Page 34 of Twist of Fate
I glance in his direction and catch him peering down at my notebook.
I really should have made more of an effort with my note-taking ruse because when he sees the blank page staring back at him, his lip twitches, and I know I’ve been caught.
He always did enjoy pushing my buttons.
I used to enjoy letting him.
Not anymore.
I slam the notebook shut and fold my arms over my chest. He listens to what the team has been working on while I try to convince myself he doesn’t exist. I may work for him, but I don’t have to work with him.
He has acted as though I don’t exist for the past two years. At the very least, I can give him the same silent treatment for the duration of this meeting.
“I’m excited to hear what you’ve come up with.” He smiles.
Try as I might, I can’t help it. I’m looking at him again. Dammit. It’s just so weird to see him here—like this. He looks so polished in a pair of expensive, fitted slacks and a dark green dress shirt rolled up to his elbows, revealing his tattooed forearms.
My Finn wore jeans and a company polo that I swear was a size too small on purpose. It stretched across his muscled frame. He lent you his jacket and?—
He was never your Finn, I remind myself.
None of it was real.
I remain quiet throughout the rest of the impromptu presentation as Niall, Shea, and Damien do the heavy lifting. I know I’m letting my team down as I sit there, listening to them discuss all our hard work, but with him in the room, I feel paralyzed. Motionless. Trapped somewhere between the past and the present, and I have no idea how to find my way back.
“Fair play, team. This is impressive,” he says after they’ve finished. He’s reviewing our notes. “I like the concept of creating two new permanent tours aimed at attracting younger clients.”
“We didn’t want to overwhelm the staff,” Shea tells him.
“Learning and executing a whole new tour will be a lot for some of our tour guides,” he agrees, and I suppose he would know, being the expert in the room and all. “We might want to consider hiring additional staff. I also like the idea of rotating themed tours throughout the year.”
That had been our best idea, honestly. Over the last two weeks, we’d brainstormed dozens of them—holiday-themed for Christmastime, a tour for Pride Month, a foodie tour—you name it. However, the one issue we kept facing was consistency. We knew there was an audience out there, but it wasn’t large enough to sustain a tour year-round.
What if we offered it just once or twice a year? It created demand, and if we market it effectively, we could really create excitement around each event.
Finn taps his finger on one specific item on the page. “A tour centered around books? Can you tell me about this? I’ve heard of tours that visit filming locations from popular book-to-screen adaptations, but I assume that’s not what we’re talking about?”
“It was Ash’s idea,” Damien brags, nodding in my direction. “In Scotland, we did a few tours for a popular book-to-TV series, and Ash asked if there were any well-known series filmed in Ireland.”
“There are,” Finn interjects. “But I feel like the market is already cornered on that. No one needs anotherGame of ThronesorStar Warstour.”
“Everyone needs anotherStar Warstour,” Niall objects, making the room burst into laughter.
“Right,” Damien agrees. “There are quite a few out there, especially in Northern Ireland. That’s why we want to take ours in a different direction and make it more book-focused.”
“Like a book club?” he asks, and I try not to roll my eyes. “How does that relate to a bus tour?”
“You clearly don’t read much, do you?” I mumbled under my breath, my eyes widening the moment the words left my lips.
“Haven’t had the time lately,” he responds, not missing a beat.
Our eyes meet, and I fight the urge to look away. Squaring my shoulders, I respond, “In addition to the huge fantasy and romance market, there are numerous literary fiction novels set in Ireland. Readers enjoy immersing themselves in the worlds of their favorite books. Take them to the places the author wrote about. Add a signing event with the author; we would have fans lining up out the door to get their books signed.”
“You sound like you’re talking from experience.”
I give a noncommittal shrug because explaining my love for romance novels is a bit too personal for the office. It was something my mom introduced me to, and when I was heartbroken over him, losing myself in the pages of a book felt healing. “Just trying to think like the customer,” I say instead.
He stares at me for a beat too long before tapping his fingers against the table. “All right, perfect. Anyone up for a few gargles? I think that’s enough work for the day.”
