money. Sure I was one of them now, but it was hard to shake the feeling that it would all disappear tomorrow, which was why I was always seeking out more of it.
Investing in Granger Point was a big step towards doing that. Provided my luck continued to hold. I brushed my hand over the lucky coin in my pocket and followed Parker into the restaurant.
"It's kind of amazing we got a table on such short notice," Parker piped up as we stepped into the dark wood and glass expanse.
I didn't answer. I was too busy staring at the hostess's stand.
"I said, it's hard getting in here," Parker prompted, wanting desperately to impress me. "You're pretty lucky."
The woman at the hostess's stand caught me staring at her and she froze in place, the crown of blonde curls on her head bobbing slightly as she recoiled. She stared at me, open mouthed and I broke out in a smile and touched my hand to my coin, resisting the urge to yank it out and kiss it right there in front of her.
"Yeah, Parker," I said, clapping my old nemesis on the back. "I'd say I'm pretty fucking lucky indeed."