made the decision to
help you.” He leaned back in his chair and handed her a thick file. “That’s the
contract for the lobby of our main building downtown. There are six other
buildings that we’d like for you to maintain too, and there are contracts in
there for those as well. I understand from your mom that you do that, go back
to make sure the plants are up to your standards, and replace or fix what needs
it.”
“Yes, but I don’t have the resources to
take on a job this big. I have some capital now that Sanders is going to pay me,
but not on this scale.” She started to hand him back the file when an envelope
fell out. “What’s this?”
“It’s a deposit. I’m hoping it’s substantial
enough to give you the extra capital to do the job for us.” She opened the
envelope and looked up at him. “Is it?”
“You know it is. It’s more than you know
I was going to charge you to do the initial project.” She put the check back in
the envelope and stuffed it in the file and laid it on the table beside them. “Why
are you doing this? If this has anything to do with your daughter, I don’t want
the job this way. I have standards. They aren’t as high or as lofty as the
Goldens’, but they’re all I have.”
He stared at her for several minutes, but
she didn’t squirm. She wanted to and felt the need to fidget, like she’d never
felt before. When he picked up the file and handed her the first contract, she
looked at where he was pointing.
“As you can see, this was drawn up the
day before my daughter was delivered safely by you. And the other six the
morning you delivered her and gave my wife a chance to survive when all I
wanted to do was panic. And as for wanting you to do this because of a sense of
obligation because of all this, then no, I wouldn’t stay in business very long
if I let my emotions lead me by the short hairs, as my father used to say.” She
took the pen he offered her. “I’m not willing to have a second-rate company, being
the first thing people see when they come into my lobby. And I doubt for one
second that you’d give me that. Sign the fucking contracts, Rayne, and I’ll get
down to the other part of my business with you.”
She scribbled her name over all the
places that he’d had marked with tabs. She supposed she should have read it
over or at least had an attorney do it. But the only one she knew was more than
likely the one who had written this one, and she couldn’t afford anything else.
Besides, as much as she hated to admit it even to herself, she trusted the male
cat in front of her.
“Now, I would like to become a silent
partner to your company. And this has nothing to do with the previous contract
signed by us both. We can make a great deal of money off this venture, and I,
for one, like money. Do you?” She nodded at him before she could think. “Good. Here
is what I propose for us as a beginning.”
By the time she’d left the restaurant,
she was a great deal smarter about what the Golden Towers did, and she would
have a nice bank account when she was able to get to hers in the morning. She
looked down at the checks Ryland had given her, as well as a copy of the
contracts that Alistair just happened to have on him. When Ryland, then her mom,
signed off as investor and witness, she sat back and then stood up.
“I need air. Now. I need some air.” She
left the little dining area and was out the door before anyone could stop her.
She was taking big gulps of night air when she felt Neal come out behind her.
“Did he hurt you?” She turned to laugh
when she realized that he was serious. “Ryland can be a bit pushy when he wants
something. But he’d asked me to give the two of you a few minutes. So I ask
again, did he hurt you?”
“No. He bought a small interest in my
business, hired me as an outside consultant to help with the books, and gave me
a list of places I could get cheap labor during the peak times. He also gave me
over seven hundred
help you.” He leaned back in his chair and handed her a thick file. “That’s the
contract for the lobby of our main building downtown. There are six other
buildings that we’d like for you to maintain too, and there are contracts in
there for those as well. I understand from your mom that you do that, go back
to make sure the plants are up to your standards, and replace or fix what needs
it.”
“Yes, but I don’t have the resources to
take on a job this big. I have some capital now that Sanders is going to pay me,
but not on this scale.” She started to hand him back the file when an envelope
fell out. “What’s this?”
“It’s a deposit. I’m hoping it’s substantial
enough to give you the extra capital to do the job for us.” She opened the
envelope and looked up at him. “Is it?”
“You know it is. It’s more than you know
I was going to charge you to do the initial project.” She put the check back in
the envelope and stuffed it in the file and laid it on the table beside them. “Why
are you doing this? If this has anything to do with your daughter, I don’t want
the job this way. I have standards. They aren’t as high or as lofty as the
Goldens’, but they’re all I have.”
He stared at her for several minutes, but
she didn’t squirm. She wanted to and felt the need to fidget, like she’d never
felt before. When he picked up the file and handed her the first contract, she
looked at where he was pointing.
“As you can see, this was drawn up the
day before my daughter was delivered safely by you. And the other six the
morning you delivered her and gave my wife a chance to survive when all I
wanted to do was panic. And as for wanting you to do this because of a sense of
obligation because of all this, then no, I wouldn’t stay in business very long
if I let my emotions lead me by the short hairs, as my father used to say.” She
took the pen he offered her. “I’m not willing to have a second-rate company, being
the first thing people see when they come into my lobby. And I doubt for one
second that you’d give me that. Sign the fucking contracts, Rayne, and I’ll get
down to the other part of my business with you.”
She scribbled her name over all the
places that he’d had marked with tabs. She supposed she should have read it
over or at least had an attorney do it. But the only one she knew was more than
likely the one who had written this one, and she couldn’t afford anything else.
Besides, as much as she hated to admit it even to herself, she trusted the male
cat in front of her.
“Now, I would like to become a silent
partner to your company. And this has nothing to do with the previous contract
signed by us both. We can make a great deal of money off this venture, and I,
for one, like money. Do you?” She nodded at him before she could think. “Good. Here
is what I propose for us as a beginning.”
By the time she’d left the restaurant,
she was a great deal smarter about what the Golden Towers did, and she would
have a nice bank account when she was able to get to hers in the morning. She
looked down at the checks Ryland had given her, as well as a copy of the
contracts that Alistair just happened to have on him. When Ryland, then her mom,
signed off as investor and witness, she sat back and then stood up.
“I need air. Now. I need some air.” She
left the little dining area and was out the door before anyone could stop her.
She was taking big gulps of night air when she felt Neal come out behind her.
“Did he hurt you?” She turned to laugh
when she realized that he was serious. “Ryland can be a bit pushy when he wants
something. But he’d asked me to give the two of you a few minutes. So I ask
again, did he hurt you?”
“No. He bought a small interest in my
business, hired me as an outside consultant to help with the books, and gave me
a list of places I could get cheap labor during the peak times. He also gave me
over seven hundred
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