Page 17 of Perfect (mis)Match

When I considered the feelingsEvermoreevoked, I focused more on the intensity of love, but Piper was revealing a side to it I usually didn’t consider. Love could be effervescent. Playful. Light.

I snorted softly. Maybe for others, but that had never been my experience. When I thought about my past relationships, the only word that came to mind was “drama.”

“Not bad,” I finally admitted.

Piper’s expression darkened. “That’s it? You don’t love it?”

I did, but I needed time to wrap my head around the new concept. Plus, I wasn’t about to admit she’d hit a home run on her first try. The woman was a menace behind the wheel, but she clearly knew how to steer a campaign.

“It’s a departure.”

“No, it’s anevolution. It makes sense.”

“What does the team think?” I asked to buy myself time.

“Everyone agrees this is the direction we need to go.” Piper paused. “But we also know you have final say, so no one wanted to get too attached to the concept before you weighed in.”

“Let’s set up a quick consumer review panel for feedback,” I suggested. “We need to be sure.”

“I’msure,” Piper said in a quietly defiant voice. “But don’t worry—I’ve already put that in motion. You’re welcome.”

Again with the attitude. Piper clearly had a problem with knowing her place.

“Let’s set the campaign aside for a minute,” I said. “What’s the latest with the Sullivans?”

I flexed my hands into fists as I waited for her to respond, because the stress of not knowing was killing me. R&D was pushing me to give up on the blooms, but there was no way I was letting go with success within reach.

If Piper would actually make good on her promise to me.

“As I told you,” she began pointedly, “I believe in the power of wooing.”

She arched an eyebrow at me. What the hell was she getting at? That Iwasn’t? I knew how to woo thehellout of anyone I chose, but there was a time and place for the long game, and we didn’t have the luxury of a goddamned slow burn! I needed results, and I needed them now.

“And I believe in action,” I said, trying not to make my frustration obvious. “Making a battle plan and then going in for the kill. Knowing my enemies’ playbook better than they do.”

“Kill? Enemies?” Piper asked with disdain in her voice. “This is perfume we’re talking about, right?”

I harumphed at her.

“Exactly,” she pursed her lips at me in disapproval. “Anyway, I reached out to Jean on Facebook, and we’re now friends. I sent her a message mentioning that I was planning my trip to Hawaii, and I asked when the blooms were at their peak.”

“They start blooming in May,” I shot back at her.

All she had to do was ask me. I knew everything there was to know about heliotrope, except how exactly to distill it.

“That’s what she said, but there’s more to it than when they begin,” Piper replied. “They bloom through September, but the peak is in late July.”

“Which would be too late for us,” I ground out. The tight timeline was keeping me awake at night. “I need to secure the Sullivans’ agreement, harvest the blooms,andfigure out the distilling nightmare within the next month. You need to stop dragging your feet. Get itdone, Piper. Everything is hinging on this!”

She frowned and set her shoulders like she was bracing for battle. “Stand down, Mr. Forde. That kind of attitude is exactlywhy you’re in this predicament. If you’d been a little more chill, you could’ve closed the deal yourself at the party. But no, you came in like a wrecking ball, and here we are.”

The woman was enjoying every bit of her power over me. I, on the other hand, was not.

“Piper,” I growled. “This isserious. Time is of the essence. What are your next steps?”

She held my gaze for a beat. “If you’d let me finish, I would’ve also told you that she was going to speak to her head groundskeeper to find out the exact timeframe for blooms on their farm, then she was going to talk to Joe about dates for my visit. I did mention I hoped to come sooner rather than later, to build in enough time for the harvest.” She paused. “Which Iwillsecure.”

I finally exhaled. Okay, maybe I needed to release my stranglehold and just trust the woman?

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