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She studied the wall, noticed an outlet plate that was cracked, and made a note of it on her ever-growing list. “Liar.”
Another tug of her ponytail before his hand came in front of her face to point out a piece of trim that wasn’t quite flush with the corner overhead. “You’rethe liar.”
Unfortunately, she was.
Teresa was an open book, always had been, always would be—or at least, that was what she’d been careful to present to the world…and she supposed shewasthat in many respects. It was just beneath that outer layer she presented to the world, beneath that outer layer of who she’d thoughtshewas, T was learning that she might be someone completely different.
Sam. Her feelings.
Herlackof them.
Thirty-one years old, and she wasn’t the woman she’d always thought she was.
That was…disorienting.
But she wasn’t going to focus on that—or the fact that she was lying, and Rafe knew it.
Instead, she made a note of the trim on her list and moved on.
“So, you’ll get all gussied up and come charm the investors?” he pressed.
She sighed. “I can’t decide if I’m more disgusted because you want me to getgussied upor because you want me to charm the investors.”
He pointed out a ding in the floor. “You can’t work for me forever.”
Teresa made note of it. “But I don’t need investors.”
“If you want to start your own business, you need capital, and since you won’t accept it from Ben or me…” He trailed off.
Probably because they’d had this discussion too many times to count.
“I want to start my own business,” she said. “We both know I’d be good at it.”
“Which is why Ben and I have both offered you seed capital.”
“I don’t borrow money from friends.”
He snagged the clipboard, scrawled down a couple of items, which normally would have annoyed her because, as project manager, it was her job to keep things organized and neat and tidy. But she was more irritated by him bringing up money again, and that was mostly because shewantedto accept it, wanted to get her feet wet beneath a banner withhercompany name on it—not because she didn’t like working for Rafe. He was a great boss and a good friend.
But because she wanted to be the one…in charge, who put it on the line, the one who the buck stopped with.
Not get dropped in halfway to the finish line of the marathon and cruise over while the rest of the populace struggled.
Maybe it was stupid.
But she wanted to earn it on her own.
“It’s business for Ben,” he pointed out.
“He’s your friend,” she pointed out. “So, it’s not like he wouldn’t donate if you vouched for me.” She lifted her brows. “And I’m guessing, since he offered, that you did vouch for me.”
Rafe didn’t say anything.
Yet that was answer enough.
Because of course he would support her.
“You know,” he said gently. “Your dad would—”
