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Adrian shook his head with an air of great sadness. “You know, I liked you better when you could barely get a word out around me.”
Eric snorted, the corners of his eyes crinkling up. “That’s a lie.”
“Yeah, it is.” Adrian rose from the bed and walked right into Eric’s space, curling his fingers into the hem of Eric’s jumper. “Do you want to come with me to the bank?”
Adrian could have asked earlier—Eric knew the pitch as well as he did. But, well. The Gletscherhaus was Adrian’s responsibility, for better or worse, which was also why he’d told his parents that no, he didn’t need them there. He wasn’t going to hide behind mummy and daddy like a primary school child in trouble with the teacher.
He didn’t need Eric there either. But he wanted him there, now that he’d seen that Eric wasn’t going to tuck tail and run at the first hint of rougher waters. Passed with flying colours, hadn’t he?
“I mean, yes. I’d love to.” Eric looked flattered. “I just don’t know how much use I’ll be. It’s going to be in German, right?”
“They’re used to dealing with international clients, so English shouldn’t be an issue. Plenty of foreigners looking to buy a chalet in the area.”
“Right, that makes sense.” Eric frowned down at his jumper. “I didn’t pack my fancy stuff when I came here—reminds me I need to arrange for the rest of my clothes to be shipped over.”
“I’m sure you can borrow something from my dad,” Adrian told him, then let his voice go snooty. “And you’re rich, darling. Let the little people handle the shipping thing.”
Eric’s chuckle curled warm between them. “And this is when I’m glad you’re not my boss anymore.”
“Excuse you,” Adrian said. “I was an amazing boss.”
“Oh, for sure.” Eric tugged Adrian closer by the lapel of the suit jacket, eyes brightly amused. “Except for the part where you fucked the hired help.”
“Fell in love with him too,” Adrian said quietly. Pressed together as they were, he felt it when Eric drew a deep, slow breath.
“There is that,” Eric replied, and his smile was beautiful.
As it turned out,the financial advisor had done her due diligence.
When Adrian introduced Eric as his partner, Ms Tanner assessed them both with a quick, clever look before she shook Eric’s hand. “I’m familiar with your work—a teenage daughter has that effect on parents.”
“Sorry about that,” Eric told her with an upwards quirk of his lips, and she smiled.
“Not at all.” Her words were barely accented, hinting at a stretch of time spent in the U.S. “I’ve got a soft spot for your lyrics.”
She offered them coffee and water before motioning them towards her office. They sat down in chairs of the cantilever persuasion, the room decked out in neutral shades of beige and blue. The business plan Adrian had prepared was already on the desk, with little post-it notes in a loopy scrawl that he couldn’t decipher fromupside down. Didn’t stop him from trying while she gave him an introduction spiel about her experience and credentials, which were impressive.
Once she was done, brief silence fell. Adrian adjusted one sleeve of his jacket, then stopped himself from doing the same with the other. “So, uh. I take it I don’t have to walk you through the concept anymore?”
“No, please do.” Ms Tanner leaned forward, lacing her hands on the desk. “I’d like to hear it in your words, if you don’t mind. Just the short version—let’s call it your elevator pitch.”
All right, so the fact that they’d been with this bank for decades wasn’t going to win them a shortcut. Adrian straightened. Next to him, Eric shifted, his knee coming to rest against Adrian’s.
“We plan to upgrade our top-floor rooms,” Adrian began. “Reduce the number, carefully renovate without losing the historic charm, and add individual bathrooms. There’ll be two types of stays going forward: a premium experience with nicer rooms and gourmet dinners, and a basic package with smaller rooms and simpler food.”Breathe. Don’t show your nerves.“At the same time, we’ve already taken steps to rebrand the Gletscherhaus as a place where musicians come for inspiration.”
“We have Max Fina’s permission to use his name in association with the Gletscherhaus,” Eric put in. “And I’m not as widely famous, of course, but I am known in certain circles. I thought I could offer songwriting sessions once or twice a week, free of charge for hotel guests.”
It was Martin who’d come up with the idea. He claimed it had occurred to him as soon as he’d learned of Eric’s identity.
‘Which you should have shared with me instead of keeping secrets,’Adrian had told him, not for the first time.
‘So you could give up on Eric without even trying?’Martin had countered, also not for the first time. The thing was, he had a point. If Adrian had known sooner, he would have jumped to conclude that there was no future there for him. Might as well rip off the Band-Aid.
Adrian hated to admit it, but Martin had been right to hold out on him.
“I can see how that would be a draw,” Ms Tanner said with a nod. Songwriting sessions, right. “And I understand why you’d initially focus on musicians. Can I suggest you think beyond that, though?” She tapped one of her post-its. “The Gletscherhaus has a history of attracting creative minds, mainly painters and writers. You have the chance to reinvent that history.”
That didn’t sound like a no.
