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they d fleeced him of that plus the expected house proceeds. At least she hadn t gotten more, like Jaye Rae
had. Things like access to his business and entire bank balance and what was left of his reputation.
 Envelope on your desk, sir, his secretary told him. He nearly snarled at her, which was completely
unlike him, but then his gaze fell on the plain white envelope. His name was written on the front in neat,
feminine handwriting, underneath a crossed-out name.  And Mr. Kenton is expected in ten minutes.
 Show him in when he arrives.
The secretary nodded and backed out, shutting the door gently in deference to his mood.
Which would have irritated him more if he weren t so interested in the envelope. It looked like the
same one he d given Ginnie.
Without waiting another second, he raced over to it and ripped it open. He knew what he wanted,
what he hoped for a letter from Ginnie.
It was her handwriting on the outside, but inside was a pre-printed receipt from Helping Hands. For
the entire twenty thousand dollars.
She d given the money away.
All of it.
She hadn t even kept the receipt for a tax deduction. That was financially imprudent of her.
Christina Crooks
Harry sat heavily. He d been so sure she d keep the money. He looked in the envelope, but there
wasn t anything else. No note from her. Nothing to explain her surprising move to give his money to her
nonprofit of choice. Nothing saying she missed him, wanted him back& ?
He looked in the envelope again, just in case.
It wasn t like he could blame Ginnie. After the way he d thrown her out, why would she bother? And
why did he suddenly feel as if he d made a mistake? Ginnie might be playing some elaborate game,
sacrificing the twenty thousand to lull him into complacency. She might be&
Harry exhaled, and it was as if his breath blew away the clouds obscuring the truth. Ginnie wasn t a
gold-digger. She wasn t greedy.
She was passion. She embodied passion and instinct combined, with every choice she d made.
And he d thrown it away.
 Sir? Mr. Kenton is here. His secretary made way for the older man.
Most of all, Ginnie wasn t Jaye Rae. He d cared for Jaye Rae, so much so that her betrayal had
decimated him. But what he d felt for his ex-fiancée was nothing compared to what he felt for Ginnie. A
penny next to a shiny silver dollar. A shack next to a mansion. She d fallen right into his arms, and he d let
her go forever.
She d never take him back now that he d hurt her so badly. He wouldn t, were their positions
reversed.
The old man cleared his throat.
Harry leapt to his feet, all apologies.  Mr. Kenton, forgive me. Please sit down. Harry all but held the
chair for him until the man waved him away.
 After yesterday s excitement, I decided it might be a good idea to pay a personal visit. Norbert
squinted at him, evaluating.
Harry had expected it. Hardly thinking about it, he launched into an automatic explanation of the
vagaries of the market, the unpredictability of the high-risk investments Norbert had insisted upon and the
importance of keeping a balanced, conservative portfolio.
A few minutes into his spiel, Norbert cut him off.  Yes, yes. That sounds fine. It was then Harry
realized the man had something else on his mind.
 Sir? Harry waited, at a loss.
Norbert smoothed his pants for longer than necessary. Finally he leaned forward as if confessing a
dirty secret.  I d like to invest in a very risky venture. So risky that it might be a total loss. His eyes
sparkled and a smile played about his thin mouth.  My own vineyard. Not just a tiny hole-in-the-wall place
either, but a respectable thirty thousand-case, prime-location establishment out near McMinnville, or
maybe in Washington, with a tasting lodge, tours, bed & breakfast the works. And I want the best
equipment and full-coverage national distribution. It s going to be grand. If there s a way to swing fifteen
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Hands On
million up front, that s what I ll need, mostly for building, land and packaging costs. Norbert s excitement
escalated until it seemed to beat at Harry in waves.
Harry was flabbergasted.  But, Mr. Kenton. That would leave you& let me see&  He did some rapid
calculations.  That would tie up nearly three-quarters of your portfolio. This isn t just another speculation
to add to your already overly aggressive profile. It s quite possibly throwing money away, at a time when
your retirement has to be considered. I have to strongly advise you against this.
The light in Norbert s eyes dimmed.  Strongly? Are you sure? He wilted back into his chair. The old
man suddenly looked irritated, and all his seventy years of age.  Absolutely sure? I have to confess, I ve
always wanted to own a winery. It just& it never did seem to be a secure investment. I suppose it still isn t,
technically speaking.
 No sir. It isn t.
Harry felt uncomfortable with Norbert s ire. And he really didn t like the older man s obvious
disappointment.
Harry cleared his throat.  I don t believe it s a good investment, but if you like, I ll call in a second
opinion.
 Yes, do that.
Harry buzzed Todd in. He gave Todd the overview of Norbert s proposed investment. As he [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]