I straightened. “Good evening.”
“You’re still in the conference room,” Harrison commented.
“Yes. We just finished with Falkirk. I wanted to brief you while the details were fresh.”
Margaret’s eyes narrowed in interest. Harrison leaned forward, speakers crackling. Davidson lounged back, one hand draped over the chair.
“They’re interested, and we’ve agreed to a second meeting,” I said. “Their invite should arrive by end of week.”
Davidson’s smirk deepened. “Are we supposed to be excited?”
My stomach dipped.They’re disappointed,an old voice breathed. “I think it’s a positive step. These deals take time. Our timeline is—”
“Running out,” Davidson interrupted.
Air thinned in my lungs. “We—” I tried.
“I can’t believe I have to spell this out, but we need more than calendar invites,” he said, exasperation edging his tone.
Harrison grunted agreement. Margaret stayed silent—more damning than either man.
I lowered my eyes. “I understand.”
“Good,” Davidson said, and his video blinked out.
Harrison followed. Only Margaret remained.
“Emma.” Margaret’s voice softened. “I apologize for Davidson’s tone.”
Something bright flickered in my chest.
“But I do agree—we need something more definitive.”
And the flicker died out, despair settling in the dark.I told you,the chorus hissed in unison.
“I understand. I’ll have a stronger update next time.”
“Thank you, Emma,” she said, and disappeared.
I wished for silence to fill the space.
It didn’t.
And the chorus rose again. Pulling me under.
Chapter 6
***
The workday ended without fanfare. No triumphant wrap-up, no last-minute crisis—just the gradual unspooling of my resolve after the investor meeting had wrung me dry.
Jennifer left first, smoothing her skirt and announcing she was “going to let a stranger attack her back muscles for ninety minutes” with a massage she’d booked weeks ago as a contingency.
David tucked his laptop under his arm and headed out with a bouquet he’d had Sarah snag from her mother’s floral shop. “Rebecca survived another quarter; the least I can do is show up with lilies.”
Kevin locked his office door, sealing himself away with his data sets and the bottle of gin in his bottom drawer he thought no one knew about.
As for me, I smiled where I was supposed to, thanked who I was supposed to, and gathered my things with steady hands. I held it together.
