Lucy Gordon – Save The Date!: The Rebel and the Heiress / Not Just a Convenient Marriage / Crown Prince, Pregnant Bride (страница 26)
His thumb stopped its stroking and the cessation added weight to his words.
‘An X factor?’ What on earth...? Had he had too much sun today?
‘Talent.’
Everything inside her stilled.
‘Your cupcakes could make grown men weep.’
‘Oh, anyone can learn to do that.’ She pulled her hand from his to wave it in the air. She’d reclaimed it deliberately. Rick was treading on her dreams—admittedly very carefully—but if he suddenly became lead-footed she wasn’t sure she could bear it.
He shook his head. ‘Nobody makes cupcakes like you. Why are you determined to dismiss that as if it’s of little value?’
Not holding his hand didn’t help at all. She reached across the table to lace her fingers through his. ‘The thing is, Rick, it doesn’t actually seem like much. After twenty-five years of privileged living it seems the only talent I’ve acquired is to make cupcakes. I know they’re pretty good, but...’ She shrugged. As much as she tried to channel nonchalance, she’d never felt more naked in her life.
‘They’re not just good. They’re spectacular. They’re the kind of cupcakes people travel hundreds of kilometres for.’
She laughed. ‘Now you’re just being silly.’
‘And you’re wrong. You’re good at lots of things. You’re running your own small business, aren’t you?’
‘Not very successfully if today is anything to go by.’
‘You troubleshot that.’
He’d troubleshot that.
‘You have social poise and that’s rarer than you know. It’ll hold you in good stead as the face of the business when the teahouse is up and running—you’ll need it. You also have vision and courage and you’re not afraid of hard work or sacrifice.’
She opened her mouth, but he held up a hand to forestall her. ‘Sorry, Princess, but you’re not going to talk me out of believing in you.’
Unconsciously, her hand tightened in his. ‘You believe in me?’ she whispered.
‘Heart and soul.’
Her heart leapt.
‘I believe in you so much I’m willing to lay out the money you need to get your business off the ground.’
A lump the size of a teapot lodged in her throat. Nobody had ever told her they believed in her before.
‘So will you accept my loan and make this dream of yours a reality?’
She really wanted to say yes, but the lump refused to dislodge. She stared at him and his face gentled as if he could read what was on her mind. He reached out his fingers as if to touch her cheek. She held her breath...
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