"You're welcome." She steps back, professional boundaries reasserting themselves as we prepare to enter. "Ready?"
I nod, and she leads the way into Skyline's warm interior. The restaurant is busy with the lunch crowd, dark wood floors and deer-antler chandeliers creating a rustic ambiance that somehow manages to be both casual and slightly upscale.
Levi Voss waves from a corner booth, his broad-shouldered frame easy to spot. Beside him sits a woman I assume is Mindy, her warm smile visible even from across the room. Two small children with matching dark curls bounce excitedly in booster seats.
"There they are!" Sloane calls, navigating between tables with familiar ease.
Levi stands as we approach, extending his hand. "Morgan. Glad you could make it."
His handshake is firm, his gaze direct, assessing but not hostile. I note the calluses on his palm, the strength in his grip. This is a man who works with his hands as well as his mind.
"Levi. Thank you for the invitation." I match his directness, sensing it's the approach he respects.
"This is my wife, Mindy," he continues, gesturing to the woman beside him.
Mindy's smile is genuine as she offers her hand. "Nice to finally meet you, Mr. Morgan. We've heard so much about you."
"Atticus, please." I return her smile, finding it easier than expected. "All good things, I hope?"
"Mostly," she teases, eyes twinkling. "These are our twins, Emma and Ethan."
The children regard me with identical expressions of intense curiosity.
"Are you really a boss?" the boy, Ethan, asks without preamble.
"I am," I confirm, sliding into the booth beside Sloane.
"Do you have a money swimming pool like Duck McScrooge?" Emma demands, eyes wide.
A surprised laugh escapes me. "Afraid not. Though that would be something."
"It's McDuck," Sloane corrects gently. "Scrooge McDuck."
"That's what I said," Emma insists with the confidence only a four-year-old can muster.
Conversation flows more easily than I expected as we order drinks and lunch. Levi's questions about Blackwood's plans are direct but fair, and I find myself explaining our approach with less corporate jargon and more genuine enthusiasm than I normally would.
"The key is integration, not imposition," I explain as our food arrives. "Hope Peak has a character worth preserving. Our goal is to enhance what's already here, not replace it."
"That's not usually how corporate expansion works," Levi observes, though his tone lacks the skepticism from our earlier meetings.
"We're trying something different." I glance at Sloane. "Thanks to some excellent local guidance."
"Sloane's good at that," Mindy agrees. "She convinced half the town to switch to energy-efficient lightbulbs last year just by explaining the benefits over coffee."
"I'm persuasive," Sloane shrugs, but I can see she's pleased by the recognition.
The twins, having finished their chicken tenders with impressive speed, are growing restless. Emma tugs on her mother's sleeve, whispering something that makes Mindy laugh.
"Emma wants to know if you're Sloane's boyfriend," she says, eyes dancing with amusement.
I choke slightly on my water, feeling a flush rise to my face. Beside me, Sloane goes very still.
"Emma!" Levi admonishes, though he looks more entertained than embarrassed. "That's not something we ask adults."
"But Mommy said they look at each other like you look at her," Emma protests, completely unrepentant.
The silence that follows is excruciating. I glance at Sloane, finding her cheeks tinged pink, though there's a hint of a smile playing at her lips.
