Page 108 of Stolen Kisses

“Usually they’re not silent investors. They buy a minority package but do want some decision power."

"I don't care about any of that," I said.

"Yeah, but no one just goes around offering money without asking for anything in return. It would look suspicious," Finn stated.

Duncan stood up. "You wanted our opinion. I think you shouldn’t do it. If you go ahead, I don't want to hear details from anyone. This is beneath you, and it will bite you in the ass," he remarked before storming out of the meeting room.

"Well, he made his opinion clear," I said.

Griffin and Wyatt exchanged a glance. Finn was asking Knox about ways to legally set it up, so I assumed he was starting to warm up to the idea.

"Look," Griffin started, "we shouldn't encourage this, but obviously if you want to go forward with it, we can set things up."

"I have a question," Knox said. "Did you at least ask her about this?"

“I offered my help before, and she shut it down. If I offer again, then she’ll be suspicious that an investor turned up out of the blue offering exactly what she needs."

"He does have a good point," Wyatt said. He crossed his arms over his chest, scrutinizing me. I recognized the look. Now that he'd heard all the pros and cons, he was weighing them, and I was half expecting him to tell me again that this was madness. But then he completely surprised me.

"You care about her a lot," he stated.

"Yes."

"Man, you’re slow," Griffin told him. "I could've told you that when he asked if he should hire a detective to look into her issues." Then he turned to me. “She accepted your job offer. Why are you so convinced she won’t take you on as an investor?”

"Because this is different. She's been through a lot with her ex-husband.”

"Then you should reconsider this. I mean, what if she finds out?" Wyatt asked. Always the most cerebral among us, except Duncan, perhaps.

"I’ll deal with that when the time comes. My hope is that if she does eventually find out, she’ll accept it just because... well, it's already done."

Griffin clapped his hands once, then pointed two fingers at me. "Brother, that'snothow life works."

"I'm taking my chances," I said. Sometime during this entire conversation, I’d made up my mind.

Knox stood up. "I'm your man. I can deal with all the paperwork, and I've just finished a few projects, so I've got a bit of time."

"Thanks, really appreciate it."

"You owe me. I'm not sure when I’ll cash in, but it's going to be soon.”

“I'm here for whatever you need," I assured him.

Finn and Wyatt looked at Griffin and then at me. "We’re in too. Should we tell Duncan?" Finn asked.

"No.” I respected his decision. “It goes without saying, obviously, that the money is going to come from my accounts, not Sterling Investments.”

Griffin rolled his eyes.

Wyatt shook his head. "Yeah, because that was exactly what we were all worried about. We can all chip in."

"No," I said categorically. "This is my life and my decision. It will be my investment."

"Fair enough," Wyatt said. He looked at Knox. "Shoot things my way too. I've got some time."

"Right. What are the first steps?" I asked Finn, but Knox intervened.

"No, you’re going to know as little as possible."

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