LITMIR.BIZ

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on his sleeve cuffs and straightened the lapels on his jacket. He rose when she stepped inside the parlor, hands loaded with several rolled-up papers. Before he could even take one step toward relieving Abby of her burden, the woman had scurried over to him, sat down on the settee and unrolled them, pulling out and flattening the first one.

      Harrison shook his head, marveling at the little bundle of energy. He lowered himself next to her, careful not to sit too close, but close enough to see the drawings.

      “This is where the theater will be. The stage will go here....” She leaned over and pointed to the areas she referred to. “The chairs here. Sixty to start with, at least. Then as the business grows, more can be added. There will be chairs up in here in the balcony, as well. Maybe even a few dining tables and chairs, too. I haven’t decided on that particular yet. Anyway—” she waved her hand as if remembering what she was doing “—here in the room next to the theater is where the dining tables and chairs will be. Guests will dine there before they head into the theater to watch the plays.” She continued to explain the intricate floor plans to him.

      Harrison was impressed. A lot of thought had gone into designing this place.

      When she finished, she sat up straight and turned those smiling eyes up at him. Those eyes sparkled with the dream. This thing obviously meant a lot to her. One thing Harrison had discovered—if someone was willing to put the hard work it took to make a business come to fruition and put their whole heart and soul into it like she was, its chances of being a success were quite good. Somehow, after seeing her plans and witnessing how she lit up with the dream, that dream now mattered to him, too. And not just because of his inheritance and plans, either.

      * * *

      Abby rerolled the papers. Before things went any further, she needed to tell him something that had been pricking at her conscience from the very beginning of this whole thing. She sat up straight and turned her attention onto him. “Before we go any further, Harrison, I feel I must be honest with you about something. The only reason I’m taking on a partner is because the town committee will not grant me the license I need to open my dinner theater. The only way they will even consider it is if I take on a gentleman partner.” She huffed.

      “Can you believe it? I mean really. What difference does that make? I still can’t believe they even suggested such a thing. As if I’m not capable of running my own business. I’m just as smart as any man. My stepfather, who is a brilliant business man, taught me...” She prattled on and on until she remembered she was talking to a potential business partner. “Sorry. As you can tell, I’m quite frustrated over this whole situation.”

      “I can see that,” Harrison said with an amused chuckle. “Now, it is my turn to tell you something, Miss Bowen.”

      Her stomach tensed, wondering what he was about to say. Was he going to back out of this deal before it ever got started? “What’s that?” She held her breath waiting for his answer.

      “Once we get this business up and running and I get my investment back, plus interest as you stated in your ad—” his eyes twinkled along with his half grin “—then I plan on heading back to Boston to claim my inheritance and to run my father’s businesses.”

      Abby’s stomach relaxed. “Just as I had hoped.”

      He frowned.

      “Oh.” She waved her hand. “No offense to you personally. It’s just that I was hoping things would turn out this way, and they have. Like I said, the only reason I took on a partner was because of the license. I really didn’t want nor need one. So as soon as we, if you’re interested, get this theater up and running, I will no longer need a partner. After all, the town didn’t say how long I had to have one, now, did they?” She smiled.

      “That plan may backfire on you, Abby.”

      “What do you mean?” She frowned.

      “They could revoke your license.”

      “They can?” She hadn’t thought of that. “Surely they wouldn’t. Would they?”

      “Yes, then can, and from what you’ve told me about them, I suspect they would, too. So here’s what I propose.”

      Propose? She gulped.

      “Even though I will be leaving, I am willing to remain your partner. A silent one, in name only, if you will. And I will only take a dollar a month from you.”

      “That’s hardly a partnership.”

      “This would not be an equal-share partnership. The way I see it, you are helping me a vast amount more than I am you. I want to reciprocate by helping you, too, by remaining your partner in order for you to keep your license. You will be able to run the business the way you want without any interference from me. That way we both come out of this arrangement with exactly what we want—nothing more, nothing less.”

      “Do you think the town will object to you not being here?”

      “I don’t see how they can. You will still have a partner. I would even be willing to come back for let’s say—” he rubbed his chin “—once a month for six months.”

      “You would do that?”

      “Yes. I would. I am convinced that when they see the revenue your business will bring this town, and see what an amazing cultural place it will be, they will no longer care about such matters in time, anyway.”

      “You really think so?”

      “I do. Or I wouldn’t have said so.”

      Abby’s insides danced with the fact that everything was going to work out the way she’d always hoped it would.

      * * *

      Harrison couldn’t believe his good fortune. This was working out better than he had imagined. Only one question he needed to ask before he made this deal. “Do you have a dollar figure in mind of what you will need from me?”

      “Yes. Five hundred dollars.”

      That was it? He thought he would have to put up thousands and live on an even stricter budget than he was right now over the next three months. Relief poured over him, but he didn’t allow his face to show it. She didn’t need to know about his dire financial situation, and five hundred was definitely doable.

      Right then, he determined that even though he would get his money back and then some, he would help her as much as he could to make her business a success. Not that she needed his help or anything, but he wanted to make sure her endeavor came to fruition.

      “So what do you think?” Abby asked. “Are you in?”

      Harrison turned his attention onto her and smiled at the expectant look in her eyes. “Only one question first. I hate to ask, but I need to know how you can guarantee a profit so quickly.”

      “Oh, that.” She waved her hand as if she were brushing away his comment. “The reason I can is because even if the business doesn’t make a profit right away, the investor will. I am going to give them fifteen hundred dollars once we get the place up and running.”

      Harrison swallowed his shock. Not only would he get the amount his father’s will stipulated, but his initial investment, as well. This was almost too good to be true. Maybe it was. Suspicion crawled over him. “Why would you do that?”

      “Because. The investor or business partner, whichever you prefer, will be helping me to make my dream come true, so I want to make it worth their time. Your time. That is, if you’re interested.”

      This woman wanted her dream. And she wanted it badly. He had a feeling she would do whatever it took to fulfill that dream, too, including giving the large sum she had guaranteed just for the trouble of helping her out. Before he’d left Boston, he’d had a background check done on her and knew she was good for the money. The woman came from wealth and her own bank account was hefty. The way he saw it, he had nothing to lose, and everything to gain. Not only would he get what he wanted, he would be helping her to get what she

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