Page 44 of Charm (Billionaire Buck Boys #7)
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
Greer
“That settles it.” Martha claps her hands together as her face beams bright with a smile. “Bruce and I will cash in all of our investments and become your silent partners. This is perfect, Greer. It’s just perfect.”
It’s a disaster waiting to happen.
“I…well…no, Martha.” I shake my head. Hard. “I can’t let you do that.”
Her head cocks to the left. “Why not?”
I could list a million reasons why it would be a bad idea, but I go with the first one that pops into my head. “I already have some leads on people who want to invest.”
I don’t bother mentioning that both of those people are my parents. When I bemoaned to them that I was on the hunt for a new business partner, they both got way too excited at the prospect of moving back to New York to work “hands-on” with me every single day.
I love my folks, but their lives are running smoothly, without the complications of spreadsheets, lost orders, and unhappy customers.
Besides, I need to find someone who has some business acumen so I’m not chasing after them about every decision they make.
“Is one of those people your lover?”
I’d cringe, but laughter is my first reaction. “Martha!”
“There’s nothing to be ashamed of, Greer.” She drinks from the martini glass in her hand. “I’ve had lovers.”
Okay.
This conversation stops now.
Since we’re out in the small yard behind the house and Olive is already in bed, I can’t hold out hope that she’ll come racing in with a problem that needs to be solved in an instant. Bruce is out for a stroll, so he’s not going to rush to my rescue either.
“I can’t partner with him.” I sip from my glass.
If Martha were ever looking for a way to spend her evenings, she’d make bank as a bartender. This apple martini she made me is the best I’ve ever had. I decide to use that to steer the current conversation we’re having straight off the rails.
“This martini is divine, Martha.”
Her left eyebrow perks. “You told me that twice already, Greer. I know what an attempted diversion looks and sounds like.”
She tilts her chin toward me.
I pat her hand as if I’m chasing away a silly notion. “I was simply complimenting you on the great drink.”
“You were simply trying to get me to drop the subject of your lover.”
“Holden,” I spit out his name so she’ll stop referring to him that way. “His name is Holden.”
“He must be a good man. My money is on him being a strong man. He’s handsome, too, I bet?”
“You got all of that from his first name?” I finish what’s left in my glass, hoping that she’ll offer to make me another.
That doesn’t happen. She just smiles as I place the empty glass on the small white table set between our chairs. We’re in the corner of the yard near one of the two white lilac bushes Bruce planted the week after we moved in.
“He’s okay to look at.” I shrug.
A giggle falls from her lips. “I’m going to take that to mean he’s beautiful.”
That’s not a word I’d use to describe a man, but it somehow fits Holden Sheppard. He is beautiful, handsome, gorgeous, great in bed…
“You’re daydreaming about him,” she says bluntly. “Naughty daydreams.”
“If by naughty you mean me telling him to keep his big hands off my business, then yes, it’s a naughty daydream.”
“Big hands, you say?” She sips from her glass.
I try as hard as I can to keep a straight face, but it’s all in vain. “I can’t want someone who is trying to steal my business.”
“You can want anyone you damn well please, Greer.” She balances the base of her glass on her thigh.
“I hate disagreeing with you, but steal may not be the appropriate word here. From what you’ve told me, it sounds like he’s being upfront with his desire to partner with you.
Partner is the important word in that sentence, dear. ”
I know she’s right, but I tilt my head back and close my eyes. “Why are you so rational?”
“It comes with age,” she uses the same line she always does when I question how she’s so wise. “Maybe a partnership with this Holden fellow is just what you need.”
I glance at my empty glass.
“I’ll make you another if you promise to hear him out,” she pleads Holden’s case for him even though they’ve never met. “Listen to what the man is offering, take a few days to think it over, and then decide what’s right for you.”
“And for Olive,” I whisper.
“Our girl has her entire life ahead of her.” She moves her glass from her thigh to the table. “She may decide to take over the business, or she might go to medical school. Maybe she’ll teach grade school.”
“The world is her oyster,” I agree with a nod.
“Olive and Celia would want you to do what’s best for you.” She reaches for my hand to squeeze it. “It’s time to think about that. Put Greer first.”
“That’s hard for me,” I say, my voice cracking as I think about Celia and every dream she never got to fulfill.
“Do you remember how long you debated going to The Hamptons?” She winks. “If you don’t, I’ll remind you. It was weeks, Greer. Weeks.”
She’s right. I did have a war brewing within me about that. Part of me didn’t want to leave Olive for that long, but the other part of me knew it was what I needed. After seven years, I needed a few days to catch my breath.
“You and Bruce are the reasons I did it,” I tell her.
“We’ll always be here for you.” She squeezes my hand again, tighter this time. “We want what’s best for you. You’re the one who needs to decide what that is without taking everyone else into consideration. Think about what you want your future to look like.”
For the first time in what feels like forever, I’m not sure about that.
I think I may want Holden Sheppard to be part of my future. The real question is, do I see him as a business partner or more?
Is there a chance he could be both?