“Not anymore, she broke up with me a few weeks ago.” He had a big smile on his face.
“I was going to tell you how sorry I was to hear that Shane, but you look pretty happy about it.” I gave him a small smile.
“It was probably one of the happiest days of my life so far. That girl was nothing but drama and it was exhausting.”
I nodded my head at him. “I get it.”
“Don’t worry, Shane won’t be single for long, the women are constantly chasing him.” Thankfully, Spencer had lightened up as he joked with Shane.
Shane shook his head. “No time for women right now, my first priority is the hotel.”
"I know Sebastian runs Blu Sierra Miami, and Spencer you run Blu Sierra Los Angeles, but Shane are you running Blu Sierra Chicago or are you still training?”
“The hotel is all mine now, my brothers have taught me everything that I need to know.”
“Yes, Shane is definitely ready to take over the Chicago hotel and run with it. We know that he will do an incredible job there.” Sebastian’s voice was full of pride.
“Yes, our little Shane is going to be a superstar in this industry.” Spencer and Shane seemed to have a good relationship and the only tension was between Spencer and Sebastian.
“That’s more than we can say for you Spencer, now isn’t it?” Sebastian’s words were laced with irritation and his question seemed to have completely caught Spencer off guard.
They really didn't seem to care that they were airing all of their dirty laundry in front of me. I sat there feeling uncomfortable with the level of tension that was palpable in the air.
Spencer shot him a steely glare. “Blu Sierra Los Angeles is doing just fine. Let’s change the subject, shall we?” He glanced at me and then held Sebastian’s gaze as a smirk turned up the corner of his mouth. “How are Sophia and Jaden doing?”
I could see that Sebastian was about to explode and Shane quickly jumped in. "Okay, that's enough! We are being extremely rude to our guest and we are going to change the subject. Elena you’ll have to forgive both of my brothers for their rude behavior this evening. I hope you won’t let their behavior sway your opinion of me. I have really enjoyed getting to know you and I look forward to working with you as we build our newest hotel.”
“I have enjoyed getting to know all of you this evening and I understand that families have their stuff, so no worries.”
Out of the corner my eye I could see Sebastian giving me a grateful look and I glanced at Shane who was smiling at me. "You are one smart lady.”
“Smart and beautiful.” Spencer’s comment didn’t cross the line so I appreciated that.
“Thank you, Spencer.”
Sebastian looked almost bashful and I could see that he wanted to say something but he decided to keep his thoughts to himself.
Our food finally arrived and when we were done eating I decided to drill Spencer a little bit since he had given Sebastian a little dig.
“So Spencer, I take it you’re a bachelor, yes?”
He perked up a bit when he realized that the spotlight was on him. “Yes, I am Elena, but I would change that for you in a heartbeat.”
He winked at me and I was surprised to feel a tiny flutter of butterflies in my belly. As much as I hated to admit it, Spencer had that hot, sexy guy thing going on and I could see how it would be easy to fall for him. I could feel Sebastian watching us and I almost didn’t flirt back with Spencer, but then I decided that it would be good for Sebastian to see that other men were interested in me. I know it was kind of mean given his history with Spencer but I thought that he needed to be knocked down a couple of notches. Everything was not always going to be on Sebastian’s schedule and done the way Sebastian wanted it done.
“In a heartbeat, huh?” I glanced at Sebastian and then look at Spencer as I tossed my long dark locks over my shoulder. “So earlier you said you would show me Miami the way it was meant to be seen. Maybe before you leave this weekend you can tell me the places I should check out.”
“I can do better than that. Clear your calendar on Friday and I will show you the best time you’ve ever had.”
I knew that Sebastian was probably fuming and Shane was too preoccupied with his phone to notice what was going on with Spencer and me. Before I could turn him down Sebastian did it for me.
His voice was firm and his irritated expression unyielding. “Elena cannot clear her calendar on Friday Spencer, she has responsibilities at work which is something that you should have also. Just because you’re not in Los Angeles does not mean that there is no work for you to do. We are going to be swamped with planning the new Dubai hotel and that planning begins tomorrow.”
Something really interesting happened, Spencer did not talk back to Sebastian on this one and I could see that Sebastian had the final word about business. It made sense since he was the oldest and had the most experience with the business. Things were feeling really tense so I changed the subject.
“I am really looking forward to working on the Dubai hotel. Will those of us working closely on marketing for the hotel get a chance to see it in person?” I was dying to go to Dubai and I knew I had a look of quiet desperation on my face.
My question distracted Sebastian and he gave me a half-hearted smile. “We are going to have a grand opening and all senior management will be invited. We do that with all of our hotels.”
“Oh wow, something to look forward to.”
The waiter asked if we wanted dessert but we all passed. We had been there for a while and it was getting late. The next day was going to be really busy at work so I was ready to call it a night.
“I should get going pretty soon, I still have some work to do tonight when I get home.”
“Elena’s right, we are going to be swamped tomorrow.” Sebastian glanced at all of us.
“Elena, it was a pleasure to meet you. If you ever have any questions or want to bounce ideas of off someone, feel free to contact me.” Shane gave me a friendly smile and I returned it. I got a really good feeling from him, he was a genuinely kind person and I liked him. I could totally see what Sebastian meant when he said that Shane was an awesome person.
“Thanks Shane. I’m sure I will take you up on that.”
Spencer grabbed my hand, raising it to his lips. “It was very nice to meet you, Elena. I am sure we will be seeing a lot of each other.” He held my gaze and I could feel my cheeks getting hot.