Neither Gail nor Anita were in sight when Lola and Duncan entered his building and headed into his office. Lola was clearly still brimming over with indignation, her body practically vibrating with it. As grateful as he was at being given the gift of this extra time with her—he would happily take Lola’s scowls over nothing at all—knowing that this was likely the very last time he would see her made it brutally bittersweet.
“Can I get you anything to drink before we start?” he asked.
“No, I just want to get to work.” Lola chose the farthest possible chair from his desk.
As he sat, he worked to corral his emotions so that he could focus. But nothing he did made it any easier to know how much Lola hated him. “Over the past forty-eight hours, I’ve learned that Moira had a solid domestic customer base when she first joined Brilliant Funds. Within six months, however, her customer base had dwindled to almost nothing.”
“She said the fund manager insisted that she change her designs.”
Duncan nodded. “I’m guessing my brother was behind those changes, because he wanted to make sure her company didn’t meet the bar required for the half-million investment promised to her if she could prove the marketability of her product.” Lola continued to look absolutely furious as he spoke, and he didn’t blame her. He wanted to tear his brother apart for what Alastair had done to so many unsuspecting people. “The good news is that five years on, Moira seems not only to have built her business back up, she has also expanded to retailers across the United States. I believe international expansion is the obvious next step, either in Canada or the UK, depending on how potential customers respond to her products in those territories. As I suspect she won’t want anything to do with me or my current firm, I would like to give her the funds she was promised in her original contract—adjusted for inflation, of course—along with introductions to potential business partners in each territory.” He looked at his notes one last time to make sure he hadn’t left out any details, before lifting his gaze back to Lola’s face. “How does my proposal sound to you?”
Lola looked surprised by his offer. Surprised enough that she was uncharacteristically fidgety, smoothing a hand over her hair, straightening her skirt, licking her lips. “It sounds pretty good,” she finally replied. “But I also think it will be important for Moira to weigh in on whether she needs a similar influx of funds in the United States. That is, if she’s even willing to go for this deal.”
“I would agree with that. Although I’m afraid that even with no strings attached, convincing Moira to accept the funds and contacts from me won’t be easy.”
Lola didn’t disagree. “Before I leave, I want you to put everything you’ve offered in writing and then sign it.”
After quickly typing up his offer, and getting Lola’s approval on the verbiage, he called in Anita. “Could you please witness my signature on this agreement?”
If Anita seemed surprised by the terms he’d laid out on the document, particularly the fact that all funds were going to come from him personally, she didn’t let on.
Lola had just put the signed agreement into her bag and was standing up to leave when Gail poked her head in the door. “I’m sorry to interrupt,” she said, her gaze shooting to Lola before moving to Duncan. “My babysitter just called to let me know George isn’t feeling well. I’m afraid I need to head straight home.”
“Of course,” Duncan said. While he didn’t have any children himself, he imagined there was nothing worse than one’s child being sick. “Is he going to be all right?”
“He threw up, and he’s got a temperature, but evidently the stomach flu has been going around his school. I’m sure he’ll be fine in a couple of days.”
“I’m glad to hear that. But please let me know if I can do anything for you or your family, Gail.”
“I will, thank you.” But instead of turning to leave, she said, “There is one big problem, however. I was supposed to help out at Serafina’s fashion show tonight, and now I won’t be able to attend.”
Serafina was one of their most promising clients. A pioneer in sustainable fashion, she traced the provenance of every spool of thread and swatch of fabric, while also hiring women in disadvantaged communities to do her cutting and sewing.
“Don’t worry,” Anita offered. “I can rearrange my plans for the night and attend in your place.”
“Normally, that would work,” Gail replied, “but in this case, things are a little more complicated. I’m supposed to close out her fashion show in a wedding gown that has been fitted to my measurements.” Gail looked doubly worried now, not only about her sick son, but also about a client they didn’t want to let down. “I know how hard Serafina has worked for this opportunity to showcase her work to a broader pool of buyers, and I can’t stand the thought of doing anything to ruin that.”
“I wish I could do it,” Anita said, “but you’re right. There is no way I could fit in a dress made for you. I’m such a string bean the dress wouldn’t fall right.”
Gail looked worried as she asked Duncan, “What other options do we have?”
“I’ll do it.”
All of them turned to Lola in surprise, stunned by her offer to help a stranger.
Duncan wanted nothing more than the chance to spend a few more hours with her. It was beyond tempting to snatch at her offer and hold her to it. But trying to chain her to him by any means possible definitely wasn’t the smartest path to reclaiming her heart.
“Thank you for the offer,” he made himself say. “But we can find another solution.”
“Gail and I are close to the same size,” she countered, “and I hate the thought of a designer not getting the chance that she’s worked so hard for.”
Duncan warred with himself. A better man wouldn’t let her make this sacrifice for him. But in the end, he couldn’t find the self-control to let her go. And not just because of Serafina’s fashion show.
The truth was that, despite knowing Lola deserved a man with an unblemished past, he wanted to fight for her. Wanted to do whatever it took to win her heart again. Even if it took him the rest of his life. Even if it ended up being impossible.
Because even the slightest chance of winning Lola’s trust, and love, would be worth a lifetime of trying.
“Thank you so much for offering to help tonight.” Gail gave Lola an impulsive hug. “You’re a lifesaver.”
“It’s my pleasure,” Lola said with a small smile. “Now go home to your little one, and don’t give another thought to tonight’s fashion show.”
Soon, Lola and Duncan were alone again. “I can’t thank you enough for going above and bey—”
She held up a hand. “I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing this for Gail and for your client. All I need to know is where to find the designer so that she can do a fitting before show time.”
“I was planning to head over to Serafina’s show in a couple of hours anyway, but I can go with you now.”
“No need,” she replied in a curt voice. “I’m sure you have important meetings or phone calls you need to make.”