Then it struck me.
“We can use my land.”
Owen’s brows raised. “What?”
“My land on the peninsula. You can use it.”
“Free and clear?” he asked, incredulous.
I grinned. “Of course not.”
“Then what do you want?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” I said, crossing one leg over the other and leaning forward, propping an elbow on my knee and my chin in my hand. “Equal partnership.”
“Equal partnership.”
I couldn’t help it: I grinned.
I had to admit, Delia Delatou had a set of balls on her, much like her sister. Not to mention she definitely knew her worth. I’d fully expected this meeting to be a formality before I politely sent her on her way. What I hadn’t anticipated was for the girl to come in here and surprise me with the careful thought and research she’d put into her proposal.
Honestly, I was impressed, and I couldn’t deny I was genuinely contemplating partnering up with her.
But anequalpartnership? That was a slippery slope. She was so young, so untested. Giving half of this business over to her had to be one of the craziest offers I’d ever received. I was dumb to even consider it…right?
God, I wished Cal was here. He’d know exactly how to handle her, to let her down easy.
Then again…he was as good as Delia’s brother-in-law,so maybe I’d be in the minority.
“You do realize taking your land for free but having to give you half the profits would cost me more money in the long run than just buying the piece of land I originally wanted, right?”
“Well, yes…” she said, trailing off. “But my land is better than that piece. Plus, if you don’t take me up on my offer, all of this”—she swept her arm over the papers spread out on the table between us—“goes with me. Good luck finding someone better.”
Honestly, she was probably right, but was taking her on worth the trouble of having to work side by side with her? I wasn’t sure that was a fair trade.
Delia was a wild child. I could see it in her eyes. But there was something else there too. A hesitancy, for sure, as if she was holding a part of herself back from me—though I couldn’t imagine what or why. And then there was her obvious competency.
The whole picture was confusing, the subject hazy and poorly developed.
I hated how badly I wanted to be the one to bring it into focus.
“I need to think about it,” I said at last, garnering myself a chance to collect myself. “And I need to talk to Cal. See if he thinks it’s a good idea.”
Delia grinned widely. “Cal loves me, so I guarantee he tells you to partner with me.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure,” I said slowly, trying to convince myself more than her.
Delia, who had begun shuffling her papers back together, only rose to her feet. I’d been studiously avoiding letting my gaze linger on any part of her too long, but I couldn’t help myself now.The girl was an absolute stunner. Model-long legs. Hips, waist, and bust curving and dipping slightly into a soft hourglass shape. She wore a pair of shiny black pants that molded to her thighs and ass and cinched at her ankles, a silky, long-sleeved blouse in a light blue pinstripe pattern, and gold jewelry on her wrists, fingers, neck, and ears. Her long, dark-brown hair hung down her back in waves.
But it was her eyes that were the real star of the show. Similar to Amara’s golden hue but darker. Fiercer. Glinting with mischief. When the light slanting through my office window caught them just right, they lit up like a tumbler of really good whiskey on ice.
They were the kind of eyes you could get drunk on if you stared into them for too long.
“How about we agree to a little wager?”
“What kind of wager?” I asked skeptically.
“If Cal doesn’t advise you to partner with me, I owe you a hundred bucks.”
