I'll handle it." He picked up the stack of catalogs and hesitated briefly while he considered his few available options. There was no place to set his burden.
"Just put them on the floor," Olivia said carelessly. She held up her latte cup. "Coffee? This came from the café downstairs, but I can make some for you, if you like."
He glanced at the gleaming black industrial-sized coffee machine in the corner as he sat down. "No thanks. I had some earlier."
"So did I." She took a deep swallow and set the cup down. "But I've been mainlining the stuff lately. The past few weeks have been murder."
For some reason Jasper had a sudden vision of his battle for life on the Pelapili cliffs. "An interesting choice of words."
"You know what I mean."
He watched her lean back in her chair. She propped both feet on the edge of her desk and stacked her heels. The cuffed legs of her trousers fell gracefully away from her slender ankles. He hoped she would not light up a cigar.
"Yes," he said. "I know what you mean."
A cool, critical gleam lit her eyes. "Ever since we got the news about Uncle Rollie and Wilbur, I've been swamped."
"I apologize for not getting back to Seattle more quickly. I only got word of your uncle's death a couple of days ago."
"Your office said you were out of touch."
"Sort of. I was supposed to be on an extended vacation."
She did not appear to be appeased by that explanation, but she let it go. "It was a shock."
"The deaths of your uncle and his friend? Yes, it was."
"Rollie and Wilbur Holmes were more than friends. They were together for nearly forty years. Absolutely devoted to each other."
"I believe your uncle once said something about Wilbur Holmes owning an art gallery?"
"That's right. Wilbur sold it last year, though." Olivia sighed. "He and my uncle planned to do more traveling."
"I see."
"I'll miss them both." She picked up her coffee cup and raised it in a small salute. "They were a couple of the good guys."
"I never met Wilbur Holmes, but I got to know your uncle a little. I respected his business skills and his sense of the market. He was a valuable client."
"Yes, I imagine he was." She smiled a little too sweetly. "Glow's profits have started to climb again in recent months. But I suppose you already know that."
"I'm aware of that fact, yes."
"All that money Uncle Rollie poured into research and development a while back is finally starting to pay off. Glow is poised to move out of its regional niche. It's on the brink of becoming a major player in state-of-the-art light technology."
Olivia's lecturing tone told him that she had decided to cast him in the role of the outsider who needed to be brought up to speed. The tactic was a not-so-subtle one designed to put him firmly in the role of the junior partner in this relationship.
He decided it was time to flex a little muscle.
"It was my money that good old Uncle Rollie used to finance Glow's R&D expansion." He smiled slightly. "But I guess you already know that."
She narrowed her eyes. "You mean, it was your company that lined up the investor financing for the expansion."
"No," Jasper said very deliberately. "That's usually the way I work, but in the case of Glow, I was the sole investor."
"What do you mean?"
"It was my own, personal money that went into the R&D expansion."
Her answering smile was as bright as a highly polished rapier. "Tell me, is it customary for a venture capitalist such as yourself to arrange to inherit half of the client's company in the event the client dies?"
"Venture capitalism is just what the name implies. Capital for high-risk projects. People come to us when they can't get funding from mainstream banks and lending institutions. Loan repayment arrangements vary. I try to be creative."
She raised her brows. "Your arrangement with my uncle was certainly creative. You wound up owning half the company."
"I should probably point out that I did not inherit
half
of the company," he said very evenly. "I
"Just put them on the floor," Olivia said carelessly. She held up her latte cup. "Coffee? This came from the café downstairs, but I can make some for you, if you like."
He glanced at the gleaming black industrial-sized coffee machine in the corner as he sat down. "No thanks. I had some earlier."
"So did I." She took a deep swallow and set the cup down. "But I've been mainlining the stuff lately. The past few weeks have been murder."
For some reason Jasper had a sudden vision of his battle for life on the Pelapili cliffs. "An interesting choice of words."
"You know what I mean."
He watched her lean back in her chair. She propped both feet on the edge of her desk and stacked her heels. The cuffed legs of her trousers fell gracefully away from her slender ankles. He hoped she would not light up a cigar.
"Yes," he said. "I know what you mean."
A cool, critical gleam lit her eyes. "Ever since we got the news about Uncle Rollie and Wilbur, I've been swamped."
"I apologize for not getting back to Seattle more quickly. I only got word of your uncle's death a couple of days ago."
"Your office said you were out of touch."
"Sort of. I was supposed to be on an extended vacation."
She did not appear to be appeased by that explanation, but she let it go. "It was a shock."
"The deaths of your uncle and his friend? Yes, it was."
"Rollie and Wilbur Holmes were more than friends. They were together for nearly forty years. Absolutely devoted to each other."
"I believe your uncle once said something about Wilbur Holmes owning an art gallery?"
"That's right. Wilbur sold it last year, though." Olivia sighed. "He and my uncle planned to do more traveling."
"I see."
"I'll miss them both." She picked up her coffee cup and raised it in a small salute. "They were a couple of the good guys."
"I never met Wilbur Holmes, but I got to know your uncle a little. I respected his business skills and his sense of the market. He was a valuable client."
"Yes, I imagine he was." She smiled a little too sweetly. "Glow's profits have started to climb again in recent months. But I suppose you already know that."
"I'm aware of that fact, yes."
"All that money Uncle Rollie poured into research and development a while back is finally starting to pay off. Glow is poised to move out of its regional niche. It's on the brink of becoming a major player in state-of-the-art light technology."
Olivia's lecturing tone told him that she had decided to cast him in the role of the outsider who needed to be brought up to speed. The tactic was a not-so-subtle one designed to put him firmly in the role of the junior partner in this relationship.
He decided it was time to flex a little muscle.
"It was my money that good old Uncle Rollie used to finance Glow's R&D expansion." He smiled slightly. "But I guess you already know that."
She narrowed her eyes. "You mean, it was your company that lined up the investor financing for the expansion."
"No," Jasper said very deliberately. "That's usually the way I work, but in the case of Glow, I was the sole investor."
"What do you mean?"
"It was my own, personal money that went into the R&D expansion."
Her answering smile was as bright as a highly polished rapier. "Tell me, is it customary for a venture capitalist such as yourself to arrange to inherit half of the client's company in the event the client dies?"
"Venture capitalism is just what the name implies. Capital for high-risk projects. People come to us when they can't get funding from mainstream banks and lending institutions. Loan repayment arrangements vary. I try to be creative."
She raised her brows. "Your arrangement with my uncle was certainly creative. You wound up owning half the company."
"I should probably point out that I did not inherit
half
of the company," he said very evenly. "I
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