Holiday Hoax: A Fake Marriage Billionaire Romance (The Cartwright Family Book 1)
Holiday Hoax: Chapter 24

A Few Days Later

‘After you,’ I say, opening the door to our hotel. Georgia and I were downstairs eating breakfast. She finally agreed to show me her franchise concept. I’ve been bugging her all week to show me, and I could tell she was closer to caving. Now that she’s agreed, I’m chomping at the bit to see it.

‘Aren’t you the eager beaver?’ she teases and steps inside.

‘Yep. And proud of it,’ I declare. I grab my laptop off the desk. ‘Sit.’

She obeys, and I take the seat next to her. I turn on the laptop, punch in my security code, and place it on her lap. ‘Go ahead and log in.’

She bites her lip and winces.

My gut sinks. ‘What’s wrong? You’re not backing out, are you?’

She hesitates, stating, ‘No. It’s just… Well, I’ve not shown anyone this.’

‘Melanie has seen it,’ I point out.

‘Melanie doesn’t count,’ she claims.

I dramatically gape, then lean closer and lower my voice. ‘Does Melanie know this?’

Georgia puts her hand over her face and groans. ‘No. That sounded bad, didn’t it?’

‘Yep. So why doesn’t she count?’ I question.

Georgia turns more toward me. ‘She’s my friend. She’ll tell me she likes it, no matter what.’

I arch my eyebrows at her. ‘I doubt that. Melanie seems like she’ll always tell you what she thinks. But do you think if I see something wrong with it, I’m not going to point it out?’

She cringes. ‘Yeah. That’s what I’m kind of scared of.’

I chuckle. ‘Come on, Sunshine. I’m sure it’s fabulous. Let me see what you’ve planned. Plus, you know I’d only point something out if I thought there was a major mistake that could hurt you.’

She takes a deep breath and logs in to the cloud. She inquires, ‘What do you want to see first?’

‘Whatever you want to show me.’

She scans the different folders, then pulls up one labeled graphics. She clicks several times, and a logo pops up on the screen. It’s a huge gourmet chocolate cupcake with pink frosting, and the word ‘Grammy’s’ is written in a scripted font, and ‘Cupcakes’ is in a bold block script.

I blurt out, ‘That’s badass.’

‘You like it?’

I scoot closer. ‘Yes, I do. Your fonts are great. They pop. And so do the colors. I can see that on a wall.’

She beams proudly. ‘It will be. Right behind the counter!’ She clicks on another folder, and a layout appears. Excitement grows in her voice as she informs me, ‘I hired a designer to create this. I know it would have to be scaled to each building, but this is the basic design I want.’

I study it for a moment, looking at all the details, impressed with how thorough the specs are.

Before I can say anything, Georgia points to the kitchen. ‘The appliances have to be here. The ovens I want to buy can make over a hundred cupcakes an hour. The number per building will depend on the location and kitchen size. And I wanted to make sure that things run efficiently. So this is why the sink needs to go here, the ovens here, and the mixers here. The dishwashing station is there.’

‘That makes sense. I wouldn’t have thought about that stuff. You put a lot of time into this,’ I state.

She nods, then moves her hand out to the front of the store. ‘The display case with the cupcakes has to be first. I can’t stand it when you go into a bakery, and you’re supposed to order, but the display case is after the cashier. It doesn’t make sense.’

I’ve never really thought about it, but she’s right. I proudly declare, ‘Once again, genius idea.’

She tilts her head. ‘Are you being condescending?’

I furrow my eyebrows. ‘No, not at all. Why would you think that?’

She exhales but avoids answering my question. ‘Okay. So the hot drink station for the fancy coffees and teas will be here. The cold case for the sodas and water will be here.’ She points to the area before the customer would order.

‘Makes perfect sense. What’s this?’ I ask, pointing to an area that looks like couches.

She motions to the front of the building. ‘These are normal tables, but I thought this could be an area where people can meet and stay awhile. Kind of a lounging area, so I thought couches and overstuffed armchairs would be comfier.’ She motions to the corner. ‘This is going to be a quiet area. There’ll be a glass wall so people can go inside and work.’

Impressed, I study it, commenting, ‘You really have thought of everything.’

‘I want Grammy’s Cupcakes to be a place where people come in and stay. Somewhere they feel welcome…kind of like home,’ she admits.

I slide my arm around her shoulder and kiss her cheek. ‘You have good ideas. I love everything about it. Thank you for showing me.’

Her cheeks slightly flush. She smiles and inquires, ‘Do you want to look at my spreadsheets?’

I rub my hands together. ‘Of course I want to look at your spreadsheets.’

She laughs and rolls her eyes. ‘That was a dumb question, wasn’t it?’

‘You know it,’ I reply.

She opens another folder and pulls up a spreadsheet with a dozen different tabs. She clicks on one and states, ‘This is the one for the build-out.’

I know a lot about build-outs, so I study it. I whistle, ‘You’re pretty bang on with your numbers.’

She beams, then opens another tab. ‘This is what the franchise costs will be based on from when I last researched it. I updated it about a month ago. Not much changed.’

I review her costs. Her attorney fees are sky-high. I move the mouse over them. ‘Where did you get the numbers for this category?’

‘I got several quotes,’ she answers.

‘I have the firm you should use. It’ll cost a third,’ I claim.

Her eyes widen. ‘Seriously?’

‘Yes.’

‘That’s a ton of money to save!’

I do everything I can to not smile. I don’t want her to think I’m being condescending again—I’m not. I’m so impressed by what she’s already planned, I can’t even describe it. I hold my serious face and assert, ‘I’ll introduce you when we return to Dallas.’

‘Thanks.’

‘Of course. What’s this tab?’ I question.

She opens it. ‘This is the monthly fixed costs and then I have the variables on this side. Because of my ingredients, I can’t be certain what they’ll be. And the more I buy, the cheaper the costs will be, so it’ll change. I did run this spreadsheet.’ She clicks on another tab. ‘And these are the base prices for ingredients for bulk for the last five years.’

Every single day for the last five years has a date and price. Shocked, I ask, ‘How did you get this?’

She shrugs. ‘I researched it.’

‘This is ridiculously detailed,’ I claim.

‘Too much?’ she asks, wincing again.

‘No, not at all. This is impressive, Sunshine.’

‘It is?’ she questions again.

‘Of course it is. Why are you second-guessing yourself because I’m looking at it?’ I inquire.

Her face turns red. ‘I am, aren’t I?’

‘Yes. And you shouldn’t,’ I declare.

She releases a stress-filled breath. ‘You’re right.’

‘You know this inside and out. Don’t ever doubt yourself,’ I tell her.

She smiles, and my heart swells. She quietly replies, ‘Thanks.’

I know the perfect spot for her first bakery in Dallas.

I rise, announcing, ‘I have to go to the restroom. I’ll be right back.’

‘Okay.’

I lean down and put my face in front of hers. ‘This is a killer plan. You’re going to be super successful with it.’

She beams. ‘Thanks. I appreciate your confidence.’

‘There’s no reason for you not to do this,’ I add, then peck her on the lips. ‘I’ll be right back.’ I go into the restroom and grab the phone receiver off the wall, then hit the extension for the spa. A woman chirps, ‘Good morning, Mr. Cartwright. This is Anna. How can I assist you?’

‘I need to schedule my wife for a manicure and pedicure today.’

She answers, ‘I’m sorry, but we’re fully booked today.’

‘I figured, but I’ll give your entire staff a generous bonus, and I need the appointment to be within the next half hour,’ I state.

‘Oh…umm…’

I continue, ‘I don’t care what else I need to add to this, but I need my wife to get a manicure and pedicure.’

Anna asserts, ‘Mr. Cartwright, just a moment, please.’

‘Sure.’ I stare at myself in the mirror, tapping my hand against my thigh.

Anna returns to the line. ‘Okay. We can make that happen. Please send your wife over.’

‘Thank you,’ I state and hang up. I pretend to flush the toilet and wash my hands. I leave the bathroom and announce, ‘I have a surprise for you.’

Georgia turns her head. ‘Another one? You’re spoiling me.’

I pull her off her feet. ‘You have an appointment at the spa.’

‘What?’

‘Pedicure and manicure. You need to go now, or you’ll be late,’ I declare.

‘I thought we were going to go downtown?’ she asks.

‘We will, but you have an appointment first.’

She glances at her nails. ‘Are they that bad?’

I chuckle. ‘No, but when we were at our massages, the lady kept claiming how amazing the manicures and pedicures were here. So I booked you one.’

She grins, rises on her toes, then tosses her arms around me. ‘Thank you. You’re the best.’

‘Can you say that again?’ I ask.

She softly laughs. ‘Nope. You’ll have to do something else for me to say that again.’

I challenge, ‘Something like what I did to you last night?’

Her face turns beet red. She admits, ‘Yeah, something like that.’

I pat her on the ass and move her toward the door. ‘Good. Challenge accepted.’

‘What are you going to do while I’m there?’

‘I have to take care of a few things for the merger. Let me get that out of the way. You get your pedicure and manicure and then we can spend the rest of the day together. Okay?’

She smiles. ‘All right.’

I walk her to the spa, kiss her, then tell her I’ll pick her up when it’s over. I hurry back to the room and turn on my laptop. I make copies of all of her plans, and then I call Victoria.

She answers, ‘Sebastian, I thought you were on your honeymoon.’

‘I am, but I have something I need you to do,’ I reply.

‘Getting right down to business. Normal Mr. Cartwright that I know well,’ she teases.

‘Sorry. Victoria, how are you doing?’ I ask.

She chirps, ‘Well, I’m great, Sebastian. Thank you for asking. Now, what can I do for you today?’

I drop the bomb. ‘I need you to make sure that the new lease in the Main Street district doesn’t go through.’

Silence fills the line.

‘Are you still there?’ I ask.

She clears her throat. ‘Why would we not close that deal? It’s high rent and a huge profit.’

‘I’m fully aware,’ I assert.

‘Would you like to tell me why we’re not doing it?’ she asks.

‘No, not really. I’ll let you know soon though.’

She groans. ‘Are you serious right now? You’re not going to tell me why?’

I debate, then give in. ‘This is between us, but I’m giving it to Georgia for her bakery.’

More silence fills the line.

‘Hello?’ I say.

‘That’s… That’s incredible, Sebastian.’

‘Make sure it doesn’t close, Victoria,’ I direct.

She answers, ‘I’m on it.’

I get off the phone with her and call my builder, Liam.

He booms, ‘Sebastian, what do I owe the pleasure?’ Hammers and saws hum in the background.

‘I have something I need you to do, and it needs to get done today,’ I assert.

He groans. ‘Why do I have a feeling you’re about to make my day a pain in the ass?’

I chuckle. ‘Because I am.’

He sighs. ‘What do you need done?’

‘The building down in the Main Street district—I need you to pull permits for it. I want them issued today.’

He whistles. ‘That will cost you at least six figures. We’re going to have to grease Eduardo.’

‘Yeah, I know,’ I say, hating that I have to give Eduardo money. I can’t stand the pig, and he can’t stand me, so it’ll cost me a pretty penny. However, whatever it takes, I’m going to get it done.

‘Why don’t you tell him you need it in a few days? It’ll cost you a fifth of the price,’ Liam suggests.

I stare out the window at the icy snow and the buildings gleaming with lights. ‘Liam, I don’t care what it costs. I want permits, and I want them today. Go grease the fat bastard, and let me know when it’s done.’

‘All right, boss,’ he concedes and hangs up.

I text him.

Me: I’m sending you plans. I need them fitted to the current space.

Liam: On it.

I email him the plans that Georgia’s designer made.

I call the company I use for our logos. Normally my assistant does this, but I’m not leaving this to anyone.

The receptionist answers, ‘Dallas Logos. This is Sabrina. How may I help you?’

‘Hi, Sabrina. This is Sebastian Cartwright. I need to talk to your boss.’

She clears her throat. ‘Yes, Mr. Cartwright, just a moment. Can you hold, please?’

‘Yep,’ I reply.

Not long passes before her boss, Mark, answers. ‘Sebastian, what’s going on?’

‘I just emailed you a logo with the materials I want it made with. How long will it take? And don’t tell me a few months,’ I demand.

‘Well, everything can be done for a price,’ he dangles in front of me.

‘I don’t care what it costs, Mark. I need it, and it’s got to happen soon,’ I state.

‘Worst-case scenario is probably a week. For a price, of course.’

‘Of course,’ I sneer, then pull up the calendar on my phone. A week gives me enough time. Still, I tell him, ‘A week’s pushing it, Mark. I want it before then.’

He concedes, ‘Maybe five days, Sebastian, but you have to understand. Some things need to sit and cool off before we can attach other materials to them. Five days is the soonest possible if you don’t want it falling apart.’

‘Fine. Get it done,’ I instruct.

‘Done. Since I have you on the phone—’

‘Call my office. Bye,’ I interject and hang up.

I send an email to my legal team to start the process of franchising Georgia’s concept. I attach the documents they’ll need and tell them to put it in her name. I start to write Peach, then pause.

I don’t debate long. Her name’s not legally changed yet, but I still put Georgia Peach Cartwright on it.

I spend the next hour making plans for the rest of the day. There’s a Santa Claus hunt in the downtown area. It has thirteen hidden hologram Santa Clauses around the city, and you walk around trying to find them. When Georgia and I read about it, she stated it would be fun.

Then I buy tickets for a Christmas concert scheduled before the Reykjavik Food Walk. We’ll visit five to six unique Icelandic restaurants and get to eat a different cuisine at each of the venues. It’s supposed to be super authentic, and I don’t doubt Georgia will be pumped about it.

Finally, I buy tickets for ice skating. I know I’ll spend most of the time on my ass since I’m not a skater, but Georgia’s eyes lit up when she saw the rink. If it costs me bruised ass cheeks to see her glow like that, I’ll do it all night long.

By the time I’m done planning, Liam sends me a text.

Liam: Permit’s done, but it’s 120k. Enjoy writing the check.

Me: Thanks. Now get your night crews on this. Whatever it takes, you need to be done by Christmas Eve.

Liam: That’s pushing it.

Me: I don’t care. Get it done.

Liam: Someone have you by the balls or something?

Yep. And happily so.

Me: It’s for my wife. Now, get it done.