But Oliver held up a hand. “Of course you don’t have to go home with him,” he said. “All I’m asking is what I already said—that you spend a bit of time with him.”
“But why would you want that? Can’t he make his own friends?”
“Oh, all too easily. The friends he chooses are people who get him into trouble. And I can see that you’re not like that,” Oliver said. “You avoid trouble. I can tell by the fact that you were so reluctant to get involved with him in the first place—you have a nose for trouble and a desire to stay away from it.”
“And your reaction to noticing that about me is to ask me to immerse myself in trouble?” She shook her head. “I don’t know why you thought I would agree to this, but it sounds like aterrible idea. I’m not going to have anything to do with your son.”
“Wait a moment.” He held up a hand. “Before you turn me down, please at least hear me out. There’s something I can do for you too, you know. I can make it worth your time to help me out.”
The penny dropped. “You’re saying you’ll give me the financing I asked for if I spend time with your son?”
“It’s just until my bank’s next project launches,” Oliver said. “We’re putting out a new app, and I need to keep control of the narrative about my family in the press. I can’t have Elijah creating all kinds of scandal and stories that’ll make us look bad, and that’s exactly the kind of thing he does when left to his own devices. If he spends time with a woman who has a good head on her shoulders, he’ll stay on the straight and narrow, at least for the next few weeks.”
“I see. So what you’re really looking for here is a babysitter.”
“After a manner of speaking, I suppose. But he does like you. I think he’ll be happy to have the company,” Oliver said. “And look—this is what’s best for you, isn't it? I can tell by the fact that you showed up here at all that you aren’t the sort of woman to just let go of your dreams. This is how you achieve them, Ms. Vincent. This is how you get the funding you wanted. Show me you’re someone who can be counted on, and I’ll return the favor.”
“This is… awfully unconventional,” Stephanie said slowly.
He shook his head. “It might seem that way to you, but you’re young,” he said. “This is the way business is done, Ms. Vincent. Two people connect because they have something they can offer each other, and they agree to work together for mutual benefit. I have something you need, and you have something I need. Theonly thing that remains to be answered is this: are we going to help one another out or not?”
Stephanie took a deep breath.
Was this really the way things were done? Could it be that her chance would come for reasons that had nothing to do with merit—that it would simply be opportunity?
And if that was the case, was it really such a problem?
She wanted this chance. She wanted to be able to fund her company. Oliver Norcross was offering that, and in exchange, all she was going to have to do was hang around with his son for a few weeks. Elijah was annoying, to be sure, but he was a little bit exciting too. She had been willing to hang out with him tonight for no real gain at all.
This is crazy—but maybe it’s what I need to do.
She sighed. “All right,” she said. “I’ll do it.”
“I thought you would.” Oliver smiled. “You’re exactly what I thought you were—sensible. I knew I made a good choice when I decided to approach you.” He paused. “Do you have a business card? A way for me to reach out to you?”
Stephanie opened her clutch bag, fished around for a moment, and found a business card. She passed it over to him. “The best way to reach me is by email,” she managed.
He nodded. “I’ll do that. You’ll hear from me in the next day or so. And in the meantime… it was a pleasure doing business with you. I wish you every success in the promotion of your skincare line. I’m sure you’ll be able to find the niche you’re looking for and move the product forward.”
He offered her a smile, then turned and disappeared back into the ballroom, leaving her standing there to contemplate what had just happened.
She had agreed to his ridiculous proposition—she could hardly believe it.
And yet, already, she could see the future taking shape. Her products on department store shelves, her online shop doing huge numbers. Developing the new products she had been dreaming about. Finding testers who could try them so she wouldn’t have to try everything herself. It would be revolutionary. She would be able to put money into marketing. She would be able to get her name out there in a whole new way.
And all she would have to do would be to spend some time with Elijah Norcross. Things could definitely be worse—and maybe, just maybe, her luck was finally beginning to turn. Maybe this was going to be the start of something amazing.
CHAPTER 6
STEPHANIE
The email from Oliver Norcross arrived in her inbox the very next day.
Ms. Vincent,
Thank you again for your help with this matter. Let’s take this on a week-by-week basis—I’ll reach out over the weekend and let you know what my expectations for next week are.
As far as this week goes, I’m attaching a copy of my son’s schedule, so that you can find a likely-looking time to meet up with him and try to make it seem casual. I will ask that you make sure this happens sometime today, as the more time he spends unsupervised the more likely he is to find his way into trouble.
