Page 36 of Tripped By Love
There was no place in her life for a court-martialed corpsman turned bodyguard. I’d already known that, but I’d allowed myself to pretend over the last week. To be tempted by texts and calls that I never should have made and conversations full of caring words. Words that hinted at belonging. Words that had started to move our worlds closer together. This shifted us apart by leaps and bounds.
My mind was brought back to the room and the conversation by the mention of Texas.
“I’d like you to visit our production facility in Belton before you sign the final deal,” Lance said. “You can see for yourself what we’re trying to accomplish and meet the people I employ. I’m proud of the company and what we’re doing for the world. If you gave us permission, I could have my product development manager work on your recipes before you came down. We’d have a clearer idea of what?if any?changes we’d need to make to them so they could be mass-produced. You could approve it all before signing in black and white.”
Cassidy picked at the sleeve of the pale-yellow sweater she’d worn. It was so different from her T-shirts and workout gear but also a far cry from the suits in the room. I didn’t understand why Cassidy was hesitating. She was being presented with a deal that could bring her more money than most people would see in a lifetime.
As if reading my thoughts, her eyes met mine across the room. I was hit in the stomach by the wariness there. It wasn’t quite fear, but it was close. I felt like an ass because I’d stormed in, bringing her doubts. I suddenly wished I hadn’t brought them to her door without digging more, but I’d just wanted to make sure she wasn’t going into anything blind.
Lance pulled the glasses off his face, twirled them around, and said, “We need a couple of weeks to pull it all together, but you could bring your concerned friend over there with you.”
It drew my eyes back to him and found his twinkling at me. I swallowed. Were my feelings for Cassidy so evident? I looked to Brady, but he was concentrating on the papers in front of them.
Lance continued, “You could even meet with Marsha yourself. Her facility is just up the road from mine. She’ll tell you the same thing I did.”
“I’m just the bodyguard,” I said before I could take it back.
It drew Brady’s eyes to mine, and Cassidy’s fell to the table.
Lance chuckled. “That explains a lot.”
Brady squinted at us, as if trying to catch on to the feelings and innuendos drifting through the room. Cassidy’s chin came back up.
“That sounds like a good idea. The visit. Marco tagging along.”
Brady’s eyes narrowed even more, eyes drifting between Cassidy and me.
“Perfect,” Lance said, chewing on the edge of his frames, hiding a smile.
One of the lawyers at the table spoke. “We’d like you to sign a letter of intent and NDA. It says that you won’t agree to meet with any other companies before giving Earth Paradise a final answer, allows Earth Paradise to look at and play around with your recipes to ensure we can produce them, and gives you a small down payment. The remaining retainer for the recipes would be due upon signing the final contract.”
“I’d like to give Cassidy and Brady a moment to review this before signing,” Lee spoke up.
Lance nodded, rising, and two of the men in the room joined him. “Shall we come back after lunch, then? Say, one o’clock?”
Brady looked to Cassidy, and she nodded.
Lance and his team left the room. Once the door had shut behind them, Brady swiveled in his chair to look at Cassidy who was still staring down at the paper in front of her. “What’s the deal, Cass?”
His eyes slid to mine, and I fought the desire to look away.
I hadn’t done anything wrong. I hadn’t kissed her. I hadn’t touched her…except to claim her as mine to Clayton Hardy—which reminded me I needed Trevor to do some investigating on the asshole. I’d hustled down to Austin and lost myself in all things Maliyah and Jonas without telling him to run the check on Hardy. That had to happen—and soon.
Cassidy lifted her eyes and saw Brady staring at me. She swallowed and then punched him in the shoulder and flicked his ear. He leaned back. “Geez. Stop already. Those long fingers of yours are deadly.”
I loved her long fingers. I loved thinking about them wrapped around parts of me that I shouldn’t have wanted them near. I shifted, uncomfortable, hating myself for thinking about her that way.
“It’s just…overwhelming. How am I going to manage this on top of everything else? Chevelle already gets so little of my time,” her voice cracked, and it made my heart bleed because I realized how much guilt she carried around with her about being a single, working mother.
“This could actually give you more time with him,” Brady said. “You could hire some more staff for The Golden Heart. You wouldn’t have to be there from open to close. It would free you up some.”
Cassidy shook her head slightly. “That’s like you saying you’re going to let someone else produce your album.”
Brady’s head tilted. “Honestly, it would be pretty close to what happens with my albums, Cass. I create the songs with Ava, record them, make sure what goes on the album is exactly what I want, but then I let everyone else take over. Alice designs the covers and the tours, Assad does his marketing thing, and Lee and Nick Jackson manage the distribution and rights. From there on out, I just show up and sing.”
Cassidy curled the edge of the paper, deep in thought.
It was Lee who broke the silence. “If you want my two cents, I’d say take the down payment, sign the letter of intent, and go to Texas to check it out. Make sure these are people you want to tangle yourself with. Nick Jackson at Lost Heart Records is one of the most upstanding men in the music business. I wouldn’t want to see Brady with many others. I know jack squat about the food business, and I thought Ralley seemed on the up and up, but”—he waved a hand in the direction of the paper I’d brought—“Marco seems to have uncovered a little dirt. I’d say do some more gardening. Make sure there isn’t anything going to stick that you can’t handle.”
