“No,” I admitted. “Not really. Since I left the event early—you know, to go to work at the brewery—I didn’t get to talk to many investors.”
“The information was still at your table though,” Hunter replied. “I bet lots of people took fliers.”
“It’s not as good as talking to them in person.” I wiped my mouth with a napkin. “That’s what really sucks. I spent days practicing my sales pitch, and then I didn’t get a chance to give it to anyone.”
Hunter gave a wry smirk, then frowned. He stared off for a moment, then put down his plate.
“I have an idea,” he said. “Givemeyour pitch.”
18
Erica
“You want me towhat?”I stammered.
“Give me your sales pitch. For fun.” He ran into the foyer and returned with the box of expo supplies that Lizzy had brought over last night. “You can pretend I’m an investor. To get it out of your system.”
“I don’t know…”
“Aw, come on.” Hunter pulled myYours Forever Gemstonesbanner out of the box, then draped it across the bookshelf next to the couch, using two encyclopedia volumes to anchor it. “Pretend we’re back at the expo and I’m the biggest investor in the Midwest. You haveone shotto get my investment.”
I guzzled the rest of my beer and said, “I need another drink if I’m going to do this.”
He snatched my glass. “One more beer, coming right up.”
“You sound like a bartender.”
From the garage, he shouted, “I like pouring beers. Beer makes people happy.”
It also leads to bad decisions, I thought, remembering what Lizzy had suggested.
I pulled my pitch notes out of the box and scanned them. Ihadrehearsed the pitch in front of the mirror for a week straight, but suddenly my head felt like it was slow and cloudy. I was more nervous now than when I was at the expo, preparing to pitch torealinvestors.
Hunter returned from the garage with a full beer and handed it to me. Then he plopped back down on the couch and crossed his arms over his T-shirt.
“This feels silly, Hunter,” I said.
“Hunter?” he said in a haughty pretend-voice. “My name is Paxton McNeely, Indiana’s premiere soybean tycoon. I make million-dollar deals beforebreakfast,and I know a good investment when I see one. Tell me what all this jewelry business is about, Ms. Prater.”
“It’s EricaPorter, actually,” I said with a laugh.
He snorted derisively. “I’m here tomake deals, not learn people’s names. Lay it on me.”
When I stopped giggling at his ridiculous impersonation, I realized I wasn’t as nervous anymore. This was just a silly pretend-pitch in my living room. There were no stakes.
I could do that.
“Gemstones,” I began, “are special. Throughout history, they have been used to pass wealth down among generations. All manner of gems are used to commemorate special occasions. Every girl remembers when she received her first pair of diamond earrings. Their popularity has steadily increased over time, along with their value.
“The problem with many gemstones, however, involves the ways they are mined from the ground. Nobody wants a blood diamond on their engagement ring. There are companies which promise ethical mining practices, but there is very little oversight and regulation to their promises. The gemstones we wear should represent ourvalues, and the things most important to us.”
“Values?” Hunter grunted. “The onlyvalueI care about is my return on investment.”
I glared at him for interrupting, and he grinned and waved me to continue.
“A modern alternative is the lab-created gemstone,” I went on. “Thanks to the wonders of science and engineering, a laboratory can manufacture a diamond more flawless than anything nature can create. However, there is a stigma surrounding lab-created gems. People consider them to befake, and impersonal. They lack the uniqueness of a gem that was forged in the upper crust of planet earth over millions of years.
“If only there were a way to bridge this gap between natural gemstones and lab-created ones.” I gestured at the banner with a flourish. “Well, now there is! IntroducingYours Forever Gemstones.”