Page 53 of Falling for Mr. Grump, the Big City Billionaire

The conversation continues, diving deep into financial projections and potential challenges. My mind, however, keepsdrifting to Skye - her fiery spirit, her commitment to her community, the way she looks at me like she can see right through my carefully constructed walls. Her lips …

This town, this woman - they're disrupting everything I thought I knew about business, about myself.

And surprisingly, I'm not entirely sure I want to go back to the way things were before.

Chapter fourteen

SKYE

My hands are shaking so badly I nearly drop my note cards.Twice.

"Stop fidgeting," I mutter to myself, pacing behind the town hall podium. The room's still empty, thank goodness, but in fifteen minutes it'll be packed with everyone I know – and they're all counting on me. No pressure or anything.

Troy's at the back of the room, setting up his fancy PowerPoint presentation. He looks irritatingly calm in his perfectly fitted suit, like he presents to rooms full of people every day. Which, okay, he probably does. Show-off.

I glance down at my own outfit – a navy sweater over my favorite sundress. Professional enough for a presentation but still me. At least, that's what Zoey said when she practically forced me into it this morning.

"The projector's ready," Troy calls out, and my stomach does that annoying flippy thing it always does when he talks. Traitor belly.

I'm about to answer when the doors open and people start filing in.

Oh, oh. This is really happening.

Mrs. Chen takes a seat in the front row, followed by Katie and what looks like half the town's business owners. Even Mr. Peterson is here, which means he's missing his sacred afternoon nap. The pressure in my chest doubles.

"Breathe," Troy whispers, suddenly right beside me. His hand brushes my lower back, so light I almost think I imagined it. "We've got this."

Easy for him to say. He's not the one whose entire community might think she's selling them out by partnering with a corporate CEO.

Mayor Roberts settles into his chair, adjusting his ancient wire-rimmed glasses. "Miss Martinez, Mr. Bellamy. You have the floor."

I step up to the podium, my heart hammering so loud I'm pretty sure everyone can hear it. The notes in my hands are starting to crumple. Great.

But then I look out at all these faces – people I've known my whole life, people who buy my fusion tacos and tell me about their grandkids and trust me with their morning coffee orders. These are my people. My town.

My scanning of the room freezes when I spot them. Lillian and Mona. Troy's sisters. The corporate sharks themselves look sleek and perfectly put together in designer suits that scream "we mean business."

This isn't just a town council presentation anymore. This is war.

Troy warned me they'd be here. "They're tough," he'd said, his voice a mix of respect and frustration. "They'll challenge everything." Now I get why he looked so stressed when he told me.

Lillian catches my eye, her gaze sharp as a laser. The kind of look that makes you want to simultaneously shrink and stand taller. Mona's scrolling on her tablet, probably fact-checking every single thing we're about to say before we even say it.

My fingers grip the edge of the podium so hard I'm pretty sure I'm leaving nail marks.

Breathe, Skye. Breathe.

I steal a quick glance at Troy. He's got that CEO poker face on, but I've learned to read the tiny muscle that twitches near his jaw when he's nervous. Right now, it's doing a full-on tap dance.

This presentation isn't just about saving Seaside Cove anymore. This is about proving to Troy's sisters that not every small town is just a potential profit margin. This is about showing them that communities have heart, have soul.

And if there's one thing I know how to do, it's to fight for what I believe in.

I take a deep breath, feeling my alter ego kick in. It’s the same sass that's helped me survive crazy lunch rushes and negotiate prime parking spots. It’s the same sass that made me fall for a billionaire CEO who's currently looking at me like I'm about to save the entire world.

Game on, Bellamy sisters.

I clear my throat and turn my body slightly towards Troy. Our shoulders brush – a tiny connection that sends a tiny spark through me. A reminder that we're in this together.

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