Page 88 of Feel It in the Air

Milo and Brenna don’t need to know any of that though. All that matters now is that they have the report and they can proceed to make whatever choice they want.

Brenna sighs, her eyes softening, glazing over as she gives me a bright smile. “Gus, thank you.”

Her voice cracks as she speaks, her emotions taking over. My heart squeezes. This was the least I could do. And not because it’s my job.

“That’s what family does, Bren.”

Milo starts to respond, no doubt with some smart-ass comment, but is cut off by my phone. I glance over, surprised by Percy’s name on the screen.

“Percy,” I answer, signaling to Milo and Brenna that I’ll only be a second.

“I found that vendor contract you asked about,” he responds, skipping a formal greeting. “I still don’t recognize the name, but my signature is on it, so I signed off on setting them up.”

My body goes rigid, a chill settling over me. Something about that doesn’t sit right. Percy’s mind is a steel trap. If he signed off on this, he’d at least remember the name. Maybe not all the details, but the company name. I’m sure of it.

“You sure?”

“I’m staring at my signature right here, son. I’m retiring, not senile.”

Haha, fair.

Still, something’s not right.

“I still have some questions. Can you grab whoever wrote up the contract? I’ll be down in like five minutes.”

“Sure thing.”

We hang up, and I turn back to my brother and his girlfriend, both of whom are watching me intently.

“The plot thickens,” Brenna mutters, snickering.

“I’m hoping the plot is about to thinnen and that I’m about to get some answers,” I retort, pushing up from my desk. “Sorry to cut this short.”

Excuses made and goodbyes said, I bolt from my office, leaving the two of them to find their own way out. They know where they’re going. I have bigger fish to fry. Like finding the piece of the puzzle that might finally help us unlock this whole mystery.

I don’t know why, but there is still a nagging little voice in the back of my mind that tells me that I’m missing something. Something big. Something I hope is in this contract. Because right now, it simply doesn’t add up. Literally and figuratively.

Walking into the legal department, I glance over at Margeaux’s desk, my heart squeezing. She’s not there—no doubt off to lunch with my sister, hopefully for the last time—and I can’t wait for the day that I can walk in here and I don’t have to pretend that I don’t notice her. That I can walk in here for her. To say hello. Or bring her coffee. Leave love notes on her keyboard.

Soon.

Knocking on Percy’s open door, I step inside then stop short. Sitting in the guest chair closest to the door is not the last member of his team that I expected to see, but close.

Teresa Parrish.

I slip into the other guest chair, keeping my poker face in place. If my brain was whirring before, it’s in hyper drive now. Teresa is not the associate I would have thought would have drawn up a new vendor contract. At least not solo. Her specialty is taxes. I also would have expected one of the senior associates to have their name on it.

Then again, maybe this had been Percy’s way of giving her more experience. Of letting her try something different. He did tell me she’s sharp and that she has an eye for detail, even if she is a kiss-ass. It was on his recommendation that I asked her to look over the drugstore contract.

Keep an open mind…

Percy hands me a folder, and I nod, taking it from him. I take a moment to glance through it, scanning over the contract from Sapphire Sands. At first glance, it looks just like all the others, and sure enough, Percy’s signature is at the bottom.

“Teresa, how are you?” I ask, trying to keep things light, tucking the folder next to me.

“I’m great. Yourself?” she answers, sitting up straight, her eyes wide and bright, like she’s putting on a show.

I nod. “Can’t complain.” Will be a whole lot better next week when I can tell the world about my girl. “How you feelin’ about this guy leavin’?”