Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 86020 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 430(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86020 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 430(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
“I hadn’t thought of that.” Gideon leaned forward to look at Cal and Lyssa, who were instrumental in running the foundation for him. “Sometimes the older vets don’t even know what benefits they actually have.” He smiled broadly at Ava.
Full agreement sparked in Ava’s eyes. “We’ve got a lot to talk about.”
Will took over again. “Daniel’s Top Notch DIY conglomerate has a place in everything we do. As well as The Collins Group, with Evan being our finance guru.”
Dane agreed. “We all complement each other, yet bring something unique to the table.”
Evan popped up with, “And Gabby can feed us.”
As the Mavericks clapped, Dane turned to catch Cammie’s eye. Without a word, they were thinking the same thing. Don’t let Fernsby hear that.
Will waved a hand between the two of them. “I see lots of crossover between you and me, Dane. With Franconi Imports, we can add products and foodstuffs your guests at DH International Resorts have never even dreamed of.”
As he lifted his hand in the air, Dane stood to high-five him.
Oh yeah, the Mavericks and the Harringtons together would be a powerhouse.
This was what Dane wanted—synergy, working together, bonding. He could almost feel the magic he, Cammie, and his siblings could create with the Mavericks.
He rapped his knuckles once on the table. “Let’s do it. A partnership.” His family were as gung-ho as he was.
Will punched a fist in the air. “Let’s do it,” he repeated. “I suggest meeting once a month to go over what deals we’re all working on, discuss how they can benefit the group, and what each of us can add to them.” He looked to his brothers, all of them nodding agreement.
“Sounds good,” Dane said. “I see this growing organically. We don’t need to shove ideas down each other’s throats. We’ll work on things that are mutually beneficial.”
“Absolutely,” Will agreed. Then he grinned. “Let’s draw up a partnership agreement.” He directed that at Cal Danniger, who in addition to running Gideon Jones’s foundation, managed many of the Mavericks’ joint ventures.
“I can get that done within a couple of days,” Cal agreed, enthusiasm lighting his eyes.
Will gave him a thumbs-up. So did Dane. Beneath the table, Cammie tweaked Dane’s hand, a pinch me, I can’t believe this gesture, signaling her approval of everything he was doing. It was why he’d needed her here.
The sparkle in her eye heated him as she leaned close, a subtle citrusy scent that was uniquely her own drifting over him. “I’m going to take off now,” she murmured.
He held her hand a moment under the table. “I’ll walk you to the car.”
She shook her head. “You stay here. Talk more. Then call me tonight. We’ll discuss it all.” Her smile wrapped around him. “But I already know this is going to be the most astounding alliance ever.”
Chapter Four
In the quiet study of his Pebble Beach house, Dane slid down into the buttery-soft leather sofa, T. Rex nestled against his side. The mini dachshund grumbled in his sleep, as if he were dreaming of hunting squirrels, and Dane ruffled his long hair. Being such a tiny thing, the dachshund needed a big-dog name, so Dane had dubbed him T. Rex. To him and Cammie, the little guy was anything from T. Rex to Mr. T to just plain Rex. Fernsby always called him Lord Rexford.
Before quitting college to take over as the family guardian, Dane had been on his way to becoming a veterinarian. He’d always loved animals, forever rescuing wild creatures—caring for an injured bird, nursing a chipmunk back to health. His parents’ deaths ended that dream, and now he had the resorts and a dog who traveled with him wherever he went. Cammie, a whiz at everything, had streamlined the procedure, making it easy for him to breeze through Customs in various countries without even a quarantine.
He tapped out a text to his whiz: OK to chat? Cammie was the first person he wanted to talk to about this afternoon’s events.
Sitting back to wait, he propped his feet on a hassock. The study was his leisure room, with a massive flat-screen TV, state-of-the-art audio system, and built-in oak bookcases filled with first-edition classics, hardback bestsellers, genre fiction, business books, and whatever else took his fancy—or Cammie’s. Floor-to-ceiling windows afforded a magnificent view of the ocean, though now the sky was socked in by fog, with not a single star visible.
It still felt odd wandering around the huge house without Cammie here. Or sitting at his office desk without being able to look up and see her typing away on her computer, surrounded by her desk and credenza and the files she was working on.
She got back to him in a matter of minutes, as if she’d been anticipating his text: I’m at your beck and call, Lord Fuzzybottom.
Rolling his eyes, he laughed even though she couldn’t see him. She’d called him Lord this and Lord that since he’d bought the English manor house a few years ago. Bradford Park happened to come with a title he’d never used. Cammie never used the proper honorific, Lord Bradford, but made up funny names instead. He loved that she always ribbed him about it.