I can’t help but flash her a smile. “Good.”
She doesn’t let go of my tie. “Want me to get you a glass of champagne?”
“Nah,” I tell her. “I’m good. Actually, I have to get going.”
Her bottom lip juts out in a pout. “Why?”
“Dogs,” I tell her, tugging at my ear. “I have dogs. If I don’t take them for a walk, they’re going to shit everywhere.”
“When did you get dogs?”
“Yesterday,” I tell her. “I rescued two strays.”
She makes a face. It’s the reaction I thought I’d get. “Strays? You took in two strays and put them in your apartment?”
I shrug. “It’s the least I could do.”
“They might have fleas. Rabies. Who knows what disease?”
“They needed my help.”
She lets go of my tie but tries to look pleasant, giving me a thin smile. “Huh. Well, aren’t you just a giving man.”
“Someone has to be,” I say, an edge creeping into my voice.
“I guess,” she says, and steps away from me. “The world needs more people like you.”
I raise my brows. “Does it?” I can read the insincerity in her voice. It’s the line that people say when they don’t really believe it. It’s what they say in order to make themselves look like they care.
She takes a sip of her champagne and starts looking around for someone better to talk to. Who knew that just mentioning stray dogs would turn her off? If I’d known that, I would have talked about Lionel and the organization from day one. Then again, it wouldn’t have led me here to right now and I still have to do what I can to make sure it goes through.
I give her most charming smile, and from the way she blinks at me, I can tell she’s dazzled by it. I rarely use it, and when it’s sincere, it’s never meant for people like her. “I really want to thank you, Justine,” I tell her, grabbing her wrist delicately. “For inviting me here. This means a lot to me, and to Bram, just to have your father want to do good in a world that needs it. His help is really appreciated. And yours has always been.”
She softens a little bit, but she’s still regarding me with a wariness that wasn’t there before. Gone are the days of footsie under the table and eager hands in the back of a cab.
I lift her hand to my lips and kiss the back of it. “Take care,” I tell her. “And if you don’t mind, I’ll have Bram get in touch with your father.” With my other hand, I show her the business card her father gave me.
“Sure,” she says. “I’ll let him know. Take care, Lachlan.”
And that’s it. Though it was a lot to get through, it’s over now. It’s not quite time to celebrate, not until Bram and Justine’s father talk and work out the kinks, but I have a feeling it’s going to work out. The man was sold on what I was selling him.
I quickly exit the ballroom at the hotel and get into a waiting cab. I should go home to the dogs first, but the reality is they’ve probably already made a mess, so what’s the difference? I might as well tell Bram the good news.
It’s not long before the cab is dropping me off at the Lion. It’s a Monday but it’s still surprisingly busy.
I stride into the noisy, dimly-lit bar and immediately get a lot of looks. It takes me a minute to realize I’m wearing a suit and tie and I stick out like a sore thumb here.
“Look at you!” Linden hollers from a booth in the back. He’s sitting with Bram, Steph, and that fucker James. “Secret agent man, working for M.I. Six!”
I walk over to them and stand at the end of the table, hands jammed into my pockets. “Do you want to hear the good news?” I say to them, rocking back on my heels.
Bram’s eyes widen. “How good?”
I shrug. “Nothing is a done deal. But here.” I toss the business card on the table. “That’s his info. I had a very lengthy conversation with him. He wants to invest.”