Even after my work emergency, I managed to drift back to sleep in the guest room for a few more hours. It’s something I normally wouldn't be able to do. Usually, an alert like that would have me spiraling, mentally running through a thousand checks, but Eli made me tea and demanded I lie back down. And I actually did.
The fact that I can’t remember the last time I felt safe enough to rest like this feels intimate in its own right. It’s as if Eli found me in more ways than one, and without asking, gave me exactly what my soul was starving for.
I wake up slow here. My limbs feel heavy, as if my body finally believes it’s allowed to stand down. I think I’m falling in love with that feeling more than anything else—the way my nervous system doesn't feel like it’s on call.
And that scares me more than that damn elk ever did.
Because I like it.
Too much.
When he climbs into the truck, I take the coffee from him and hold it still while he reaches back to set the pastries on the backseat.
“Do you always buy breakfast for your staff?” I ask.
“Every Monday,” he says.
And he does it again. Something else that makes me like him.
On the drive, he told me more about his history with Vanessa and how her business impacts his. He explained that her only interest in sustainability is because it’s the latest trend for the Forbes list crowd. It made me appreciate his heart even more—seeing that he has the same bone-deep passion for this work that I have for the latest tech advances.
When we arrive at the office, it’s clear we’re not in corporate Kansas anymore. It’s a laid-back, high-functioning creative haven. Open-concept floor plan. High ceilings. A full cafeteria with a juice bar. A ping-pong table. Even an area with bean bags and a whiteboard wall filled with scribbles and formulas. It screamswe work hard and play harder.
Eli sets the pastries and coffee down on the communal table. “Team, this is Maxine Palmer. She’s a tech consultant who’ll be working with us on the pitch.”
I smile and wave. “Hi. Everyone can just call me, Max.”
A chorus of cheerful hellos greets me.
He turns to a striking woman with long, jet-black hair and legs for days. Indigenous, maybe. Regal, confident, stunning. “Lara, can you show Max around?”
“Of course,” she says, her smile both polite and unreadable.
She leads me through the space, pointing out design pods, engineering desks, testing labs, introducing me to the team as we go. I nod, smile, shake hands, and try to look like a woman who belongs here and not someone who’s internally vibrating.
It feels like the first day of school. New building. New faces. That low hum ofdon’t mess this upbuzzing under my skin. Except this version comes with a very inconvenient twist: I’ve already made out with the teacher. More than once. And now I’m expected to sit up straight, take notes, and pretend there’s nothing inappropriate echoing in my memory.
Everyone is friendly. Open. Welcoming. But I can feel the curiosity. Eyes linger a beat too long. Smiles sharpen with interest. Not suspicious. Not hostile. Just…aware. Like they’re clocking me. Trying to place me. Trying to figure out if I’m temporary, important, or trouble.
They have no idea. I’m all three.
When we reach Eli’s office, a clean corner with a glass door and zero ego, I don’t miss how much smaller it is than Drake’s office. Humble. Purposeful. But still impressive.
“He doesn’t use it much,” Lara says, clearly noticing I seem taken aback by its modesty. “He’s usually out on the floor with the team so he didn’t let us make a fuss over his office.”
Interesting. For all his walls, Eli stays hands-on.
“Thanks, Lara. That’ll be all,” Eli says, dismissing her from the impromptu tour.
Once fully inside his office, I set my laptop down on the table beside the sofa. He steps in after me, and closes the door.
“Meeting starts now.”
Ah. I guess this is Business Bear.
I pull up a blank document. “I’m going to need access to your business plan, customer data from the last five years, and your financial projections.”
He frowns. “Help me understand what you need all that for?”
