Page 55 of The Bargain
The question is remarkably uncomfortable.
Ethan squeezes my leg under the table and looks down at me. “We won’t.” His eyes and voice are warm, but when he looks at my father, he adds, “But our business transaction has nothing to do with me and Sofia. As an investor, you already know from our first meeting, I expect a return, but I do my part to support that happening. I’ll want you to work with an expert I trust, who specializes in the cash flow and logistics of growing distribution challenges.”
“Done, and in fact, welcomed,” my father says. “I want to take my business to the next level. My daughter might not need it in the future, but I’m going to leave her a nest egg to add to her portfolio when I leave this Earth.”
I reach over the table and squeeze his hand. “Do it for you, not me.”
“How about I do it for both of us?”
“Deal,” I say, and for the rest of the lunch, and at my father’s request, Ethan tells us all about my future in Paris and his life there for years now.
When the check arrives, it goes directly to Ethan, and he signs the bill. When my father starts to object, Ethan is quick to head him off. “I can write it off as business, though I’d expect to get the bill for a lunch with Sofia’s father. It’s the natural order of respect. And I’m supposed to want to impress you, and I do.”
My father’s expression and body language soften, and I can tell Ethan’s response pleases him.
A few minutes later, my father and I say an emotional goodbye outside the restaurant. This will be the first time we’ve been apart since my mother died, and that is in the air. “I’ll call often.”
“Make sure you do,” he says, and after shaking Ethan’s hand, he’s walking away.
I miss him already, but the idea of going home to pack and leave with Ethan has my belly fluttering with excitement.
This is happening. I’m going to New York and Paris.
With Ethan.
It feels as if I’m Cinderella, and he’s my Prince Charming.
And there isn’t an evil stepsister anywhere in sight.
Chapter Forty
Sofia
I’veneverflownprivate,but I’m not at all surprised to find this one luxurious. The seats are a tan leather. The carpet’s a floral, but highly masculine, design done in browns and tans. I sit next to Ethan, but there is a table that seats two in our same seating area, where champagne is on ice and waiting on indulgence. “I talked to Elaine,” he says, “She’s the lead at the show you’ll be working with, and I told her we’re not going to get home until about midnight. She said to have you meet her in the lobby of the Swan Hotel at noon.”
“How long is the flight?”
“Four hours, and a time change, and once we land, it will take a while to get to the apartment.”
He stands and moves to the table, filling our champagne glasses. “But you should try to rest on the flight. She’ll push you hard. If they can break you, you’ll never get to the Paris mentorship.”
“They won’t break me.”
“That’s my girl,” he says, sitting next to me again and offering me the glass.
I accept it with a pit in my belly. “This could be it, then. I’ll never get to Paris.”
“You’re going to Paris with me. It’s already planned. And no one thinks you’re going to fail. I’ve sent your designs to the best experts in your field. Everyone is impressed.”
“Who is everyone?”
“Most of the lead designers have designers beneath them. I showed your work to a number of those leads before we ever offered.”
“Really?”
“Really. You’re a star in the making, and everyone knows it. It’s not a matter of who you apprentice with, but when. And I want you to rest so you can click with Elaine. That way it can be now.”
A flight attendant appears and offers us menus. Once she’s walked away, I glance at the fancy options and then at Ethan. “It’s like being in a five-star restaurant.”
