“So, young lady. I hear you’re an up-and-coming talent.”
I smile a little. “I hope so.”
“That’s what Darin here tells me.”
“That’s nice to know.” I give Darin a smile but he glances away.
“You’re the one that will be handling our money,” Carmine says.
“That’s right. We’ll work together to create a strategy based on your long- and short-term goals. From there, I’ll build out a portfolio, get your feedback on it, and invest. Pretty simple, really.”
Carmine looks impressed. He looks at Dee. “Long-term goals. She speaks of long-term goals.”
“We have one goal,” Dee says, “and that’s to make a lot of money.”
The men all laugh and even Jacob smiles, though I can tell he’s just playing along.
“We can do that,” I say. “I can’t make any promises about a specific rate of return though. That’s just not something we can guarantee.”
“Of course not,” Carmine says, waving me away. “Anyone that would make a promise like that is lying or stealing, and probably both.”
“But I can say that if you trust me and work with me, I think you will both be happy with our work.”
Carmine nods appreciatively. “I think that sounds reasonable.”
“Very reasonable,” Dee echoes.
Darin looks happy. “I’m glad you guys are getting along.”
“It’s easy to get along with a girl like this,” Carmine says. I notice Jacob tense. “You know, smart and capable.”
“Thank you,” I say.
He nods his head. “But I must bring us back to an important matter.”
I feel Jacob tense slightly. “Which is?” he asks.
“Our privacy.” Carmine meets Jacob’s eye. “I understand that our last meeting was something of a surprise for you. I had assumed that you spoke with Darin here beforehand. Since you hadn’t, it was clear some things were misunderstood.”
“How were they misunderstood?” Jacob asks.
“Our privacy is simply that, our privacy. We aren’t hiding from anyone or anything. But we value privacy. I have competitors in this city, and if they knew I was investing with you, they might think I have too much. They might push against me and try to take my customers. I don’t want them to know how well I’m doing, Mr. Lofthouse. My privacy is an attempt to protect my business.”
Jacob nods slowly. “I can understand that.”
“Good.” Carmine smiles as the wine arrives. “Ah, here we go. Let’s toast to our mutual understanding.”
Everyone gets a glass. We toast and drink, and I have to admit, the wine is really good. The men start talking about other things, mostly local sports, and I let my mind drift away a little bit.
Jacob doesn’t seem pleased or relaxed, but lunch goes by without a hitch. We talk some more about the upcoming work, assuming we’re going to work with them at all. Darin keeps the conversation moving masterfully, easily filling any silences with small talk or questions. When it’s finished, the two men pay for the meal, just like they said they would. We all get up and drift out front.
“So, gentlemen,” Darin says. “It was a pleasure. Thank you for coming to meet with us again.”
“Thank you,” Carmine says back. They shake hands and the two men turn and leave. We watch them walk down the sidewalk for a minute before turning away.
“What do you think?” Darin asks Jacob.
“I think the same thing as before,” he says.
“But he had a perfectly good reason for being private.” Darin looks to me. “You think so, don’t you?”
I hesitate. “I don’t know,” I admit. “It’s not my place.”
“You’re here,” he presses. “What do you think?”
“I think… it’s plausible. But I wouldn’t do something I’m not comfortable with.”
Darin rolls his eyes and looks at Jacob. “Did I tell you what they want to invest?”
He shakes his head. “Does it matter?”
“Twelve million. Up front. With the potential for more over the years, depending on how it goes.”
Jacob stares at him. I stare at him. We’re dead silent for a second.
“That’s a lot,” he says finally. “That’s a hell of a lot. How do they have that much to invest?”
“I told you, they’re successful businessmen.”
“Even still.”
“Now do you get why they don’t want to seem too flashy?” Darin shakes his head. “Come on, think about it.”
“They did just buy an obscenely expensive lunch,” Jacob points out. “That seems flashy to me.”
Darin groans. “Come on, man.”
“I’m just saying—”
“Look, they’re legit. I trust them and I want their fucking money. So we’re doing this.”
There’s a tense moment as the two men stare at each other. I take a step back as they glare and I don’t want to get involved in this. If they want to disagree, that’s fine, but I’m not going to get in the middle.
“I’ll think about it,” Jacob says finally. “I’m not saying yes right now. But I’ll think about it.”
“Twelve million with more coming,” Darin says. “That’s a nice account.” He looks over at me. “You want that account, don’t you?”