It was his turn to blink. The idea that he might not be good at his job had never occurred to him.
“Okay, how about this. What happens when you can’t do it anymore? What are you going to do then?”
He frowned. “I don’t know.” Multiplying money was something that came to him as naturally as breathing. He didn’t have a nobler calling like curing cancer or solving world hunger. He would’ve likely gotten in the way if he’d tried.
Making money was the only way he could be “more.”
“You don’t know what you’re going to do when you have several billion dollars lying around?” A gentle teasing lightened her voice. “Not to mention all the money you’re getting from The Lloyds Development?”
“What would you do if you had twenty billion?” he asked, curious.
She hadn’t grown up wealthy, not the way Catherine had. Amandine had been one of the poor relatives. Catherine had often remarked about how irresponsible Amandine’s father had been for failing to provide for his family.
“I’d set up a small trust fund to take care of my needs and spend the rest on charities. Maybe form my own foundation.”
Huh. “Wanna run one?”
“No. Forget it.” She shook her head. “I’m not smart enough to do that. I don’t know anything.”
He took her hand. “You’re plenty smart enough.”
Pink colored her smooth cheeks. “I’m not like Pete.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“Pete’s the smart one. You’ve seen what he can do.”
“You’re selling yourself short. He’s no dummy, but it’s not all brain. He works really hard to do what he does. You can do the same. Just say the word, and I’ll set up a foundation for you.”
Chapter Eleven
THE OFFER STUNNED HER as much as Gavin’s assertion that she was just as capable as her brilliant younger brother. Everything Pete did seemed to come easily: academics, sports, girls. Amandine wasn’t like that. She was too clumsy for sports. And academics? Forget about it. No matter how long she’d stared at her math textbook, she hadn’t been able to figure out basic algebra.
“Pete’s a talented guy, but my business requires more than just talent. And just because you can’t do something he or I can doesn’t mean you aren’t smart.” Gavin speared the last bit of duck from her plate and put it in her mouth.
Left without a choice, she chewed. Her husband wouldn’t give up until she finished everything. Surprisingly, she wasn’t overly stuffed. Maybe she did need some extra calories after the past few days.
“You do things with a canvas that I could never dream of,” Gavin said. “And I spent a year of my life in art class.”
“Can you paint?” She’d never seen him hold a brush, even at the Art4Kids classes.
“If you can consider what I do ‘painting,’ sure.” He grinned. “I thought if I got good enough, I would do nudes.”
“You mean women.”
“Basically. It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
“How old were you?”
“High school freshman.”
She chortled. “You wasted all that effort for nothing when all you had to do was be yourself.”
“Not enough.”
“You gotta be kidding. I’m sure a
ny girl would’ve been flattered by your attention.” He might have been awkward in his teen years, but his innate charisma and brains would’ve been evident.