She leaned against the sales counter and tried to control her breathing.
“I promise not to drop a hairy black spider on you.” His deep voice sent goosebumps down her spine.
For someone who had just spent more than eight hours traveling to Sapphire Bay, he was looking remarkably relaxed. “What if I like spiders?”
“Then I’ll take you for a walk after dinner. There’ll be hundreds of them around Flathead Lake. Close your eyes, Cassie. I have a surprise for you.”
With a resigned sigh, she closed her eyes. “If anyone comes into the store, I’ll have to help them.”
“This won’t take long.”
She heard the rustle of paper and frowned. The store didn’t smell like chocolate, so Noah hadn’t been to Sweet Treats. Whatever he was doing didn’t involve a puppy, either. Unless he had a contract for her exclusive jewelry collection, she had no idea what he’d brought to Sapphire Bay.
“You can open your eyes now.”
Cassie dropped her gaze to the counter. A Macy’s bag sat in front of her.
“I saw it yesterday and thought of you.”
She picked up the bag and squeezed it. Whatever was inside was soft and squishy. “I can’t imagine you shopping in a department store.”
Noah’s eyebrows rose. “Why not?”
Cassie pointed to his suit. “Most of the time you wear custom-made suits and designer shoes. Hunting through racks of clothes doesn’t fit your corporate image.”
“My image is evolving. I now own at least two pairs of jeans and four T-shirts.”
“Did you or your brother buy them?”
Noah smiled. “Jack might have had something to do with them. What do you think of your surprise?”
Cassie pulled a black T-shirt out of the bag and grinned. Across the front, in big, sparkly writing, were the words, Waltzing Queen. “Thank you, although I couldn’t have mastered the steps without your help.”
“We’re a good team.”
Their last dance lesson had gone without a hitch. The quarter and half turns that had given Cassie so much trouble were perfect. It was just a pity that, once Noah left, she wouldn’t have a dance partner.
“I’ve got something else for you.” He handed her an envelope. “I hope it meets your expectations.”
Cassie frowned. “What is it?”
“A two-year contract for creating exclusive jewelry for Wilson Enterprises.”
She pulled out the sheets of paper and skimmed through the first page. Her eyes froze when she saw the amount of money Noah’s company was prepared to pay her. “It’s too much.”
“Two years isn’t that long. We want to build brand loyalty and that takes time.”
“No, I didn’t mean the length of the contract. It’s the money. It’s far too much for what you want me to do.”
Noah leaned against the counter. “Do you know why a lot of people fail in business?”
“They have too much debt?”
“Yes, but there’s another reason. They undervalue what they do. Perception is everything in business. If you give products away for next to nothing, you’d better have a good reason.”
“But this is ridiculous.” Cassie had never had this much money in her life. Three hundred thousand dollars would pay off her mortgage. She could help her dad clear his debt and donate what was left to the tiny home project.
“My senior team looked carefully at what price they were prepared to pay you. Given the quality of the jewelry and the unique designs they expect, this was a reasonable offer.”
