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“Figure what out?”
“Make it your side project. This is our business arrangement, where you figure out how to make me an owner.”
“I can’t.” Does he understand what is being asked?
“Help me. Please.”
This is absurd. I promised to stay away from Jake Knowles. My new classes start shortly, and there’s a meet-up with Martin tonight. Plus, I’m applying for jobs. “I’ll do my best.”
“That’s all I ask.” Jake beams in a way I’ve never seen before. He grabs my hand to shake it, and his thumb strokes the inside of my wrist. “It’s a deal.”
It’s a bad deal and a worse idea. Even the suggestion of a partnership is awful. I’m also strangely excited.
That’s a feeling it’s best to ignore. This is business, only business.
“Give me time to think of ideas. Genius doesn’t automatically happen; it needs to be nurtured.”
As if my words are magic, our food appears.
“Then let’s feed it,” Jake says, and his smile grows even more cocky. That much self-confidence should be illegal.
“One caveat. I won’t do anything that harms Boone or our company. No insider info, secret handshakes, or stealth company break-ins. I’ll help you, but that’s separate.”
My demand is suspiciously close to the one I made the first time we slept together.
“I’ll follow your rules,” Jake says. The earnestness in his voice tells me it’s the truth. “I’d never ask it of you.”
∞∞∞
“Let’s go for a walk,” Jake says after we leave the restaurant. “There’s a duck pond nearby, and walking after eating is healthy.”
I arch a brow. Our business meeting is over. “Healthy? How many miles do you run every day?”
“At least an hour’s worth.” Jake shrugs. “Or until the machine beeps at me. Come on.”
He takes my hand, loosely intertwining our fingers together. It’s a warm evening, and neither of us appears to be in a hurry.
I’m supposed to be meeting with Martin. We haven’t met in person, and he feels like someone I’ve known for years. Best of all, he’s easy, unlike the man at my side. My guilt pricks again because I want to chat with him, but I want to stay with the man walking beside me.
“You should know I’ve started seeing someone,” I say as we arrive at the duck pond. Not surprisingly, there are no ducks, swans, or geese to be seen. “His name is Martin.”
“Martin,” Jake snorts. “He sounds boring. I’ll bet his idea of excitement is staying up until midnight to finish a movie. What is he, an accountant or insurance adjuster?”
I frown because Martin is in insurance. “He’s funny.”
“So am I.”
I keep walking rather than responding. This conversation isfruitless.
Apparently, Jake feels differently. “I’m going to figure out who hurt you. You can say it’s only your brother, and maybe that plays a part, but there’s someone else. I race him every week, don’t I?”
“It doesn’t matter.” It’s easier to move on, which I’ve already done. Jake getting into a fight with his new rookie teammate will not help his career or his plans. It will also force the entire issue into the open, an event I promised myself would never happen. No one will ever know.
“You matter to me.”
We’ve already navigated more than half of Jake’s pond. It’s small, and there are still no signs of waterfowl.
“I need to get back to my car,” I say because it’s easier than responding to his statement. “My date is waiting for me.”
