Page 17 of Deal Breaker
Except maybe Ford.
My stomach twists.
I press my forehead lightly against the steering wheel and close my eyes, breathing deeply. As much as I wouldlike to turn and run, I know I need to stand on my own two feet, no matter how hard it is.
Squaring my shoulders, I grab my clutch from the passenger seat, check my reflection in the rearview mirror—yep, still visibly terrified—and climb out of the car.
The night air is cool against my skin, lifting the hem of my dress as I cross the parking lot. Ahead, the event hall glows like something out of a dream, the front steps lined with lights, a red carpet rolled out like a movie release party. Cameras flash at the entrance, catching the shimmer of dresses, the easy smiles of people who know they belong.
Ford’s name is everywhere tonight. The Winters brothers have turned Cove into something bigger than this town could ever have imagined.
And here I am, walking into the world he’s built, like I have any right to be part of it.
I clutch my bag tighter and repeat the same lie I’ve been telling myself for days: I am here to do my job, to smile, and represent Cove, and most importantly, begin to repair the company’s tarnished name. That’s all I have to do. That and pretend Ford Winters doesn’t still have the power to crack me wide open with a single look.
Easy.
The lie is almost convincing…until I take my first step onto the red carpet and feel the ground shift beneath me.
Like somehow, he already knows I am here.
NINE
Ford
There she is, like a punch to the gut I didn’t see coming.
Landyn steps through the entrance to the gala and the entire room narrows down to her. The noise, the chatter, the cameras all fade away next to the sharp ache of seeing her. She’s wearing a long black dress, her hair swept off her face, highlighting her deep, coffee-colored eyes and light olive skin.
She’s so fucking pretty, but Landyn is so much more.
Our eyes lock the second she walks in. One breath, then another, and the utter sense of control I had when I got here unravels. God, she is beautiful. Same fire in her eyes. Same quiet defiance in her posture. She freezes when she sees me… like maybe she feels it too. The weight of everything we’d been. Every word we left unsaid.
My chest constricts and the grip on the glass in my hand tightens until my knuckles turn white. I can’t look away. Neither can she.
Then Jesse appears at her side with that damn effortlesscharm and easy grin, sliding an arm around her shoulder like they are already old friends. She blinks, finally breaking our stare as Jesse leans in and says something that makes her laugh.
And just like that she’s gone.
Still here in the room with me.
But not mine.
Not anymore.
I watch them for a moment longer than I should, stomach twisting, heart hammering inside my chest. Then I turn and walk away.
I move towards the bar, nodding at a few familiar faces along the way, cutting a slow path through the sea of handshakes and compliments.
When I finally make it to the bar, I find Noah is already there, which doesn’t surprise me. He’s leaned back like he doesn’t have a care in the world, glass of Scotch in hand, watching the room unfold in front of him with that trademark stillness of his. Always the observer. Always 10 steps ahead of everyone.
He doesn’t look over, just pushes a second glass toward me. “Figured you might show up here when you saw her. How are you doing?”
I take the glass without thanking him and drink. “Doesn’t matter,” I say when the glass is empty, setting it on the bar in front of me.
“Clearly, it does.”
I exhale hard through my nose. “She left, Noah. No explanation. No goodbye. Just gone.”
