Page 90 of Tempest

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Tuesday

Florida

Ivy walked down the hall and called for Ryan. “Honey, I need your help.”

He came around the corner and smiled widely. “That’s the dress you wore on the day I met you. I thought you weren’t my type, and I argued with myself about walking away.”

Turning around, she lifted her hair. “Can you zip me up?”

He pressed a kiss to her neck and pulled the zipper up. “It took about ten minutes for me to figure out that I was completely wrong.”

Spinning around, she patted his chest. “When I saw you sitting next to me, I thought you were handsome and more trouble than you were worth. I pegged you as a player and I figured any man who had that much testosterone couldn’t possibly be blessed with a personality.”

“I didn’t think you noticed me until I handed you those papers.”

“I noticed you, all right. Why do you think I ignored you?”

“That makes no sense.”

Stepping around him, she laughed. “If you’re a girl it does.” As she walked into the kitchen, she noticed that he had set the table and had fruit and toast made for them. “Oh, my God, you made breakfast.” Her hand covered her heart as she stared at the table. “Thank you.”

“Honey, it’s not that big a deal. It’s not like I made you biscuits and gravy.” He kissed her head as he walked past her and opened the oven. “I made an egg scramble to go with it.”

“You are the best man in the world.”

He served them both and then sat down. “You just keep thinking that.”

Digging into the meal, she ate quickly. “I had a conversation with Rory yesterday, and I ran our idea past her. She thought it sounded great. The only thing she’s concerned about is whether we’ll be able to staff the office.”

“We can start out small and add people as we find them,” he responded. “I spoke with the banker that handles my trust and told him that I’m going to pull some funds out.”

“Did you mother leave you and your brothers a trust?”

“Her father set it up, and when she died, her estate was divided among the four of us. I felt a lot like you and Colin when I heard the news. I let my dad handle it, and I haven’t thought about it until you talked about opening an office.”

“I think we should invest equally. If we’re in this together, then we should both put in money.”

“No. I’m putting up the capital. It’s my job to take care of you, and this is how I’m going to do it.”

Standing, she crossed her arms and stomped her foot. “Ryan Cordell, you can’t just say no and expect me to agree.”

“Honey, when you stomp that furry ball sandal of yours, it kind of takes the sting out of your words.” He stood and wrapped his arms around her. “We are using the money that I have in the trust. It’s been sitting there for ten years, collecting interest, and there’s plenty. I’m going to take care of you even if you’re an oil heiress.”

“We are going to take care of each other. A team. You’ve heard of that concept.”

“That’s funny.”

“It wasn’t meant to be. I insist that we invest equally.”

“Nope. I take care of you and that’s that.”

“Of all the pig-headed things I’ve ever heard in my life, that may be the piggiest.”

“Do you want me to be happy, Ivy?”

Stepping away from him, she crossed her arms. “Of course.”

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