“I’ve been talking to a friend of mine about you,” Noelle said. “He likes to invest in
new companies.”
Her voice had controlled enthusiasm, as though she were excited about what she was
saying and yet was being careful not to push him too hard. Whitestone raised his eyes and
met hers.
“He’s very interested in you,” she said.
Whitestone swallowed. “I—I don’t know what to say, Miss Page.”
“I don’t expect you to say anything now,” Noelle assured him. “I just want you to
think about it.”
He sat there a moment, thinking about it. “Does Mr. Demiris know about this?” he
asked finally.
Noelle smiled conspiratorially. “I’m afraid Mr. Demiris would never approve. He
doesn’t like to lose employees, especially good ones. However—” she paused fractionally,
“I think someone like you is entitled to get everything out of life that he can. Unless of
course,” she added, “you want to go on working for someone else the rest of your life.”
“I don’t,” Whitestone said quickly and suddenly realized that he had committed
himself. He studied Noelle’s face to see if there was any suggestion that this could be
some kind of a trap, but all he saw was a sympathetic understanding. “Any man worth his
salt would like to have his own business,” he said defensively.
“Of course,” Noelle agreed. “Give it some thought, and we’ll talk about it again.”
And then she added warningly, “It will be just between us.”
“Fair enough,” Whitestone said, “and thank you. If it works out, it will really be
exciting.”
Noelle nodded. “I have a feeling that it’s going to work out.”