Читать книгу A Lasting Proposal - C.J. Carmichael - Страница 11

JAKE WAS PLEASED THAT HE’D managed to snag an outdoor table in front of the Bagel Bites Café. From the tray in his hand, he unloaded two coffees in foam cups and two toasted bagels with cream cheese. Out of the back pocket of his jeans he pulled a one-page partnership agreement.

He smoothed the folds from the paper, then placed it on the table in front of the unoccupied chair.

Maureen Shannon was ten minutes late.

No big deal. She was driving from Calgary, so it had to be difficult to time her arrival exactly. He had coffee, a comfortable place to sit and warm sunshine on his face. Settling in his chair, he stretched out his legs and told himself he didn’t mind waiting.

“Something wrong, Jake?” One of the women who worked behind the counter was clearing tables. “You seem a little edgy. Mind moving your foot so I can get by?”

Jake shifted his legs and frowned. He wasn’t edgy. It was just that these damn plastic chairs were too small for someone his size. And his new hiking boots weren’t as comfortable as his old ones. And he hadn’t put enough cream in his coffee….

Okay, so he was nervous. Embarrassing to admit, but true. He tapped his foot and checked his watch again. Fifteen minutes late.

He didn’t know why he was uptight about this meeting. If this didn’t work out, he’d find another investor.

Yeah, right. They’d be lining up at his door, checkbooks in hand.

Jake sipped his coffee while he scanned the people passing by. Monday mornings in May were pretty quiet in Canmore. Few tourists this early in the season. And the regulars had their jobs—many of them commuted to Calgary.

He wondered what Maureen’s plans were. According to Cathleen, she was toying with the idea of moving. Somehow he couldn’t picture her living here, though. Unlike her two sisters, she was obviously a city woman.

Of course, he’d only met her a few times, the last occasion being Cathleen and Dylan’s wedding. Her husband had been dead just a few months, so he’d expected her to be pretty shaken up. But she was so together it was almost scary. She’d reminded him of the plastic Christmas trees he saw every season in department store windows. Everything about her was so perfect she didn’t seem real—from her appearance, which was all big-city polish, to her take-charge manner, to her perfect composure throughout the ceremony.

She’d been one of the few not to tear up during the exchange of wedding vows. Jake had recognized the cynicism he’d glimpsed within those china-doll blue eyes—he, too, held little faith in happily ever after. But he’d never been married, and Maureen had. What life experiences had put that chilly smile on her soft, pretty lips?

And what was going on between her and her daughter? The only time Maureen displayed any vulnerability was when she was watching Holly. But Holly studiously avoided her mother’s gaze at all times. Something was definitely wrong there.

Out on the street a black BMW slowed. The driver skillfully maneuvered the vehicle into one of the parallel-parking spots half a block down from the café. The car shouted “big city,” so he wasn’t surprised when Maureen Shannon stepped out from behind the steering wheel. Holding her blond hair back with one hand, she checked for traffic before hauling a big leather briefcase from the back seat.

Early thirties, he figured, knowing she was the eldest of the Shannon sisters. She had the composure of a mature woman, and the stride of someone with no time to lose. He watched her approach, appreciating her tall, long-limbed form. She wore a black pants suit with a white blouse. Sunglasses hid her eyes. He removed his own, preparing to flag her down.

She seemed to be talking to herself. As she neared, he saw she was speaking into a small microphone attached to the phone in her other hand.

“Didn’t you get my e-mail?”

He could hear her now.

“Don’t worry. After this meeting I’ll go to my sister’s and connect my laptop. You’ll have another copy before lunch.”

Then she was at his table and smiling brilliantly. “Jake Hartman?”

He stood to take her hand.

“Good to see you, Maureen. How was the drive from Calgary?”

“Beautiful. Absolutely stunning.” She removed her glasses to look at him, but the sun was so bright she crinkled her eyes and put them back on. “Great weather, isn’t it?”

He agreed, pulling out her chair.

Maureen glanced at the table and frowned. “You ordered for me?”

He shrugged. “To save time. How’s your daughter doing—Holly, right?”

Maureen shifted her gaze uncertainly. “She still misses her dad.”

“I guess that’s to be expected.”

Settling her briefcase at her side, Maureen sat. “Cathleen tells me you have a business proposition.”

So there was to be no more time wasted on chit-chat, Jake surmised. It wasn’t his style; he preferred to ease into serious subjects the way you waded slowly into a cold lake.

No, the deep plunge wasn’t his way. But he could be flexible. “I have plans for upgrading my heli-skiing business—Grizzly Peaks. Problem is, I’ve never liked dealing with banks, so my accountant suggested I look for an equity investor—” what had Dylan called it? “—a silent partner.”

“Right. Tell me a bit about yourself, Jake. When did you start this business? What do you see as your strengths and weaknesses?”

She was making him feel like a job applicant. It was amusing in a way. He’d earned enough of a name for himself at Grizzly Peaks that most people around here were well aware of his reputation. But Maureen wasn’t from Canmore, and she had every right to know about the man she was considering investing her money with.

“I started Grizzly Peaks about ten years ago on seventy-five hundred square kilometers of untouched backcountry. Our customers fly in by charter helicopter to home base. And they’re treated to the best. Besides a hundred thousand feet of vertical skiing, we provide guides, gourmet food and lodging. We’ve even got hot tubs and saunas and a complete health club in our main lodge.”

“Rod always wanted to try heli-skiing,” she muttered, tearing off a small corner of her bagel and eating it tentatively, as if she expected it to be laced with cayenne pepper or something.

“It’s a total blast. I’ll take you and your kid on a complimentary junket one day.”

“Oh, I don’t think so.”

“It’s not dangerous if you’re with an experienced outfit.”

“I’ve heard that line once too often in my life.” She picked up the partnership agreement he’d written and read it through.

Jake leaned back and sipped more coffee. Basically the agreement stated that in exchange for her money, he’d provide annual financial statements and a cut of the profits equal to her stake in the business. He hadn’t seen any need to make the agreement more complicated than that.

Watching her read, he felt a new tension, unrelated to the business prospects of this meeting. Damn, but she was gorgeous. Without her daughter around, though, there was no hint of the vulnerability he’d thought he’d glimpsed at the wedding. This woman was tough, he conceded. Yet something about her tight smile and the defiant angle of her chin made him want to touch her hand reassuringly.

He had little doubt she’d slap him if he dared.

“Well?” he asked when she appeared to be done.

She dropped the page on the table with no comment. “You said your accountant prepared some financial projections?”

“Oh, yeah.” He’d almost forgotten about them. Now he reached into his back pants pocket and pulled out the folded square package. Seeing Maureen’s mouth droop at the sight, he regretted not heeding Harvey’s advice and having the report printed and bound professionally. With care he pressed out the stapled sheets, then passed them over.

“Thanks.” Maureen checked everything very carefully. As she read, she tore away at the bagel, eating it molecule by molecule. She was only a quarter of the way through the bread when she was done with the documents.

“What about years with poor snowfall?” she asked.

“Hasn’t happened yet. Before choosing my location, I researched the weather patterns. We get the best precipitation in the Rockies.”

“I see.” Maureen didn’t look at all impressed. “Also, when you mention sharing profits, I assume that would be before depreciation and amortization?”

He realized she was trying to bamboozle him. Just because his presentation was a trifle unsophisticated didn’t make him a fool. “No,” he said firmly. “I can’t pay out profits without making provision for replacing my equipment as it wears out.”

She gave a slight smile. “Fair enough.”

“So…” He waited as she took another nibble from her bagel. “What do you think?”

Her head dipped in a cautious nod. “Your numbers are fantastic. And Cathleen and Dylan have every confidence you can continue to deliver in the future.”

“So will you before this season is out.”

She slid the sunglasses down her nose a fraction of an inch and peered over the top of the frames. “You seem pretty sure of yourself.”

“Really? I was thinking you could give me a few lessons.”

Maureen laughed and it transformed her entire face. The tension he’d felt earlier tightened like a belt across his chest. He thought again about how long he’d been without a woman….

Then told himself he was a raving lunatic even to entertain the thought. This lady was the antithesis of what he looked for. He preferred women who dressed for fun, not business. Women who could let their hair down, who took nothing seriously, especially not him.

This woman had baggage. She was a widow with a troubled daughter. Most scary of all, she brought out feelings in him he couldn’t understand, let alone name.

And she had the power to write him a check for several hundred thousand dollars. He couldn’t forget that.

MAUREEN WAS SO ENGROSSED in her conversation with Jake that at first she didn’t notice the man by the window staring at her. When she gave a casual glance to the side and their gazes connected, she felt a fissure of distaste, and a sense of having seen him somewhere before.

He was tall, in his late fifties, and looked like a golfer, with his overly tanned skin, cotton pants and short-sleeved T-shirt with a collar. Caught staring, he wasn’t at all abashed. Just nodded and grinned. Smug. Arrogant. She turned her back and waited a moment before asking.

“Who’s that man? Sitting by himself at the window…”

“That’s our mayor,” Jake said. “Max Strongman. Surely Dylan and Cathleen have told you about him.”

“Oh!” She took a second look and was relieved that he wasn’t watching her anymore. “Yes, of course. I think we met once, many years ago.” She lowered her voice. “Dylan believes Max put James up to killing Rose.”

“So do I,” Jake said frankly. “James came out for a week of heli-skiing two winters ago. While no coward, I wouldn’t call him a deep thinker. He’s the kind of man easily influenced by those around him.”

“Do you feel he was behind Jilly Beckett’s murder, too?”

“That’s trickier, although I wouldn’t put that past him, either. Both he and his father seem to have a vendetta against Dylan.”

“Which makes sense,” Maureen pointed out, “when you consider Dylan has always been their only real obstacle to the McLean property.”

“And all the money from the oil wells and future property development,” Jake agreed. “No doubt they’d love to see him behind bars. I think Jilly’s death was supposed to be a setup for Dylan. At any rate, it stopped the protest that might have delayed their oil deal.”

Maureen tried another taste of the bagel. It was good, but she didn’t care for the cream cheese slathered on top. Mention of Jilly reminded her of Linda, who was rarely out of her thoughts these days. One day soon she had to call her….

“I was at Jilly’s father’s funeral last week.” She had no idea what had prompted her to tell Jake. But he leaned forward with apparent interest.

“Yeah, I read about Beckett. Very sad.”

“I have this strange feeling that we haven’t yet uncovered the truth about the night Jilly was killed, and there may be more lives lost because of it.” Maureen paused, wondering whether Jake had any clue what she meant, or if he was nodding to be polite.

“I feel the same way. When I see Max Strongman walking the streets of this town, living off the gravy from his dead wife’s oil wells, well, I tell you, it just doesn’t sit right.”

“Even before you told me his name, I had this antipathy toward him.”

“That proves you have good instincts.”

Maureen knew she did, and for that reason she almost always went with her gut feeling when it was strong. As it was about Jake Hartman.

That was why, despite the potential problems with this heli-skiing business, she’d decided to go ahead with the deal. It would take most of Rod’s insurance proceeds, but if the returns were as good as expected, the risk would be well worth it.

Her only hesitation came from the prospect of working with Jake. It concerned her that as a supposedly mature man he was still devoting his life to the toys and games that belonged to youth.

Just like Rod.

Ah, but she wasn’t marrying Jake, was she. Merely going into partnership with him. It didn’t matter that he was so damn attractive. Or that he seemed to have an uncanny ability to read her mind.

“Cathleen tells me you’re considering moving to Canmore?”

“Considering,” she emphasized. “If I can sell my place in Calgary, work out a deal with my partners at the law firm, find the right place to buy here in Canmore.” She smiled ruefully at all the uncertainties yet to be faced.

“Do you have a real estate agent looking for you?”

“Yes. My sisters have hooked me up with Beth Gibson. She used to run a catering business, but I understand she’s been in real estate for several years now and is one of the top selling agents in town.”

“As well as being an alderwoman on town council,” Jake said. “She’s quite an amazing person, all right.”

Maureen’s cell phone on the table rang. With an apologetic shrug, she turned it off after checking the display to see who had called.

“I guess we’d better get our papers signed,” he said. “If you don’t have any more questions.”

Maureen picked up his one-pager, which she’d already scanned, then handed it to him. “I hope you don’t mind, but I took the liberty of bringing my own agreement.”

He seemed apprehensive as she unsnapped her briefcase, and his eyes definitely widened as she pulled out the twenty-five-page document she’d drafted at home on her laptop last night.

“Why don’t you have your lawyer check through this before you sign,” she suggested. “Initial any changes you’d like to make, and I’ll consider them.”

Jake took a few seconds to absorb all this. “And the money?”

“As soon as I receive the signed contract, I’ll transfer the funds directly to your bank.” She stood, whisking up her briefcase and the phone. “Nice to meet you, Jake.”

“You haven’t touched your coffee.”

“I don’t drink regular coffee. For future reference, I prefer lattes. Double espresso and skim milk.”

After a brief pause, Jake responded mildly, “I’ll make note of that.”

Had he thought her rude? “It’s just that I can’t take coffee without milk anymore.”

“Stomach problems?”

She didn’t answer, annoyed once more that she’d let their conversation turn too personal.

“Or maybe just too much tension in your life? You know, moving to Canmore would definitely help you with that.”

Somehow Jake’s eyes seemed to be saying more than his words. As if he wanted her to make the move, for his own personal reasons. For a moment she felt a buzz of uncertainty.

This was what she’d been worried about. This undercurrent between them…almost as if…

But no. It couldn’t be. It wouldn’t be.

“Goodbye, Jake,” she said firmly. It was past time for this meeting to end.