Burn My Hart (The Notorious Harts 2)

He frowns. ‘Kids wear that stuff?’

I laugh. ‘Yeah, it accounts for a huge piece of the cosmetic pie. But—’ I squeeze his hand ‘—the current market leaves a lot to be desired. You’d be shocked to learn how many products have been recalled because they were found to contain asbestos.’

His eyes narrow.

‘There’s talc, hormone-blocking parfums, because those ingredients are usually cheap so manufacturers tend to use them to save costs. But it’s messing with kids’ health, and that shouldn’t be the case. There should be a way for teens to mess around with beauty and make-up without endangering their future self.’

‘I had no idea.’

‘Lots of people don’t. So our pre-launch campaign is about awareness. We’ve got great position ads ready to go, mainly targeting digital media, YouTube again, then traditional youth market placement like magazines, some television ads. By the time samples go out, I’m hoping we’ll have an engaged market.’

He shifts in his seat, his eyes roaming my face in a way that brings heat to my cheeks. ‘I think that sounds amazing.’

‘I hope so. I’ve had to fight so hard for it.’

‘To fight who?’

I hesitate, but there’s something about Theo. There are so many somethings about him, come to think of it, that I hear myself say, ‘Everyone. My brother and father mainly. They’re old school.’

‘But you run Fleurs Sauvages?’

‘It’s a public company and they’re shareholders. I’m as accountable to them as any other shareholder. Plus, Dad doesn’t let go of the reins easily.’

‘You’ve done amazing things for the company.’

‘I know.’ I don’t bother to attempt false modesty. The facts speak for themselves. ‘But this is a gamble. We’ve never targeted the teen market before and we’re going against a lot of industry standards. Cheap, cheap, cheap is what’s generally manufactured for that demographic, because they don’t have the money necessarily and they don’t look after their stuff. Plus, trends change and they want to be able to buy into everything. Angel Pie won’t compete on price; it’s a premium product, though I’m bringing our margins down as low as I can to make it appealing and accessible.’

‘How does your dad feel about that?’

‘Profit margins are why you’re in business, Asha. We’re not a charity,’ I mimic, and shake my head, a rueful smile on my face. ‘But I mean, when is enough money enough? We’re richer than any family should ever be—okay, I know I’m talking to a Hart—but we can afford to take a small hit here. And it won’t be a hit anyway. I’ve done the figures. It’s going to be a boon for the company, but yeah, I’m reducing the price so we can get the product into more consumer hands because this matters. It’s really important. Kids shouldn’t be risking damage to their bodies because they want to tinker with cosmetics.’

‘I agree.’ His voice is low, gruff and something inside of me twists. ‘I don’t think anyone who gave you five minutes to speak your case could feel otherwise.’

I bite down on my lip. ‘Dad will come around. He’s just...stubborn.’

‘Ah.’ He moves closer and I breathe him in, my tummy twisting into a billion knots. ‘And that bothers you?’

‘It’s the way he is.’

He shakes his head once. ‘I meant that he doesn’t approve of what you’re doing.’

My heart speeds up at his perceptiveness. ‘I spent a long time feeling like I had to prove myself to him,’ I surprise myself by admitting. ‘I was never going to be good enough. I’m not Joshua,’ I say simply. ‘It was only once I finally accepted that I’d never earn his approval, no matter what I did, that I was freed up to go in this direction, to pursue something out of left field and follow my passion.’

We’re so close to one another I can see the emotions flickering inside his eyes.

‘He’ll never be proud of me, and that’s okay.’ My lips shift into a fleeting smile. ‘It’s not about me. It’s about him.’

‘It’s why you’ve pushed yourself so hard, though?’

‘At first, yeah.’ I keep my voice light. ‘I mean, I thought that with every good year we had, he’d finally be happy with what I was doing. And he was. I mean, he’s not a monster. He told me I’d done well, but it never felt like it was enough. So I worked harder and harder and did better and better and then, a few years ago, I had this epiphany: he’s never going to be proud of me in the way I want. He’s never going to love me in the way I want. And you can’t force someone to be what you want them to be. He’s my dad, and he loves me in his own way, but I was just making myself miserable by trying to be what Joshua is to him.’ I shake my head a little. ‘I launched Project Teen—that’s what I called it back then—a week later.’

‘And when it’s launched?’

‘I’ll take a break.’ I laugh. ‘And maybe even get a life.’

‘Right, with your new boyfriend.’ He grins in a way that usually makes my tummy all swoopy but doesn’t right now. Instead, it makes me feel like I’ve just crested over the highpoint of a rollercoaster and I’m plummeting back to earth.

‘Yeah.’ I smile clumsily, because it feels like I should. That’s our deal, right? We’re just marking time now, enjoying each other’s bodies, until his brother’s wedding.