Page 87 of Julian

Julian catches my expression briefly and the corner of his mouth shifts upward a tad before he gestures me toward the dining room where dinner is already set. The table gleams beneath the light of the chandelier, silver and crystal reflecting warm gold against the dark walnut walls.

Percy moves around the room as he serves seared Ahi tuna over wild rice alongside roasted asparagus that honestly smells even better than it looks… and it looks delicious.

“This is… wow. Just wow,” I tell him.

“Wow suffices, indeed,” Percy replies. “I threatened the fishmonger personally.”

I laugh as Julian pours wine into my glass.

“You chuckle,” Julian says dryly, “but he absolutely did.”

“If you don’t require anything else of me, I’ll go work on serving the first course,” Percy says.

“Thank you,” I murmur, and Julian tips his head in acknowledgment.

“Now,” Julian says, turning toward me slightly, “I trust the interview went well?”

Oh my God, the interview. The entire day still feels like an out-of-body experience.

“It was…” I exhale, still half disbelieving. “Honestly? Kind of amazing.”

Julian leans back in his chair, watching me carefully.

“They had five people in the room,” I continue. “Founder, the chief marketing officer, operations lead, brand strategy, and somebody from finance. I thought I was going to throw up before I walked in.”

“You do have beautiful composure, though. I know this to be true,” Julian says with an approving smile.

“That’s because I’ve spent years professionally pretending not to panic.”

“A valuable executive skill.”

I can’t help but laugh. “But then they started asking questions about expansion strategy and customer retention and social engagement and…” I shake my head. “I don’t know. Something clicked.” I take a sip of wine, relishing the moment. “I’d spent the night before researching their recent growth initiatives,” I explain. “And I started talking about how they’ve built incredible online brand loyalty but haven’t fully translated that emotional connection into physical retail experiences yet.”

Julian’s eyes sharpen with interest. “And?” he prompts.

“I explained how younger consumers don’t just buy beauty products anymore. They buy identity and community—they want meaning behind what they buy.” My hands move theatrically as I talk, replaying it. “I told them if they’re opening stores, they can’t make them simple transactional spaces. They need to be immersive. Social and shareable. Like a community.

“I talked about hosting live tutorials and creator events and community nights and integrating digital engagement into physical experiences.” I laugh softly, still slightly stunned by it all. “And they just kept taking notes. Like… furious notes.”

Julian’s smile grows across his face.

“They saw it,” he says.

“What?”

“What I’ve known all along,” he says. “You have an elite business mind.”

My smile fades. Julian notices.

“What?” he says.

I look down at my wineglass. “I just…” I exhale slowly. “I don’t want people thinking I’m there because of you.”

The only sound in the room is the soft clink of silverware and the faint wind outside the windows.

“I mean,” I continue quietly, “I know what this looks like.”

Julian sets his fork down. “Harper.”