Page 61 of The Millionaire's Mechanic

“That would be a very nice way to bring our interests together,” Ephraim said, his eyes soft as he faced his daughter.

Rainer hid a grin. The man was shameless, but since he was an ally at the moment, Rainer wasn’t about to call him on it.

Unable to withstand the force of that look, Georgia crumbled like a cookie. “I’ll think about it,” she murmured, resuming her meal with a mulish expression.

“Sorry if Ephraim gave you a hard time,” she told Rainer after the man had gone, dinner long over. “I should have realized he would ask about your family. We’ve spent so much time together that I forget that he hasn’t had a chance to know you.”

“It’s not a big deal,” he assured her, throwing an arm around her shoulders to guide her to the bedroom. “I’m not embarrassed about my background. Plus, I’m not above using pity to get him on my side.”

“Yeah, I noticed.” She poked him below the ribs. “For future reference, we team up to gang up on Ephraim, not the other way around.”

He stopped at the threshold of their room. “Are you sure about going back to work tomorrow?”

She sighed. “I know you want me to jump on your offer, but mixing business with pleasure is a bad idea.”

Rainer grunted, glad she didn’t bring up Mack. “You don’t have to work on my cars at all,” he pointed out. “You can focus on restorations and sell your wares to my contacts. Trust me, Ephraim showed me the before and afters on the Talbot, and I’ve seen the others on your Instagram. With quality work like that, I can find you plenty of clients.”

She frowned. “When did he show you pictures?”

“When you went to the bathroom—I was desperate for small talk,” he confessed. “But I’m glad I was. I had no idea how badly smashed up the car had been before you started the restoration.”

“It was in bad shape,” she acknowledged. “But I hate leaving everybody at Elite in the lurch. I should go back for a little while at least, give them a couple of weeks’ notice.”

“Mitch doesn’t deserve your loyalty. He’s too much of a misogynist to appreciate your skills. Now is the perfect time to quit—they’ve already gotten used to working without you.”

Georgia scowled.

Rainer grimaced, but this was a harsh truth she needed to hear. “It’s a pretty rare business that values dedication like yours—believe me, I would know. To a place like Elite, you’re an interchangeable cog.”

She looked down at the floor. “I know that.”

He wrapped his arms around her. “Bankrolling talent like yours is what I do. Let me worry about the overhead and the setup. You can focus on what you do best—making old cars beautiful again.”

“So, I wouldn’t just be using you for your money? This would be a real investment?”

“Of course it would. And if things were to go wrong with us—not that I think they will—you’ll have your own business in your name, all the profits yours after I recoup my investment capital…with interest.”

Her eyes narrowed. “How much?”

“Oh, something reasonable,” he assured, then grinned. “What kind of a businessman would I be if I didn’t make a little something off talent like yours?”

The mercenary words seemed to please her. “I’ll give my notice tomorrow, but I do want to give them a few weeks to find my replacement.”

Hands in his pockets, Rainer rocked back on his heels. “That’s the best I’m going to get, isn’t it?”

She nodded. “I have to break the news to Judy carefully.”

“Who is that?” He frowned, trying to remember a saleswoman named Judy.

“My work-wife, the receptionist.”

“Ah. Well, if business takes off, you can afford to bring her with you.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I’m not as confident as you are that I can run a business.”

“Do you honestly think I’d set you up to fail? Just consider me your personal business advisor. Yourverypersonalconsultant.”

Georgia giggled. “Fine. I will keep that in mind.”

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