Backstage Romance: An Austen-Inspired Romantic Comedy Box Set Gigi Blume (fantasy books to read .txt) š
- Author: Gigi Blume
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Now sheās opening up againāthat hot moment in the walk-in forgotten. Her smile is contagious. The joy she gets from seven varieties of hummus is just a glimpse at her zeal for life. Thatās the Rosemary I know.
We eat our way through the gastronomical tour of Eugeneās hummus, guessing all the flavors since neither one of us could decipher the sharpie scribblings on the plastic lids. Thereās a spicy one, probably jalapeƱo, a smokey sweet potato, and one with so much roasted garlic I dare Dracula to just try his luck. The one I like the least is red, Iām guessing thereās beets in there. Rosemary likes them all and canāt decide on her favorite until she tries the brown one. I almost didnāt bring that one out because I thought it was black beans or something. And heaven knows itās not a good idea to have beans if youāre trapped with an attractive woman all night. Then again... whatās hummus made out of? Oh yeah. Garbanzo beans. Wonderful.
She digs right into it. This woman has no fear. She moans the moment the dip hits her lips and her eyes almost roll back into her brain.
āMmmm. This is amaaaazing.ā
I want to tell her sheās amazing. Just the brave factor alone makes me want to get on my knee right now and ask her to have my babies. Too much? I did say I was dramatic.
She shovels more of it into her mouth. Yep. Iām a goner.
āYou must really like black beans.ā
She covers her mouth with her hand to hide a giggle, but I already saw her teeth covered in brown stuff.
āI do when they taste like chocolate,ā she says and wags her brows.
āChocolate?ā I take a tentative taste. Itās surprisingly good. Who knew?
āEugeneās been holding out on me,ā she says. āThis is a total game changer. Itās just what my plan needs toāā Her eyes shoot to me and she stops cold.
āTo what?ā I bid.
āNever mind.ā
Thereās that guarded look again. She thinks Iām the devil in blue jeans. She doesnāt trust me. Iām the enemy who wants to steal her client. But nothing could be farther from the truth.
āI know you want to save this company. Believe it or not I do too. But we have to look at the dataāā
āThe data?ā She snorts. āWe donāt interpret data the same. You see black beans. I see chocolate. You donāt understand the heart and soul that goes into small businesses. You think you can waltz in here with your five-thousand-dollar suit and your daddyās fancy firm behind you, but you donāt see the dream youāre about to rip apart.ā
āIām not my dad.ā
I know where sheās coming from. My dadās shady business dealings were all over the internet. The only reason he was never investigated was because he suffered a massive stroke. Thatās when I took over the company. I vowed then as I do now, that Iād restore it to what it was when my grandfather started it in the basement of his Brooklyn brownstone all those years ago. Besides. Itās a four-thousand-dollar suit.
She retreats into that far-away place inside herself where Iām not invited. And I thought we were making some headway, here.
āRosemary, listen to me.ā
She hugs the chocolate hummus to her chest and hunches over it, like a monkey who doesnāt want to share. I donāt think sheās listening to me at this point but I have to try.
āItās true my firm absorbs failing businesses. We try to salvage what we can but many times itās in their best interest to close down. Sometimes itās their only shot and keeps them from declaring bankruptcy.ā
She pretends not to hear me, scraping the bottom of the tub with her finger. Aaand now is not the time to let that vision rile me up.
Focus, Gram. Focus. Think of a crowded subway. Gum on the sidewalk. Sunday school. Moving on.
āWe gather all their assets and do whatās best for them. And we use some of that capital to let each employee walk away with a generous severance package. Usually about six monthsā salary.ā
Her gaze slides to me. Her look says itās not enough. Iām still an elitist scumbag.
āSome of the capital? And you pocket the lionās share.ā
āNo. We donāt take anything except our fee. Two to three percent.ā
She looks me over. āSo what are we talking here? Whatās your pita bread payday look like?ā
She wants transparency. Iāll give it to her.
āWhen all is said and done? Maybe ten grand.ā
She grunts. āThatās two suits for you.ā
She canāt be serious. Sheās a businesswoman. She should know better.
āI have a staff of professionals on my payroll, each one specialized to get the best rate for a companyās assets. Theyāre savvy and talented but donāt come cheap. So, truth be told, salvaging a failing business isnāt all that profitable.ā
Something shifts on her features, like maybe thereās a sliver deep inside where she wants to believe me.
āIf itās not profitable, then why do it?ā
āBecause more often than not, the businesses we take on have a fighting chance. Maybe their problem is sloppy accounting or they just need new branding. If thatās the case, we can save them. Thatās where the big money is.ā
Rosemary scrunches her face at me like Iām such a liar. I know what sheās thinking. Saving small businesses is her thing. Her little āconsulting firmā which consists of her and only her operates very differently than my powerful company. I know because I stalked her one-page website. She charges a flat fee. A teeny tiny one. But I admire her gusto. In some ways she reminds me of my grandfatherābootstrapping his fledgling business in that basement.
āBig money, huh? See my face? This is me. Not impressed.ā
āIām not trying to impress you, I justāā
āYawn.ā
āRose, listen. We act as angel investors.ā
She
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