The Devil She Knew(33)

"The real benefit of a partnership is the power we'd gain by combining  our knowledge," Kevin said. "So the whole becomes greater than the sum  of its parts. We provide you with our expertise in car building, and you  apply your considerable skills to make something neither of us could  have made alone."

Suzie had changed the way Nate saw the world. He pictured her covered in  squid ink diving fearlessly into the sea, and felt a smile play around  his lips. She'd made him happy, and he could do the same for her. If she  let him. Like Harrison had said, all he needed to do was convince her  how amazing she was. He could support her. Help her achieve her dreams.

And if she were here right now, she'd probably tell him in no uncertain  terms to stop daydreaming and focus on the partnership he was being  offered. He grinned, imagining her curls bouncing as she told him he was  crazy to even think about turning it down.

Screw it.

As he made his decision, it was as though a thick, black cloud had  lifted off him. He was all in, one hundred percent. It felt good. More  than good, he felt totally euphoric. He'd leave right now and call her,  except she'd be busy cooking and wouldn't appreciate the distraction.  That was okay. He'd get on a plane to LA first chance he got.

"So, you're happy with the contract?" The CEO raised his eyebrows, and Nate realized he was grinning.

Oh yeah, the contract. He liked the idea, and now he'd made the most  important decision, maybe he could focus on it. First he had to read  through it and catch up on anything he might have missed.

"We need time to consider it," he said. "We'll take it with us and give you a call."

Kevin inclined his head. "Naturally. But can you tell me your initial thoughts? Do you think we'll be able to make a deal?"

Nate glanced at Tristan who was still reading the pages in front of him. "Will you give me a moment with my business partner?"

"Of course." Kevin stood up and the other executives followed his lead.  "I'll have someone bring in coffee and cake, and if you want to talk  again before you leave, just let the secretary at the front desk know."

When the door shut behind him, Nate looked at Tristan. "So?"

Tristan broke into a wide grin. "Well, I'd have to read the fine print. But it sure looks good."

Nate nodded. A partnership was a dream solution. He'd get access to  hardware, expertise and technology it would have taken him years to  replicate if he was starting from scratch. This would speed things up  and he could easily press on with his idea for putting the system into  boats at the same time. One thing for sure, they'd end up with a far  better product.

There was just one thing. If he was going to make it work with Suzie, a long-distance relationship wasn't an option.

He scanned the contract, skimming through all the clauses. He'd be  building the new division from scratch, so theoretically he could base  it wherever he wanted. It would start out as a research center as they  worked toward putting together their first prototype, and he'd begin  with a small, hand-picked team.         

     



 

So why not base it in LA?





23





Suzie hung up the telephone in Marianna's kitchen and whooped so loudly  that in the hallway, Rusty lifted his head and barked. "Another  booking." She turned to Marianna. "Someone else who was at the wedding  on Friday night, and wants us to cook at their event. They asked if I  could do my calamari dish."

Marianna dropped the serving dish she was soaping back into the sink and smiled. "Sounds like it was a big hit."

That was an understatement. The guests had cleaned the plates in record  time, and after giving away every business card she'd taken with her,  Suzie had resorted to scribbling Marianna's number down on napkins and  giving them to everyone who asked.

The massive chance she'd taken had paid off, and the fresh seafood had  made the difference. She was just glad Marianna wasn't mad that she'd  gone ahead and made the calamari anyway, instead of the mini quiches.  But man, did it feel good to have pulled it off and made the wedding a  success. Maybe she'd never know how it felt to turn down fifty-five  million dollars, but now she knew how it felt to bet on yourself and  win.

Thank you, Nate.

Without his confidence boost  –  and his ‘Screw it' motto  –  she wouldn't have taken the chance.

She shook her head, trying to banish thoughts of Nate. She wanted to  enjoy her moment in the sun and forget about the Nate-sized hole in her  heart. How was it even possible to miss someone so much?

"You okay?" asked Marianna.

"Yes. Yes, I'm better than okay. Thank you for not being angry with me."

"Angry? Are you kidding?" Marianna grabbed a dish towel and wiped her  hands. "I have something I want to ask you. Do you think you'd be  interested in owning a share of my business?"

Suzie's heart turned over. "What do you mean?"

"This was the first weekend I've had off in years, and from the sound of  it, taking some time off was the best thing I could have done. If there  are two of us running the business, not only will I be able to do it  more often, but we can do more events as well."

Was she serious? "I was hoping you'd give me more responsibility and more hours. I hadn't thought any further than that."

"That's exactly what I want, too. If you agree to buy thirty percent of  the business, you could be running one event, while I do another. Double  the income. And you'll earn thirty percent of the profits."

"You want me to buy a share?" Suzie's heart sank. "I can't afford-"

"I know." Marianna dropped the dish towel on the bench and held both  hands up. "That's why I've come up with a solution. It's only fair you  pay something, seeing as I've set all this up, and it's my kitchen and  equipment. But what if we agreed on a period of time that you were to  work full-time but keep drawing part-time money? You could work off your  share of the business."

Suzie opened her mouth and closed it again. Her brain seemed to be working at half speed and she didn't know what to say.

"Let's say you work full-time for the next three months," said Marianne.  "Same pay as now. Then you'd own your stake and could start drawing out  profits as well. I think that would be fair, don't you?"

Suzie blinked. She tried to work out the figure in her head, but her  thoughts were too slow. Three months wasn't long at all. It seemed too  easy and not completely real. At any moment Marianna might laugh and  tell her it was all a joke.

"I've stunned you," said Marianne. "I know it's a lot. But I hope you'll think about it and let me know."

"Um." A happy feeling bubbled up in Suzie's belly and the gears in her  brain ground into life again. "I can't believe it. Are you sure?"

"You've proven that people don't always want asparagus rolls and  quiches. I've got a solid business, but for the last couple of years  it's been coasting along instead of growing. You've got a knack for  creating new dishes and I think your fresh ideas and enthusiasm could be  what I've been missing. Together we could build this business into  something great."

Wow. What an incredible opportunity. Just a couple of days ago she was  scraping ruined pastry into the trash and sobbing over what a failure  she was. Now she was being offered the very thing she'd dreamed of. How  on earth had things changed so fast? All she'd done was deal a card and  take a chance on herself.

And if Nate where here with her, she'd be happy.
         

     



 
"So you'll do it?" asked Marianna.

Suzie chewed her lower lip. Sometimes she really hated herself. "It's a great offer. Thank you."

"But … ?" Marianna put her hands on her hips. "Your expression says there's a ‘but'."

"It's Nate."

"Of course it is. You've been on another planet since you got back from Laura's wedding."

Suzie ran her hand over her hair, wanting to grab a handful and tug. She  was an idiot. It was official. But how could she accept the offer?

"I know things aren't going to work out with Nate, but he's all I can  think about. And now I'm starting to wonder if letting him go could have  been the dumbest thing I've ever done." She shook her head. "I mean,  it's crazy to even think about running away to New York to be with a guy  who's so afraid of getting hurt that he has to calculate the chance of  our relationship succeeding. But I guess I must be certifiable, because  that's exactly what I'm considering."

Marianna clicked her tongue. "Don't you dare go to New York. I need you  here." Frowning, she dragged in a loud breath. "Okay, tell you what.  I'll make it a fifty percent share. Equal partners." She stuck one hand  out, offering to shake. "Seriously, Suz, this is the best deal you're  ever going to be offered. If we both knuckle down and get this business  pumping, I really think we could do well. What do you say?"