Page 96 of Cruel Offer
“I really should explain each page.”
“Summary first, detailed explanation second.”
He grins and folds his hands over the contract on his lap. “The summary is this. You get full control of the dance studio. The Quattuor Group has purchased the building and set up a reasonable operating fund for the next five years. Any revenue the business makes is yours to handle as you wish. You’re in full control of the property, the running of the business, and the outcome of said business. Presumably, you’ll want to hire a full staff, so the budget will easily cover that as well.”
“Wait. QG isn’t taking a cut?”
“No. They’ve purchased the property, and their name will only remain on the deed until you officially agree to the terms of this contract, at which time the deed will be transferred to your name only. The Quattuor Group will have no other vested interest in the business. It’s all yours.”
Nate is giving me an investment in my future, just like my Nana said.
“No strings?” I ask cautiously. Because surely Nate will want something out of this.
Joel smiles understandingly. “One-hundred-percent no strings. This is one of the purest ‘sign and it’s yours’ contracts I’ve ever seen.”
“Wow.”
“This gentleman knows how to give you options.”
Joel takes a sip of coffee. I watch him while running a finger along the edges of the contract. “It was Nate, wasn’t it? Nate put the opt-out clause in the auction contract, and he designed this studio contract, too. Didn’t he?”
Joel only smiles, but it’s enough to let me know that I’m right. Nate has been setting me up to choose my own pathall along. He never trapped me into anything, which can only mean he was so desperate to make me stay in the contract because…
He really does care.
He didn’t want to lose me, but he didn’t want to fight to keep me either.
“We’d better go over each page now.” I flip to the first page. I want to be sure this is real. Really, really sure.
By the end of it, I’m even more confident that Nate handed me everything without demanding that I earn it back from him. I sign in all the right places and Joel hands me back my official copy, then shakes my hand and congratulates me on my new studio.
I wait until he leaves to fall apart. It hits me quickly and all at once. Awe, anxiety, loneliness, and longing. I’m completely overwhelmed. I’m a business owner! Me, the daughter of a thief and a liar, without a decent penny to her name, has a new chance at life.
And it’s all because of Nate, and I’ll be damned if he doesn’t have feelings for me. True feelings that he’s scared to admit to. He wouldn’t have given me an opt-out in the auction contract or handed me a business if he didn’t.
Still. There’s only one way to know for sure.
Stuffing the contract into my bag, I quickly touch up my hair and makeup, then look at myself long and hard in the mirror to make sure I really want to do this. What if he says he doesn’t want to see me? What if he tells me to leave?
But then I’ll know for sure, won’t I? There won’t be any reason to keep on wondering.
The cab ride from Cleo’s takes longer than it shouldthanks to Midtown traffic, and I’m a trembling mess by the time I get dropped off in front of the brownstone. It’s a Saturday, so he should be here, but the thought of ringing the doorbell throws me into full-blown panic mode. I feel like I might pass out. Gulping air, I force myself to go through the gate and up the steps.
I have to do this. I need to know.
Pulling my coat tightly around me to bolster against the chill both outside and inside of me, I lift my chin and ring the bell. I know he’ll see me on the Ring camera before he opens the door.Ifhe opens the door. He might see me and pretend he’s not home–
The door suddenly opens wide and there he is, in jeans and a long sleeve shirt, barefoot, his damp hair slicked back like he just got out of the shower. The scent of his cologne wafts over me.
I am so screwed.
“Piper. Hi. Come in, let’s get you out of the cold.”
He all but pulls me inside, then quickly releases me as if realizing that he’s touching me too familiarly. I search his face and all the questions I wanted to ask die away.
“What are you doing here?” he asks.
“I want to talk about the contract.”
