AllFreeNovel
Share Us
It’s his hand on me that flusters me enough I blurt out the truth. “Why didn’t you tell me Harper tried to warn you off me?”
An “ooooo” from Darnell reminds us that he’s watching and has Heath taking my hand and leading me back toward his bedroom.
“Spoilsports,” Darnell says, and I hear the buzzer go off again. It looked like Jerry would be bringing up the subs, and for once my stomach doesn’t care.
I allow Heath to lead me back to his bedroom. I haven’t been in it, but I’m not surprised to find it neat and organized, like the man himself. He’s got a full bed and another desk that has yet another system on it, and I spy a VR rig. He’s got a bookshelf that looks to be half books on code and half high fantasy.
I’m so curious, but I’m not indulging at this point. I’m leaving. Or at least I’m supposed to be. I’m further from the door than I should be.
He turns, his expression grim. “I didn’t mention Harper talking to me because it wasn’t important. And it wasn’t like she was warning me off you. She was talking about business connections. I think she was more concerned about CeCe Foust than you. You have to know Harper loves you.”
I am no longer certain of that. She loved the me I’d been in high school and college. She doesn’t seem impressed with the me I am now. “It doesn’t matter. She’s right. Not about me screwing you out of money, but I’m not interested in the project you want to sell, and neither is CeCe.”
He stops, his expression going blank as he obviously thinks the problem through. “Then what are you… The framework and the AI. Okay. You pretty much told me that in the beginning. So instead of coding the app I want to build, you want to use the coders to showcase how easily adaptable the AI is to any number of applications.”
It’s good that he understands. Though I had meant to give him one of the coders for his app. I’d been planning on working with the other one on the part of the project that will really sell. “Yeah. I was going to sell it right out from under you.”
He seems a bit startled by that, but not in the way I would have thought. He gives me a half grin. “Baby, I still own sixty percent. You can’t sell it out from under me. I suspect you were going to use this time to gently maneuver me to the place you think is the best bet to get us the most money.”
I don’t want to think about the fact that he called me baby. “Yeah. I was only thinking about the money.”
He sighs. “It’s a language for you. That’s what Harper doesn’t get. You view money as security, and you want that for me, too. When you think about it, it’s kind of sweet.”
Tears spring to my eyes because he is not understanding me. “Heath, I knew I didn’t want your matchmaking program and I still talked you into giving me half the company.”
“Forty percent. You could have had half if you’d worked harder,” he admits. “And as for the matchmaking program, I’ll prove it to you. That’s on me. I’ve got some time.”
“No, you don’t. We need a business plan,” I explain.
“Can’t the matchmaking app be one of the many apps one can create with the AI I’ve built?” He sounds so damn reasonable it’s making me crazy. “Also, you do realize the AI wouldn’t be working properly if you hadn’t come in and fixed it. It’s not like you do nothing but bring in cash. You are crazy talented, and not merely with putting together a start-up business. So forget about all this noise, and Monday we’ll go back to work. Nonna told me she’s making pasta al timballo. It’s going to be delicious, and then you can spend a bunch of time trying to make me understand the business plan.”
“You aren’t hearing me,” I insist.
His gaze is soft as he stares down at me. “I think I hear you better than your friends do. There’s a lot of history between the three of you. They remember the you in high school. I only know the Ivy I see in front of me, and she seems to be hard on the outside, but that’s because her life has been a roller coaster lately, and she’s a little traumatized. But even while she’s processing all the pain of failure, she finds ways to be genuinely kind. My grandmother adores you.”
I feel my expression go stubborn. Why won’t he fight with me? “She offered me a way to cut back on rent.”
“Yes. That’s why you spend long hours talking to her and explaining how you work.” His tone has gone soothing, like I’m some beast he needs to ease.
