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Lydia is the real thing.
“Lydia Marino doesn’t have a television show, and no one outside of the city knows who she is.” Benjamin seems determined to drag me into the reality of the situation. “Can we announce the project tomorrow?”
“No. We promised Gavin Huffman first crack, and he’s out of the country.” CeCe takes a long breath. “And you know if we panic, he’ll pull back. He can sense desperation.”
“He can also sense when he’s getting into a horse race,” Benjamin counters. “The whole reason he was willing to look at this project was how different it is from what’s on the market. He liked the idea of it being associated with a real, old-school matchmaker.”
Then I didn’t see the problem. “None of that has changed.”
“Huffman might know who Lydia is. He might respect her. But he’ll also know that Nick has the glossier package,” Benjamin argues. “He’s already got his first round of investment.”
They’re forgetting something. “So do we. Hello, sitting here with my investors. The Foust Foundation is one of the biggest capital investment firms in the world.”
CeCe shakes her head. “Private firms. Benjamin and I are considered private investors. It’s not the same as having Huffman or a national bank invest, and you know it.”
“And there’s the fact that what CeCe’s given you barely covers a few months, and you know they won’t say the Foust Foundation is backing you. They’ll say CeCe is feeding her favorite pet,” Benjamin explains with stark honesty.
CeCe groans but concedes. “That’s somewhat fair. To be honest, I wasn’t all that interested in the project in the beginning. I wanted Ivy to have something to work on while she came up with her next big idea.”
I want to argue with her, to point out this is a big idea, but I didn’t think so in the beginning. However, I’m starting to really believe in Emma and what Heath is trying to do. We are so disconnected these days. Why not give every person the best chance they have at finding someone to help them with life, to make it all more meaningful? “I think Emma could change the game, and I assure you whatever shiny thing Nick is pursuing doesn’t have a tenth of Heath’s brilliance.”
CeCe puts up a hand. “We can’t be certain of any of this. At this point it’s all conjecture, and I want us to remain calm. Panic is always a mistake. And while Benjamin is likely right about the community’s assessment of my and Ivy’s relationship, they also know how smart she was when it came to Jensen Medical. Not the end of it, but the actual company. No one questions the technology behind the company. I’ve been trying to make sure the right people know I believe she’s doing the same thing here.”
Benjamin turns her way. “Yes. You’ve already put money in this, and Ivy’s put in an enormous amount of time. This is supposed to be her comeback. You’ve been teasing the whole tech community here in the city with Ivy’s big new project.”
“You have?” I’m slightly horrified by the thought. I’ve been under the assumption that there isn’t a ton of pressure on me. I mean, I knew I could let Heath down and Lydia. But CeCe really has been treating it like it’s a little project to get me back on track.
“This business runs on gossip, and I have to keep your name in the conversation. But while I did talk you up, I assure you I didn’t discuss the specifics of the project. How many people besides Teresa did you talk to the night of the party?” CeCe asks.
I search my memory. Mostly what I remember about that night is Heath kissing me and then sitting with me on the fire escape. “We talked to probably ten people, but everything was vague. I kept it that way. He certainly didn’t go into anything technical. I couldn’t have at the time. I didn’t fully understand the processes. Though I do know some of the people there knew him and who his grandmother is. Do you think someone there talked to Nick?”
“I think it certainly could have gotten to him that way, but I didn’t hear anyone talking that night,” Benjamin replies. “I do, however, remember your gentleman walking back into the house with one of Nick’s friends. He’d taken Buttercup outside.”
There had been a reason for that. “Because CeCe treats him like the dog walker.”
CeCe waves a hand. “If he wants to move up in life, he should dress better. Besides, it was a test. I trust Buttercup’s instincts. She didn’t attack the man so he’s likely trustworthy to a point.”
Or he was smart enough to sneak the dog meatballs. I don’t buy into Buttercup’s psychic powers. CeCe always has a cute, tiny puffball of a dog. They are always named after some kind of royalty, and always have the power to predict who is good or bad. Buttercup had totally not bitten off Nick’s balls, so I would say her powers are off. “Heath wouldn’t talk about the project to one of Nick’s friends. If he talked to someone, then he didn’t know who he was. But he wouldn’t have talked at all because I made it clear to him that I was doing the talking. I knew who to talk to. I knew who to avoid.”
