Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 127991 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127991 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
When Reagan looked back over at me, I shot him a wink that only seemed to make him more nervous.
Chris began with an easy question. “Why are you here in Madison, Wisconsin, this week?”
“My partner came here on business and ended up in the hospital with pneumonia. I came to be with him.”
Reagan choked on the water he’d been drinking and spent a long moment coughing before getting himself under control.
I smiled at him. “He’s still recovering,” I confided to Chris.
Chris grinned. After McGee had put the two of us in touch—and I had my suspicions about precisely how McGee had gotten the man’s number in the first place—he’d agreed to my specific requests. In exchange, I’d agreed to tell Chris about Nova Davidson.
“No problem,” he said easily. “Now, Thatcher, you once said you could never see yourself marrying again. Would you say this current partner of yours has caused you to change your mind?”
I glanced back at Reagan and made sure his eyes were on me when I responded. “Without a doubt. Yes.”
The blue eyes I loved widened… and widened… and widened. What are you doing? he mouthed, looking a bit panicked.
“Would you care to elaborate on that?” Chris asked. “Perhaps tell us who the lucky man is?”
“Not really, no. I don’t want to put him in the media spotlight by naming him in an interview. But I do want him to know that he’s more important than anything related to my job or company. He is, and always will be, my priority. I want a future with him by my side. And when he needs me, I will always be there for him.”
Reagan’s eyes shimmered, and he clapped a hand over his mouth.
Chris nodded. “You sound very protective.” He paused meaningfully. “In fact, you sound like a man in love.”
“No doubt about that,” I said, still laser-focused on the man across the room, the man who had thrown my lonely, controlled world into chaos and then put it back together again with light and color. His face was a delightful deep pink, and I imagined how warm his skin would feel against my lips. “I love him very much.”
As agreed, Chris moved on to asking questions about the company. He started with questions about the new social media activity PennCo had shared recently.
“According to this morning’s press release, PennCo Fiber has a new social media director.” Chris’s eyes shot to Reagan.
“Yes. Reagan Wellbridge has accepted the position after proving himself on our public relations team,” I said, feeling a familiar pride at being able to speak well of Reagan to others. “As you know, he was an invaluable member of our team on a recent press tour, and he used the opportunity to begin improving our social media presence. The response has been tremendous.”
“Several of the posts from your trip have gone viral,” Chris said. “In fact, I’ve seen a few celebrities posting comments about potential partnerships. Do you have anything to announce there?”
“Not today, Chris. Reagan and the rest of the PR team will make any announcements when the time is right,” I stated firmly.
Chris shifted in his seat. “There’s a rumor that PennCo has had some other leadership changes this week. Would you care to elaborate on that?”
I nodded and smiled. “One of the things I love most about managing a business is the opportunity to recognize and foster leadership talent. The new vice president of PennCo Fiber is a man named Jensen Roberts, who has been with Pennington Industries for over ten years. We are excited to see what he does with the direction of PennCo and the launch of our new apparel fabric this summer.”
“Is this new leadership a result of the Nova Davidson situation?” Chris asked.
I nodded again. “Indirectly, yes. We discovered that an employee did, in fact, send Ms. Davidson the shirt she was wearing when she got into the unfortunate accident. On behalf of PennCo, I’d like to apologize for what might have seemed like a serious, if inadvertent, marketing misstep. We’re thankful that Ms. Davidson has fully recovered from her injuries, and we’re hopeful that under our new management, nothing like this will happen again. I’m confident in Jensen’s leadership.”
As agreed, Chris moved on without asking me to name Layla directly. We spoke for a few more minutes about our partnerships with Apex, Sierra Outfitters, and Zen Activewear before wrapping up the interview. Once the cameras and microphones were off, Chris reached out to shake my hand again and thank me for the opportunity. “Congratulations on your new relationship. Reagan’s a good man.”
I took a deep breath and reminded myself Chris was also a good man. “He is. And thank you.”
Reagan approached hesitantly. “What… the fuck… was that?”
Chris laughed as I leaned in to wrap an arm around Reagan’s waist and yank him in close for a kiss that left no doubt exactly what Reagan was to me. The room was still full of other people, but I didn’t care. When I finally let him up for air, his eyes were clouded with want.