“The restaurant . . . fuck, man, it’s broke.”

My head falls back against the wall, my body going limp as I slide to the sticky ground that hasn’t seen a mop in a decade.

Broke.

As in, no funds?

There has to be a solution. The police, lawyers . . . this shit isn’t legal.

“Did you report her?”

“Yeah, but because she’s a partner, there isn’t much we can do. She had access to everything. She fucked us over.”

I rub my hand across my forehead, eyes shut, preparing for the worst. “So what the fuck are you trying to tell me?”

“We were already behind on bills. Janelle apparently wasn’t paying them but was still paying herself. Rent is two months overdue, vendors want their money, contractors still need to be paid. We’re fucked, Reid. Utterly fucked.” He lets out a long breath and says the last thing I ever expected to hear. “We have to close.”

No fucking way.

I pace the sealed concrete floor of Bar 79’s kitchen, still trying to comprehend what the hell happened while I was gone.

I told Eric to meet me here in the morning after I got back, but he has yet to show up. I’m seriously starting to worry that he’s stood me up when the back door bangs open. I glance up to see Eric stumble inside, a bottle in his hand, a hitch in his gait. What the ever-living fuck?

“Are you drunk?”

“I can’t believe you’re sober.” He makes his way to a prep table and hoists himself on top of it before taking another swig of what I can only imagine is a bottle of scotch.

“How the hell am I supposed to have a conversation about our restaurant when you’re drunk off your ass?”

“Just a wee bit twisted,” he says, holding his fingers up. “And there’s nothing to talk about. We’re fucked, Reid. She took it all. We put every ounce of our savings into this place, and my parents’ money . . .” His face twists in grief before he takes another swig.

“We have to be able to find some investors, some partners. We have great reviews; we’re up and coming on the restaurant scene. We have options.”

He shakes his head. “News is already spreading. No one is going to want to work with two idiots who don’t know how to manage a business.”

I run my hands through my hair, tugging at it. “This can’t be it. There has to be something we can do.”

“We owe vendors a shit ton of money, Reid. We are so far in debt that even if an investor likes our talent, they’re not about to scoop up all the debt we owe. Face it, this is over.” He leans back on one hand and takes a sip of his drink.

“Fuck!” I shout and kick a garbage can across the kitchen. “Fuck! I told you not to date her. I told you it was a bad idea.”

Gaining a little clarity, Eric sits tall and jabs at his chest with the hand that’s holding his bottle. “Are you blaming this on me?”

“She worked you, man. She used you and took what she wanted—that was her plan all along. I never should have let you hire her.”

“I never would have had to hire her if you didn’t drop the fucking ball on all the business shit. Don’t blame me, Reid. When we went into this partnership, you said you could handle the business end while I took over the big picture planning. I did my part. You were the one who fucking failed on his end. I stepped in and tried to find the solution.”

“With a pair of tits,” I shoot back. “You hired her because of her tits, not her qualifications.”

“Fuck you.” He slides off the prep table, the slap of his sneakered feet reverberating through the kitchen. “We never would have been in this situation if you didn’t fuck us over to begin with. Don’t blame this shit on me, not when you’re just as much at fault. Face it, Reid, we might be good in the kitchen, but when it comes to running a business . . . we both just destroyed our careers.”

I don’t want to admit that he’s right, and I don’t want to take blame for this, even though a heavy weight is pressing down on my chest, reminding me over and over that this very well might be my fault.

I should have asked for help.

I should have interviewed Janelle.

I shouldn’t have been so lazy when it came to decisions.

But . . .

“I trusted you,” I say, hands on my hips, staring at Eric. “I trusted you to make the right decision for the business, and you thought with your dick instead of your head.”

He tosses the bottle to the side, the glass shattering as it hits the floor. “Yeah, well, I trusted you to hold up your end of the bargain, and you didn’t, so looks like we’re both shitheads.” He shakes his head and starts to walk toward the back door. “Good luck with your life, Reid. Just don’t ever try to run a business again. Anything you do is guaranteed to crash and burn, just like Bar 79.”

CHAPTER ONE

REID

Three years later

Muscles screaming, back aching, I haul the lobster cage over the edge of the boat and fall backward on my ass from the weight.

Christ.

Catching my breath, I wipe the sweat off my brow with the collar of my flannel shirt. I shucked my puffy vest an hour ago, despite the chilly February air.

Six lobster traps, all full of plump brown crustaceans eager to pinch my cock off. I see it in their eyes, in the way they snap at me with their meaty claws.