Page 24 of Deal Breaker
She’s breathing heavier now, almost asleep, one arm still looped around Cinnamon the stuffed bunny.
“Night, Poppyseed,” I whisper, brushing one last kiss to her cheek.
Downstairs, I flick off the lights and head to the kitchen. The gift from Ford is still on the table. I pick it up now, fingertips grazing the sleek, familiar cover. My thumb brushes over the edge of the note tucked underneath.
June.
Just that. A word. A memory. A version of me I’m not sure I can be again.
I don’t open it. I don’t throw it away either. Instead, I carry it upstairs and tuck it into the drawer of my nightstand.
Out of sight.
But not out of mind.
ELEVEN
Ford
“We still good for the site meeting this afternoon?” I ask, stepping into Jesse’s office, already half-scrolling through the floor plan on my tablet. After the factory backlash, we’re building a state-of-the-art, sustainable manufacturing facility 45 minutes from town.
He spins in his chair and winces. “Yeah, about that… I can’t go.”
“Why not?”
He holds up his phone. “Last-minute pitch call with the PR firm. It’s the only time they could squeeze us in. You know…saving Cove’s ass and all that.”
I stare at him. “And Noah?”
“Supplier issue. He’s already halfway to the coast.”
“Wes?”
Jesse shrugs. “Wes is allergic to people.”
I rub my temples. “So, what, I go alone?”
A beat. Then Jesse’s grin turns calculated. “Take Landyn.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“She doesn’t know the facility.”
“She’s in marketing. It’s literally her job to understand it.”
“She—” I pause, jaw tight. “It’s not a good idea.”
Jesse leans back, lacing his fingers behind his head. “She’s free. And interested. Aren’t you, Landyn?”
I turn toward the doorway just in time to see her walk in, a folder tucked under her arm, lips slightly parted like she’d only caught half the conversation.
“Interested in what?” she asks slowly, looking between us.
Jesse grins. “Interested in joining Ford at the site tour today. Right?”
She glances at me—quick, unreadable—then back to Jesse. “If that’s what you need.”
