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Harper brings us all back to reality. “So he went to LA’s plastic version of Lydia and is doing his own dating app with a matchmaker deal.” She seems to think about it for a moment. “I hate to say it, but it could work.”
“Not if I put out the before pictures,” Ani vows.
Remind me not to really piss off that particular bestie. “It’s not Sherry who’s the real problem. She’s just listening to what seems like a good idea and running with it. Despite what I said, she probably doesn’t even know I exist.”
Ani’s eyes flare in that oddly optimistic way of hers.
“And no, I’m not going to talk to her in hopes that she’ll back down out of the kindness of her heart.” I have to shut the naïve shit down fast.
“Oh, I wasn’t going to suggest that,” Ani replies. “There is no kindness in that woman’s heart. I was going to say we should blackmail her into supporting Emma instead. Seriously, I’ve got the before pictures. Her makeup artists all hate her. I think her plastic surgeon does, too. Let me say not his finest work.”
“I think Ivy’s saying Nick is the real problem here.” Harper’s fingers drum along the edge of the table. It’s something she always does when she’s thinking through a situation. “I don’t understand the inner workings of your business the way you do, but I assume this is a bad thing since you’re still looking for capital.”
She understands perfectly. “Investors tend to like to back a winner, and Nick looks like the winner here. After all, he came out of the Jensen Medical debacle with a shiny new job, and I got dragged in every major tech journal. Even the people who understand what happened will likely give him a pass because he didn’t get the bad press.”
“Which was completely unfair.” Ani takes a long drink. “But I suspect Sherry’s celebrity status will help him out, too. Despite the fact that she’s got a crappy rate of return. I mean no one actually watches her show for the love stories. You watch for the train wrecks, and boy does she provide them. The rich can be weird as hell.”
“That’s a good point.” Harper takes up the thread. “Sherry Carrigan is more of a celebrity than an actual matchmaker. Lydia’s got a much better reputation. And Emma’s got other uses besides matchmaking.”
“I don’t know that it will matter. Sherry’s name is glitter, and investors love some glitter. It’s surefire publicity, which helps any new project get off the ground. At this point I’m filing the patents as fast as I can so Heath has a leg to stand on if the AI processes turn out to be even close to the same. Look, all is not lost here.” I’m trying to take a more optimistic approach. “His framework is stunning. He’s been working on it for years, and it’s got an ease of use like nothing I’ve ever seen. It’s incredibly adaptable.”
“So you can make money off that?” Ani asks.
“Yes and no, but mostly no. Framework is the kind of thing you open source, meaning you put it out and let developers use it for free. The money you can make is through offering support services. I intend to do that. It should be out there,” I explain. “But it’s not what Heath wants. Emma is his baby. It’s the way he’s stayed close to his grandmother. He’s emotionally invested in this.”
“But you said he’s not ambitious about it.” Harper’s eyes narrow like she’s making a point. “That’s why you claim this thing can’t work.”
“It’s been working fine,” Ani counters.
“He’s dedicated to the project. There’s no doubt about that, but I don’t know that he’s going to like what can happen if things go well. It’s a hard grind being at the top.” I don’t know how else to explain it. Running a business like that takes up your whole life. Heath seems to have the expectation of some kind of balance. Likely because he’s never been as hungry as I am.
“What if you compromised?” Ani asks.
“Compromise?” I do in fact know the definition of the word, but I’m not sure how it fits into the current situation.
“You always shoot for the stars. You have since we were kids,” Ani begins, and then her mouth makes that tight line that lets me know she’s not sure she should say what she wants to say.
“Just be honest. I can handle it. Trust me. If I can handle my mom’s constant criticism, I can handle whatever you’re about to say,” I let her know.
Ani nods and seems to make the decision to move forward. “Well, you know I worked on the Dr. Janice show for a couple of years, and while she’s a TV psychologist, she actually knew what she was doing. I learned a lot from her. I think you’re still that kid everyone made fun of for having crappy clothes.”
