God?”
“What if we don’t? What if the bank calls in our loans and our creditors demand payment all at the same time? What if we go bankrupt?”
Cooper leaned across the table and took her hand. “Josie, you will never be poor again. I promise you that,” he said. “Even if Taylor-Made Software shut its doors permanently tomorrow, I would still be earning enough as an architect to keep you in caviar and furs. Assuming, of course, that you ate caviar and wore fur.”
“What if something happened to you?”
“Life insurance,” he countered, adding, “damn, you should get a job writing worst-case scenarios.”
Her fingers tightened on his. “Coop, I know I’m an intelligent human being,” she said. “And I hear what you’re saying. I see my balance sheets, I read the financial reports. Everything’s great, everything’s fine. I
know
that. I’m not stupid. But I can’t stop this panicky feeling I get in my stomach. I get scared. I get so scared—”
She shook her head, feeling Cooper’s blue gaze on her.
“I don’t know what to say to make you feel any more secure,” he said.
“Let me bring in all that money, the two million dollars,” she said, her dark eyes pleading with him. “After that, I promise you, I’ll try to cut my time back.”
Cooper laughed. “You’ll promise that you’ll
try.”
She nodded. “I’ll hire those extra people, and I’ll keep them on staff after the project’s finished.”
“A senior level programmer and two assistants,” he said.
“Yes.”
“Make it two senior level programmers and two assistants,” he said, “and you’ve got the beginning of a deal.”
“Only the beginning?” she asked.
He brought her hand to his lips. “I’ve got a few other demands,” he said, “and maybe a few solutions.”
Cooper set her hand gently down on the table, then pulled a blueprint free from the carrying tube he’d taken out of the car. He unrolled the blueprint on the table, turning it so it faced her.
Josie looked down at the large sheet of paper, frowning slightly. “What’s this?”
“Your office,” he said. “The executive floor. I’ve made a few changes.”
She could see that. David’s office and one of the conference rooms were currently next to her office, but in this drawing David had been moved to an empty space across the hall, and the conference room was . . .
“That’ll be my office,” Cooper said, pointing to the former conference room.
Surprised, she stared up at him.
He smiled. “If you’re going to be over there day and night,” he said, “I want to be there, too.”
She couldn’t stop the rush of tears that filled her eyes. Cooper, who loved his office at home, who hated the thought of commuting, who usually worked in his underwear until noon, would give all that up just to be closer to her.
“I’ve also got some demands regarding the length of your work day,” he was saying. “I’m putting my foot down at anything longer than a fourteen hour day, the rare emergency being the exception. Does that sound fair?”
Josie nodded. It was fair. It was more than fair. The tears had vanished as quickly as they’d come, and she was filled now with a sense of excitement, a feeling of euphoria. She was winning, big time. She was going to get the Fenderson contract, and she had proof that Cooper loved her, perhaps more than ever. To think that he would go to such extremes for her . . .
“What’s this?” she said, bending over the blueprint, pointing to the space that David’s office used to occupy. There seemed to be a smaller room there, and it looked as if Cooper had enlarged her private bathroom.
“That’s our living quarters,” Cooper said.
She looked up at him in surprise and he smiled.
“It’s just big enough for a couch, a bed, a TV and a VCR. It’s for those nights that we don’t feel like making the trip home,” he explained. His smile turned into a decidedly wicked grin. “I’m sure we can find
“What if we don’t? What if the bank calls in our loans and our creditors demand payment all at the same time? What if we go bankrupt?”
Cooper leaned across the table and took her hand. “Josie, you will never be poor again. I promise you that,” he said. “Even if Taylor-Made Software shut its doors permanently tomorrow, I would still be earning enough as an architect to keep you in caviar and furs. Assuming, of course, that you ate caviar and wore fur.”
“What if something happened to you?”
“Life insurance,” he countered, adding, “damn, you should get a job writing worst-case scenarios.”
Her fingers tightened on his. “Coop, I know I’m an intelligent human being,” she said. “And I hear what you’re saying. I see my balance sheets, I read the financial reports. Everything’s great, everything’s fine. I
know
that. I’m not stupid. But I can’t stop this panicky feeling I get in my stomach. I get scared. I get so scared—”
She shook her head, feeling Cooper’s blue gaze on her.
“I don’t know what to say to make you feel any more secure,” he said.
“Let me bring in all that money, the two million dollars,” she said, her dark eyes pleading with him. “After that, I promise you, I’ll try to cut my time back.”
Cooper laughed. “You’ll promise that you’ll
try.”
She nodded. “I’ll hire those extra people, and I’ll keep them on staff after the project’s finished.”
“A senior level programmer and two assistants,” he said.
“Yes.”
“Make it two senior level programmers and two assistants,” he said, “and you’ve got the beginning of a deal.”
“Only the beginning?” she asked.
He brought her hand to his lips. “I’ve got a few other demands,” he said, “and maybe a few solutions.”
Cooper set her hand gently down on the table, then pulled a blueprint free from the carrying tube he’d taken out of the car. He unrolled the blueprint on the table, turning it so it faced her.
Josie looked down at the large sheet of paper, frowning slightly. “What’s this?”
“Your office,” he said. “The executive floor. I’ve made a few changes.”
She could see that. David’s office and one of the conference rooms were currently next to her office, but in this drawing David had been moved to an empty space across the hall, and the conference room was . . .
“That’ll be my office,” Cooper said, pointing to the former conference room.
Surprised, she stared up at him.
He smiled. “If you’re going to be over there day and night,” he said, “I want to be there, too.”
She couldn’t stop the rush of tears that filled her eyes. Cooper, who loved his office at home, who hated the thought of commuting, who usually worked in his underwear until noon, would give all that up just to be closer to her.
“I’ve also got some demands regarding the length of your work day,” he was saying. “I’m putting my foot down at anything longer than a fourteen hour day, the rare emergency being the exception. Does that sound fair?”
Josie nodded. It was fair. It was more than fair. The tears had vanished as quickly as they’d come, and she was filled now with a sense of excitement, a feeling of euphoria. She was winning, big time. She was going to get the Fenderson contract, and she had proof that Cooper loved her, perhaps more than ever. To think that he would go to such extremes for her . . .
“What’s this?” she said, bending over the blueprint, pointing to the space that David’s office used to occupy. There seemed to be a smaller room there, and it looked as if Cooper had enlarged her private bathroom.
“That’s our living quarters,” Cooper said.
She looked up at him in surprise and he smiled.
“It’s just big enough for a couch, a bed, a TV and a VCR. It’s for those nights that we don’t feel like making the trip home,” he explained. His smile turned into a decidedly wicked grin. “I’m sure we can find
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