Josephine said, “I’m absolutely fascinated, David.”
And he wondered if she was referring only to the diamonds. Her nearness was intoxicating. Every time he looked at Josephine, David felt a fresh sense of excitement.
“You really should see something of the countryside,” David told the O’Neils. “If you’re free tomorrow, I’d be happy to take you around.”
Before her father could say anything, Josephine replied, “That would be lovely.”
David was with Josephine and her father every day after that, and each day David fell more deeply in love. He had never known anyone as bewitching.
When David arrived to pick up the O’Neils for dinner one evening and Tim O’Neil said, “I’m a bit tired tonight, David. Would you mind if I didn’t go along?” David tried to hide his pleasure.
“No, sir. I understand.”
Josephine gave David a mischievous smile. “I’ll try to keep you entertained,” she promised.
David took her to a restaurant in a hotel that had just opened. The room was crowded, but David was recognized and given a table immediately. A three-piece ensemble was playing American music.
David asked, “Would you like to dance?”
“I’d love to.”
A moment later, Josephine was in his arms on the dance floor, and it was magic. David held her lovely body close to his, and he could feel her respond.
“Josephine, I’m in love with you.”
She put a finger to his lips. “Please, David…don’t…”
“Why?”
“Because I couldn’t marry you.”
“Do you love me?”
She smiled up at him, her blue eyes sparkling. “I’m crazy about you, my darling. Can’t you tell?”
“Then why?”
“Because I could never live in Klipdrift. I’d go mad.”
“You could give it a try.”
“David, I’m tempted, but I know what would happen. If I married you and had to live here, I’d turn into a screaming shrew and we’d end up hating each other. I’d rather we said good-bye this way.”
“I don’t want to say good-bye.”
She looked up into his face, and David felt her body melt into his. “David, is there any chance that you could live in San Francisco?”
It was an impossible idea. “What would I do there?”
“Let’s have breakfast in the morning. I want you to talk to Father.”
Tim O’Neil said, “Josephine has told me about your conversation last night. Looks like you two have a problem. But I might have a solution, if you’re interested.”
“I’m very interested, sir.”
O’Neil picked up a brown-leather briefcase and removed some blueprints. “Do you know anything about frozen foods?”
“I’m afraid I don’t.”
“They first started freezing food in the United States in 1865. The problem was transporting it long distances without the food thawing out. We’ve got refrigerated railway cars, but no one’s been able to come up with a way to refrigerate trucks.” O’Neil tapped the blueprints. “Until now. I just received a patent on it. This is going to revolutionize the entire food industry, David.”
David glanced at the blueprints. “I’m afraid these don’t mean much to me, Mr. O’Neil.”
“That doesn’t matter. I’m not looking for a technical expert. I have plenty of those. What I’m looking for is financing and someone to run the business. This isn’t some wild pipe dream. I’ve talked to the top food processors in the business. This is going to be big—bigger than you can imagine. I need someone like you.”
“The company headquarters will be in San Francisco,” Josephine added.
David sat there silent, digesting what he had just heard. “You say you’ve been given a patent on this?”
“That’s right. I’m all set to move.”
“Would you mind if I borrowed these blueprints and showed them to someone?”
“I have no objection at all.”
The first thing David did was to check on Tim O’Neil. He learned that O’Neil had a solid reputation in San Francisco. He had been head of the science department at a Berkeley College there and was highly regarded. David knew nothing about the freezing of food, but he intended to find out.
“I’ll be back in five days, darling. I want you and your father to wait for me.”