“Um, no, that’s fine, you can just send it to Erica Porter. Thank you very much!”
We hung up and stared at each other.
“Hunter,” Erica said as a smile spread across her heart-shaped face. “That. Was.AMAZING!”
We cheered and hugged and laughed. Brad came into the room and asked what the hell was going on.
“The lab is going to fill the orders,” Erica explained. “And Hunter just saved the company a hundred bucks per carat.”
Brad frowned. “Is that a lot?”
“A hundred bucks times nine hundred orders,” I said with a smile. “That’s…”
“Ninety grand?” Erica said with shock. “Is my math right? I can’t be doing it right. I’m off by a zero, aren’t I?”
“Ninety grand,” I confirmed. “As an investor, I’m getting a big chunk of that profit. See? I knew investing in you was a good idea. I’ve already made all my money back, and then some.”
Erica grabbed my head with both hands and peppered me with kisses. Then she bent back over her laptop and skimmed her emails. She had a few messages from local jewelers mentioning all the interest they had received in her gems. Then she opened and read a longer email.
“This is from a national chain,” she said while reading. “I called their office two weeks ago, and they declined to do business with me. But now they want to have a meeting!”
“Word travels fast,” I told her.
Erica called the company immediately. They were based in Sacramento, which was three hours behind us, so their office was still open. Erica didn’t put this call on speakerphone. I assumed it was because she was afraid Paxton McNeely would take over and try to negotiate on her behalf.
From her side of the conversation, I got a gist of what they were discussing. The national jewelry chain was made up of individual franchises, and they wanted Erica to visit each store on the West Coast to showcase her gemstones.
“Fifteen cities between San Diego and Seattle,” Erica said out loud. “I’ll have to look at my calendar, but I should be able to do that. Yes, of course. I’ll come up with a travel schedule and send it to you. Thank you.”
She looked dazed as she hung up the phone. “I think I need to quit my job at the brewery.”
Her dazed expression changed to hunger. It was the same sparkle in her eyes that she had when she was the younger Erica Porter I began to fall in love with five years ago. She had big ideas and big dreams, dreams that were finally coming true.
And I couldn’t be happier to be a part of it.
Suddenly her face drooped. “What’s wrong?” I asked. “I’m sure your manager at the brewery will understand.”
“It’s not that.” She took my hand in hers. “I just realized that if I’m going to be traveling for the next few months, it means there won’t be any time forus.”
I blinked. “Oh.”
“I don’t want to lose you again,” she said, eyes round and pleading. “I want what we havenow, Hunter. Without delaying it any further.”
“I can’t make you sacrifice your business,” I said emphatically. “That wouldn’t be fair, just like it wouldn’t be fair of you to make me cancel all my events back in Portland and Seattle and Los Angeles.”
“I know…”
The two of us stared at each other, searching for a solution. Grief tightened my chest and made it difficult to breathe. Were we doomed to always get together at the wrong time? If we delayed our relationship for several more months, would fate throw us another roadblock when she returned?
But then an idea came to me.
Theperfectidea to all of our problems.
“I may have a solution,” I said. “Where we can be togetherandhave a lot of fun along the way.”
Erica’s smile grew wide as I told her.
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