The door of the rec club opened and a tall, broad-shouldered man stood silhouetted in its frame. Grace’s heart gave a giant kick. Jamie?
She’d felt about two inches tall when he’d rejected her offer to come down here earlier. It’d brought home to her the fact that he lived in a completely different world to hers—a super-wealthy world of luxury, filled with all the best restaurants, nightclubs and theatres a person could want. How on earth could a humble rec club compete with that? How did a girl like her compete with that?
They didn’t, that’s what. Not that she wanted to compete.
None of that stopped her heart from bouncing around in her chest now, though.
‘Well, well,’ murmured Charlie, who sat across from her. ‘You’re right. He’s smoking hot. I think that’s my cue to leave.’
‘Wait.’ She’d been going to ask Charlie if all was well at Melaleuca Downs—the station her family owned. When Grace had told Jamie about losing their farm earlier, it had occurred to her that might be what was worrying Charlie. Were Charlie’s family in danger of losing Melaleuca?
‘You want me to stay?’ Charlie’s eyebrow rose. ‘You sure about that?’
Jamie’s gaze fixed on her and she knew she ought to remember all the reasons why drawing closer to him was a bad idea. She should ask Charlie to stay, but…
Her lips twisted into a rueful smile. ‘No.’
With a wink, Charlie rose and ambled off.
Jamie strode across, setting a fresh glass of white wine in front of her. ‘Is it okay if I sit down?’
She gestured to the chair opposite and ordered herself to play it cool. ‘Change your mind?’
‘I got through what I needed to sooner than expected.’ He lifted his beer to his lips, and she watched, mesmerised, as he tilted his head and swallowed.
‘I wanted to do a deeper dive on your agritourism plans—check out the potential returns.’
She blinked to find he’d set his glass back to the table and was staring at her closely. Um…? ‘Why?’
‘I’m always on the lookout for a savvy investment.’
He was here to talk business? Something in his eyes, though, told her this was about more than business. So much more
‘I’ve made a lot of money in robotics. Where I can, I invest my profits in companies and businesses that have an environmentally sustainable focus. I love your vision and I want to invest in it.’
She tried to make sense of what he was saying. ‘Except I don’t have a business yet.’
‘You could buy something tomorrow if I came on board as an investor.’
He wanted to do that? She tried to stifle the excitement that rose through her. Wait. There had to be a catch. ‘How would you see this working?’
He raised his hands. ‘I don’t want a say in how you structure or operate the business—that’s your forte. But the potential returns on what you’re proposing are very attractive. I’d be a fool not to get in on the ground level if I can.’ He planted his elbows on the table. ‘It’s not just the money, though. What you want to do will make the world a better place. And, Grace, I want in on that.’
They stared at each other. Grace wondered, if they sat here long enough, if she’d be able to count the number of gold flecks in his eyes.
‘So…’ He held her gaze. ‘What do you think?’
‘I think we should go back to your cottage and explore our options further.’
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