Page 190 of If Our Hearts Collide

Because Claire will be going on maternity leave with the new baby, I’ve been learning some of the marketing responsibilities she typically manages. I love channeling my brain in a different direction, so this has been a lot of fun for me.

It helps that Plus None’s business model is designed to appeal to the modern woman—at all stages of her life. The company wants to expand, and with that expansion comes the need for more ideas. So my vision for a box theme might differ from Claire’s, but it could still work.

And I am freaking excited to show the team and founders my ideas.

But in person…

I can’t do any more virtual meetings. They are lame, and I look like I have hydrocephalus every time my big head pops up on the two-dimensional screen.

At this point, I don’t even care if Collins escorts me to the office on his own. Granted, he’s the inspiration for the boxes. He definitely put me in a mood during the birth of those ideas.

I can’t do another cottage in a field puzzle or watch another infomercial on making custom-flavored sodas with just the push of a button. I’m never going to make sourdough bread or be a homesteader, and yet I went deep down the rabbit hole midweek thinking I could be it and wasted three hours learning how to make a starter.

Boring.

I’m bored.

Now I need some excitement in my life.

If there was a threat six days ago, then surely it’s gone now. I can’t live like this anymore.

So I do something super reckless. I leave my apartment and take the elevator to Collins’s floor.

Maybe if I pretend to play by the rules, then he’ll be more inclined to get me out of this slump. Knocking on his door, I silently pray that he answers.

“Can I help you, Miss Hoffman?”

My body whips around to find Collins’s sidekick—Chris?—standing just a yard away. He really can be sneaky despite being much taller and far more muscular than I am. I didn’t even notice he was following me.

“Yes. Yes, you can,” I say confidently.

Chris tips his head. “How can I be of service?”

“I am going to Hoffman Headquarters today. I need to get out of this building and enjoy life. I’d like to go in the next three minutes.”

“Alright, let’s do it.”

I don’t know what I was expecting when I showed up here, but it wasn’t that. Chris is being way too compliant, which makes me uneasy.

But I can’t be too picky today or smack the gift horse in the chompers. I’ll take what I can get. If it means being escorted through the city by a friendly ogre, so be it.

So I walk beside Chris as he leads me to the parking garage and silently celebrate my little slice of victory.

Because freedom tastes delicious.

“These ideas are amazing,” one of the marketing team employees says, glancing at my portfolio and mock-ups for the boxes I created over the last week. “Truly innovative and fresh.”

“Thank you.” I beam with pride.

I couldn’t have asked for a better response, but glancing over at one of the other team members, Jill, I can tell she has a few things on her mind.

“Do you have any thoughts?” I ask her. I’m not a confrontational person, and yet I can’t help but wonder what her pushback would be. I don’t mind adapting or altering things. It’s not like I’m not flexible.

Jill leans back in her chair. There are six of us having a conference in one of the rooms that is made mostly of windows. We have the blur feature activated that can allow for privacy when needed.

“Yes, please, Jill. Share your thoughts with Penny,” another teammate encourages.

I mean, I am super curious as well.

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