Page 129

Claire took a sip of coffee. Iced vanilla latte with oat milk. Exactly right.

“You remembered my order.”

“You’ve ordered the same thing every morning since I met you.”

“Noah remembers it.”

Avery narrowed her eyes. “Are you comparing my friendship skills to your boyfriend’s?”

“No. I’m saying you’re both very attentive.”

“Good recovery.”

Claire smiled and turned back toward her laptop. “Thank you.”

Her phone vibrated on the table.

Noah: Are you breathing?

She glanced toward Avery. “Did you text Noah?”

“I don’t need to coordinate with your emotional-support boyfriend.”

Claire typed a response.

Claire: Obviously.

Three dots appeared.

Noah: That wasn’t convincing.

Claire: I am breathing and completely calm.

Noah: Don’t lie to me. I’ll ask Avery. How many times have you reviewed the presentation this morning?

Claire considered lying.

Claire: That feels irrelevant.

Noah: You’re going to do great, princess.

The tension in her shoulders loosened.

Claire: I know.

She paused before sending it.

It was true.

That might have been the strangest part.

She was nervous, but she did not feel unprepared. She had spent weeks learning everything she could about Common Grounds’ customers, studying the neighborhoods surrounding the new locations, and working with her team to build a campaign that felt consistent without becoming generic.

She had done the work.

And last night, she had still left the office before six. She had eaten dinner with Noah, taken Biscuit on a walk, and gone to bed at a reasonable hour instead of reopening her laptop beneath the blankets.

The presentation had not collapsed overnight. Apparently, neither had her career.