Page 37 of The Re-Proposal

Ms. Phoebe folds her hands together and clears her throat. I switch my attention back to her.

“How can I help you, Mr. Bolton?”

“It’s just Cody.”

She doesn’t blink. Or smile. Or call me Cody.

“I was a guest at my sister-in-law’s gala a few months ago…”

Island isn’t my sister-in-lawyet. But it’s basically a done deal. Besides, I need a viable connection to Ms. Phoebe so she’ll stop looking at me like she wants to bludgeon my head in with her stapler.

“…I was moved by all the good work you’ve been doing, and I’d like to help.”

Ms. Phoebe studies me with those sharp blue eyes and I hold myself perfectly still.

I have no doubt that she’ll join hands with me. I’m offering her money on a silver platter. There’s no way she’ll reject…

“No.”

I hear a record scratch in my head. Shock careens across my face before I wrestle my expression back into its usual indifference.

“No?”

“We will not be working with you, Mr. Bolton.”

So we’re playing hardball?

My eyes slide to the picture frames again. Business is all about finding problems and then solving them.

Me? I love challenges.

It gets me up in the morning.

“Ms. Phoebe, do you take issue with my proposal or with me?”

Her left eye twitches. “What would I have against you, Mr. Bolton? When we’ve just met?”

“Yes, I’m asking that question too.” I draw my leg over my knee and tap a finger against it. “This offer is a sure thing. I can write you a check here and now.” I keep my voice low, unhurried. The most important rule is to appear as if I have the upper hand. “I’m prepared to invest an amount that will blow even your wildest dreams to shreds.”

Her throat bobs.

I’ve got her on the hook.

Smiling, I lean back and wait for her agreement. People are rarely as complicated as they want to be. Money can solve almost anything.

Ms. Phoebe looks worriedly at the picture of Clarissa. I see her wavering and, when she shakes her head, I know why I’ve been rejected.

I quickly modify my pitch in real time. Ms. Phoebe is a woman who's constructed her entire life around giving back.

Exactly the kind of woman that I would invest in.

Exactly the kind of woman that Clarissa would follow.

They both seem to have a passion for helping others and that motivates them in ways I could never understand. What I do understand is loyalty ,and Ms. Phoebe has an impressive amount of it.

I lean back in my chair. “This is about Clarissa.”

“Of course not.” The older woman tugs on her earlobe.

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