Need You

Chapter 31

Amanda sat in the comfy new couch, writing with her back against the arm of the couch, her legs stretched out across it.

"Do you think the colour of the couch matches well with the rest of the living room?" I asked her.

She took her eyes off her notebook and looked around. "It does." She nodded.

When I brought in the new dark green couch, I wasn't sure how well it would look with yellow walls, but having her opinion on it was assuring.

Raising her legs off the couch slightly, I sat and rested them on my laps.

"What are you writing?"

"A new story I've been working on."

"Oh? Let me have a look." I said as I leaned towards her. She brought the book closer to her chest saying that it wasn't ready.

"Does it have to be ready before I see it?"

"Uh huh."

"Okay." I launched myself at her hoping to catch a glimpse of what she was writing but she was quick to raise it.

"Harry, it's not ready." She chuckled.

"Fine." I smiled.

As she wrote, I gently moved my hand across her legs, admiring how beautiful and peaceful she looked in that position.

I started thinking about Derrick's proposal concerning a partnership, and I honestly didn't know what to make of it.

"Hey Amanda," I wanted to get her opinion. "can I ask you something?"

"Yeah." She looked at me.

"Do you think it would be bad for me to get a business partner?"

"I don't. The agency is doing well and I think a partnership being good or bad depends on whom it is with." She said. "Why do you ask?"

"Um...Derrick proposed that I make him my business partner."

"Derrick?"

"Yeah, but even though I know there's a lot he can bring to the table, I feel if I made him partner, he would be doing too much seeing as he represents the venture capital firm working with the agency and he being an investor as well."

"Well if it's with Derrick, I'm not sure how I feel about it?"

"What do you mean by if it's with Derrick?"

"Well... I have my reservations about Derrick."

"I've noticed that." I said and asked her why.

"It's just a feeling I have. I wouldn't trust him to be a good choice for a business partner."

"But Derrick is a great guy!" I said. "He's very good at what he does and I think he has a lot to offer the agency as a partner."

"You sound like you had already decided on Derrick's proposal so why did you ask me about it?" She asked.

"I haven't made a decision. I asked you because it is you I started this whole thing with and I really value your opinion."

"Honestly Harry, I don't trust Derrick and I don't like him very much either. I'd advise that you don't partner with him. A&H is still growing and I'm certain that with time, someone with a better proposal will come along." She said and got back to writing.

I wondered what her reason for not liking Derrick was, having noticed that since the day she came to Derrick's place to apologise to me, she had been quite unwelcoming to most things concerning him.