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“That man moved to Nashville? What is happening to everyone all of a sudden? Deacon’s going small town, Sawyer’s going big city… It’s all wrong!”
A sad smile curls my lips. “I agree.”
I want to engage in his banter, but instead I take a longer sip of wine. He presses his lips together and reaches across the table to hold my hand. “You still love him?”
I nod, sniffing. “I always will.”
His hand tightens on mine. “We’re going to get you through this, my friend. You’re smart, beautiful, and Dallas is at your feet.”
I wrinkle my nose, doing my best not to cry. “Not yet.”
“Just give us time.” He smiles warmly. “You’ve got two secret weapons… Deacon and me, and starting tomorrow, you’re meeting with one of the top guys in oil and gas and livestock. I think Link is single… Maybe we can make a little love connection there.”
“Oh, no.” I shake my head. “I am not interested.”
“Girl…” He tilts his head. “You know what they say, the best way to get over an old man is to get under a new one.”
“No, thank you. No.” The thought of being with anyone but Sawyer turns me cold. “This is my time. I’m all about me right now.”
“Okay.” He makes a face. “Well, all the single ladies. Put your hands up.”
I raise my hands. “That’s me.”
Mrs. Irene’s words are in my mind. The day I can lay my head on my pillow not worried about whether he’s coming back is the day he’ll reappear.
I’m waiting for that day.
“When people search landman
, I want to be at the top of the list of results.” Rich Wells sits behind a dark mahogany desk in a black leather chair, one leg crossed over the other. “Can you do that for me?”
He’s wearing an expensive gray suit, and his light brown hair is a little long and shaggy. With his blue eyes and easy smile, I imagine he can transition from the boardroom to the oil field and appear to belong in both places pretty easily.
He’s cocky as shit, but he seems nice enough. Deacon sent me to meet him, so he must be okay. I’m making mental notes, getting a good idea for the concept I’ll design for him.
“SEO isn’t my area of expertise, but I can find someone for you.” I’m wearing my dark green wrap dress, and my hair is in a low ponytail over one shoulder. I’m in black pumps, and my goal is to exude brand-building professionalism. “My job is to design your logo, website, and create a look around it all so once customers do arrive at that top hit, they’ll will feel they have to work with you or they’re missing out. FOMO is a huge motivator.”
“FOMO?”
“Fear of missing out.”
His eyebrows rise, and he nods. “Oil men are pretty arrogant from the get go. But you sound confident.”
“I’ve helped launch two independent brands from Harristown, Louisiana, that are now making six-figure profits per year.”
“What field?”
“Produce and cosmetics.” I tap on the screen of my iPad pro and pull up Noel’s website for Autumn’s Bounty. “I did everything for her that I’ll do for you.”
Passing the device to him, I wait as he swipes through all the pages. “This is good. I don’t know much about cosmetics, but I like the way this looks. I like this here.”
He turns it to the About Us tab, where I have a photo of Noel smiling and holding a peach while Dove puts lip balm on her mother’s lips.
“Yes, the personal touch is very important to today’s consumers.”
“Hell, I’m going to place an order right now. My ex would love this stuff.”
His friendly nature helps me relax. I smile and start to feel like maybe Deacon and William are right. Maybe I can take Dallas by storm.
