“No,” Jenna said. “I was just trying to yank his chain, but he’s sitting here beside me with absolutely no reaction on his face. Ben was the only one in our calculus class who scored a perfect hundred on the final.”
“Oh yes, that figures.” There was a long sigh. “He is absolutely brilliant, isn’t he?”
Time to move things along.
“To clear the record,” Ben said, “Jenna could hold her own in calculus or any other subject. While I have you on the phone, is everything set up with the new deal?”
“Ms. Miller was very agreeable to the terms we discussed earlier. I went ahead and sent her the contract and I’m arranging for a transfer of funds from the bank first thing Monday morning.”
“Good.”
“Sir, may I inquire about the Rachel situation? Are you sure you don’t want me to look into another nanny? I still feel horribly responsible for the Greta debacle.”
“Rachel is fine. My
mother and I are handling things for now.”
“Yes, sir.” There was a pause. “Back to this rec center footage, sir, can I assume this is more of a personal nature than business-related?”
“You can.”
“Not that I have any doubt about succeeding, but just how far do you want me to push this?”
“Do whatever it takes to get that footage. Buy the damned company if you have to.”
“Very good, sir. Will there be anything else?”
“That’s it.”
“Oh, Gavin, thank you so much!” Jenna gushed. “I can’t tell you how much Ben and I appreciate this.”
“It’s my pleasure! It was wonderful speaking to you, Jenna. And, sir, like I said, no worries. I’m on this right now.”
Ben disconnected the call.
“You could have thanked him,” Jenna said.
“What for? It’s his job. Besides, you thanked him for both of us.”
She looked at him curiously. “Was Gavin talking about Lauren Miller?”
“Besides my work for Martinez and Martinez, I have a small company on the side that invests in growing businesses around the state. Baby Got Bump is now one of them. Lauren Miller needed an influx of cash to expand her business operations, and I needed a good investment. It’s a win-win for everyone.”
“So that’s what the two of you were talking about at the town hall meeting.”
He nodded.
“Do you mind if I ask a personal question? Is Gavin straight?”
It wasn’t the question he was expecting. “I have no idea. Why?”
“Because he has a major crush on you. I’m just not sure if it’s because he’s into you or just in awe of you. Or maybe it’s both.”
“I doubt it’s either of those.”
“Trust me. A woman can sense these things.” Her smile faded. “Ben, I hate to harp on this, but do you really think we can get that video footage?”
“Absolutely.” Despite his bravado, she still looked worried. “Baby, I promise you, no one is ever going to see that tape.”