Page 24 of Best In Class
Stella gives me a ‘I told you so’look, and I nod, warmth rushing through me.
Yes, I see the man Dom is today—the man he’s become. I’m so proud of his decency, his generosity, his goodness.
The room goes quiet.
Tommy flips through the folder, which is a printout of the slides we just presented, his scowl deepening with every page, though he doesn’t say anything.
Eventually, he sets the folder down with a dramatic sigh, as if giving in is a favor he’s doing me.
“Well,” he says, ignoring me and looking at Dom, “I suppose we move forward.”
“Luna?” Dom turns to me, defers to me.
“Does that mean we have your approval to proceed with schematic design, Tommy?” I ask coolly.
Tommy exhales, eyes flicking back to me. “Yes, you do.”
Victory—professional and deeply satisfying—blooms in my chest.
“Wonderful,” I say evenly. “We’ll meet weekly and present updated schedules, milestone timelines, and the schematic packages submitted for city review within the next six weeks. We’ll coordinate with the construction leads, andas decided before, we’ll pull in Carter Construction for pre-construction alignment.”
Tommy glances at Stella and gives her a nod that’s filled with suspicion. She’s married to Noah Carter, and I can see it all over his face—he thinks this is some kind of nepotism.
It’s not.
Noah stepped in and invested in Savannah Lace when Stella had to pull her own funding out. He believed in us and became a strategic partner—someone we collaborate with whenever possible.
Stella sits at the executive table in Savannah Lace as a full partner, just like I do, along with a few others. However, Tommy doesn’t know our company's structure. He doesn’t care to. All he sees is a group of women running a business he doesn’t believe they’re qualified to lead.
Honestly, I’m still shocked we landed this contract—thatIdid. Not because we weren’t the best choice. We were. Our proposal was airtight, innovative, backed by research and hard numbers. But I was sure we’d lose it anyway because of our gender.
We didn’t.
Still, he saddled me with Dom. Like he thinks we need a man to supervise the girls playing architect. But Dom isn’tsupervising, he’s being supportive.
On cue, Dom shifts beside me, just enough that our shoulders nearly brush. A subtle show of solidarity. I don’t lean into it, but I don’t move away, either.
I like smelling his cologne. I like being surrounded by his presence. I like being close to Dom.
Damn it, why did you have to break us? Break me? Why did you do that to me? To us?
“That’s acceptable,” Tommy says haughtily.
“Uncle Tommy, when do we start the interior design work?” Camy chimes, and we all look at her, as if suddenly realizing she’s in this meeting, too.
It’s too early for her to be part of these discussions, but hell, if the client wants her there, it’s no skin off my nose.
Butshe seriously needs to stop touching Dom.
“Camy, we talked about this,” Dom speaks softly, like she’s fragile or stupid. “First, we need to have the building in place, andthenwe can start interior design.”
Camy smiles wide. “Yes! It slipped my mind.” She leans forward suggestively and tells the room, “Dom and I went for dinner last night, and he was so patient with me. Thank you, Dom.”
I moveawayfrom Dom. The son of a bitch dances with me two nights ago and then takes this witch out for dinner?
Some men just don’t change.
Once a cheater, always a cheater. I just don’t know who’s cheating on and whom with?—
