No, earlier.
Much earlier.
Maybe the second Sadie looked at me near the skating rink like she didn’t care about headlines.
Maybe the first time Jillie trusted me enough to grab my hand automatically.
Maybe every tiny bakery morning afterward.
“I don’t know,” I admit quietly.
Jamie nods once, then: “That usually means it’s real.”
The words stay with me all the way upstairs to management meetings.
The executive conference room overlooks the arena ice through giant glass windows. Clean lines. Expensive furniture. Corporate coffee.
The entire place feels sterile.
Three executives sit waiting with Marcus beside a stack of paperwork.
Trade paperwork.
“Colby,” one of them says smoothly, “we think this could be transformative for your career.”
There it is again.
Career.
Always career.
They walk me through everything:
endorsement projections
media opportunities
New York branding campaigns
contract restructuring
