I turn to Ashlynn. “There’s nothing we need you to do today. With the deliveries missing, we’re at a standstill. Why don’t you go home and get some sleep?” I offer.
She shakes her head. “I couldn’t.”
“Of course you can.” I step over and put a hand on her shoulder. “I know it’s hard when someone in your family is sick. I’m offering you time to catch up. Take it.”
“Okay.” She glances at me, then Kaylee. “Thank you both. You’re amazing bosses.” Head down, she walks back to the front of the office.
“Poor kid. She looked like she was about to fall over,” Kaylee says. “I’m glad she’s going home. Now… back to our issue.” As I think about how to fix yet another blow to the anniversary celebration, I begin to pace the floor between our desks.
“So, forgetting the swag for now, the merch from the Thunder is an issue. The guy I spoke to on the phone said they don’t have enough on hand to send more.” His exact words were, they don’t have enoughcurrentmerchandise. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have older items from years past. Like vintage merch. “Wait! I have an idea!”
I stride to my desk, grab my phone, and call my aunt Olivia, an executive in the Thunder front office. After I explain my predicament and pitch my idea, she tells me to come by and she’ll give me the keys to the storage room where old merch is kept. I thank her and promise to be right over.
“Aunt Olivia saves the day!” I say, knowing Kaylee overheard my side of the conversation.
She smiles and waves. “Then get going!”
I leave Kaylee to work on swag she can get on short notice and head over to the stadium where Aunt Olivia said to meet her.
On the drive, I ponder ideas and themes that will explain the older merchandise I fill the bags with. I’m assuming I can find T-shirts with old logos, bobbleheads, and Funko Pops, even if not everyone gets the same player, team hats, jerseys, and other items, all with old logos, I should be set.
Celebrating history.
That will be my new party theme.
After I arrive, I rush to the storage room, not stopping to see any of my relatives first. In the room, I hit pay dirt. Everything I hoped for and more is stored there. I pull my hair into a bun atop my head, sit on the floor, spend an hour taking notes so I know what I have available to use, and put sticky notes on the boxes and items I want to take.
My next call is to Lucas. I ask him to bring his SUV over to haul the items I’ve found back to my office, and he agrees. I give him directions to the front offices and where to go once inside. By the time I’m finished typing ideas into lists on my phone, Lucas arrives.
He walks through the door, and it shuts behind him. Instead of his usual long-sleeved shirt and slacks, he’s wearing a pair of black track pants and a T-shirt cut at the sleeves. His biceps bulge on his arms and he’s just so good-looking, I could stare at him all day.
“Hey!” he says.
“Hi. I hope I didn’t interrupt your workout?”
“Nah. I was just stepping out of the shower at the gym. I threw this on and here I am. My truck’s outside.”
“Well, I really appreciate the help. I put sticky notes on what we need to load into the car. I just can’t risk shipping things and them going missing again.” At the thought of all that lost merchandise from the team and items I paid for, again from the budget I’m working within, nausea hits.
He walks toward me, his brow furrowed. “Again?”
I sigh and hold up a hand. He pulls me to my feet as I tell him about the issue with the missing shipments and my idea to come here and see what I could find to replace things.
He shakes his head and his gaze narrows. “We thought the banners could be sabotage, but now I’m sure someone is deliberately trying to undermine you.”
I press my palms against my eyes and groan. “I’ve been so consumed with fixing everything that broke I barely had time to think about that. Who would do this to me?”
He shakes his head because he doesn’t know who’s behind this any more than I do. Stepping closer, he pulls me into his arms, and I feel safer being close to him. “I stopped being afraid once things quieted down after the brick throwing.”
“I know. I gave Adam some thought after our trip to the museum. Especially after reporting him. I’m sure they let him go.”
“I’d think so. We were pretty specific with what he’s said and they won’t want him around patrons after that.” I tip my head back and meet Lucas’s gaze. “But all this started before that day.” With the postcard.
“Doesn’t mean it’s not him. Maybe we need to hire a PI to look into things.”
I nod and rise to my toes, wrapping my arms around his neck. “Why are you so smart?”
He laughs. “Flattery will get you everywhere.” He leans down and his lips cover mine. Mint explodes in my mouth as we kiss but it’shisneed that makes me feel good. Cared for. I slip my tongue between his lips and—
