Page 26 of Book Club Confidential

Maybe the food trucks needed help with marketing.

“Tell me more about what you’re doing now,” she asked Grant. “How can I help?”

He watched her for a long moment, perhaps carefully choosing his words. “Right now, I’m mostly investing and developing. Owning the bookstore showed me how much I liked designing and growing a new business. That’s how I slid into the investing arena. I want to dream, fund, and implement, then step back and let the owners take over.”

“Okay.” She crossed her legs and set a hand on her skirt to keep the wind from lifting it scandalously high. “Now you get to help others see their dreams come to fruition.”

A proud-father smile graced his wine-stained lips. “Exactly. These days, I vet and support a number of small businesses. I try to take on a new one, or two, every year. After the owners have repaid me for my initial investment, I use that capital to invest in more new owners.”

“Like Shark Tank.”

Grant paused to stare for one long beat before barking a sharp laugh. “Kind of.” He shook his head, bemused. “On a much, much smaller, more community-minded scale.” He took a long beat to smile at her before going on. “I stick to opportunities in Harbor Heights and support start-ups looking for modest amounts of cash.”

“How many businesses have you helped?” Tessa asked.

His brows pinched. “Altogether?”

The wind picked up, and she tugged windblown hair from her eyes, then looped it behind one ear. “Yeah.”

She liked getting to know Grant outside the office. Without the pretense and pressure of playing their professional roles. Here, things felt more natural, easy, and honest. She could be herself. A smart, creative, talented agent who could help him reach his marketing goals. Even while drinking sangria for lunch and wearing a pretty dress and heels.

“Fourteen.”

She gaped. “Fourteen?” That was so many. “How is that possible in such a short period of time?”

Grant shrugged. “I’ve been successful at choosing businesses that thrive and building relationships with each of the owners so we can lean on one another as we grow.”

“Wow,” Tessa said. She eased back in her chair, enjoying the flutter of her hair in the breeze.

“What are you thinking?” he asked, leaning forward to anchor his elbows on their table.

“You’re really lucky,” she said. “Finding something you love to do and do exceptionally well is uncommon. Usually, people get one or the other. They love cooking but aren’t exactly gifted at it, so they have to get a job near a kitchen, not in one. Or they’re gifted with numbers but loathe their jobs in accounting, so they go home every night dissatisfied. You hit the jackpot. You get both.”

“What about you?” Grant asked. “It’s obvious you love what you do, and you’re very good at it. I know because you helped me launch the bookstore into outer space with that grand opening. I’ve applied all the same strategies to each new business I acquire, and they’ve all grown by leaps and bounds.”

Her smile grew. “Really?”

He nodded. “It’s the reason I came back to Hello, Marketing. I need your help again. But am I right? Do you love it?”

She wet her lips, delighted by his compliment. Authentic words of affirmation were her personal catnip. A kind statement about something as important to her as her job? She would die in battle for this man if he kept it up.

“Tessa?” Grant prompted when she didn’t respond.

“Sorry. Yes,” she said, feeling a strange tug of emotion. “I love what I do.”

“Good.” He sat back, big hands dragging slowly across the table in his wake. He removed his glasses a moment later and squinted against the midday sun. “I know it’s not in your job description, but I wonder if you might give some feedback on local office spaces? If memory serves, you’re a bit of a Harbor Heights aficionado.”

Another compliment. “I’d love that. Do you already have a place in mind?”

“I have three.”

She laughed. “Of course you do.”

“I only need one,” he clarified. “I’m torn, because each has its own pros and cons.”

“Will the space be for a new business or—”

“For me,” he said. “I want to advertise what I do, and I need a place to meet and interview business owners. Someplace I can set up an office and manage all the investments.”