“Rattled.”
“Yeah.”
“He had an eight-thirty. He stayed past it. He didn’t finish his coffee. He walked all the way to the door, then turned around and came back to ask me the name of a cat.”
“Honey. He came back from the door.”
“I know.” The train pulled into her stop. She gripped the pole. “I need to go. Warehouse meeting in twenty.”
“Call me later.”
“Lucy?”
“What?”
“He said when it comes to me, he remembers everything.”
Lucy was quiet for a long beat. “Tessa. Honey. Get to your warehouse.”
“Working on it.”
“And eat a real breakfast. You handed your granola bar to a stranger again, didn’t you?”
“Possibly.”
“I knew it.”
Tessa ended the call and climbed the stairs to street level. Her warehouse stood three blocks away, red brick with industrial windows, a building that had once housed garmentworkers and now housed her dreams. The sign she had commissioned two years ago hung above the entrance. Thorne Events.
Inside, her team was already setting up for the day. Jessica coordinated china deliveries on her phone. David reviewed weekend event assignments while testing a new sauce reduction.
“Boss.” Jessica looked up from her clipboard. “Berkowitz vegan option?”
“Add roasted cauliflower with tahini and pomegranate. Update the count.”
Jessica made a note. “Will do. Anything else?”
“No. I’ll be in my office if anyone needs me.”
Tessa walked to the back of the warehouse where she had carved out a small office space. The desk and filing cabinet sat against one wall, and a corkboard above them held event timelines and vendor contacts. A framed photo of her mother at the grand opening sat on the desk, her mother beaming with pride.
She sat there and stared at her screen.
I remember everything.
Her phone buzzed.
Lucy: You’re catastrophizing. I can feel it from Brooklyn. Stop.
Tessa: I’m working.
Lucy: Liar. Seven o’clock. Bakery. Cookies. Don’t make me come find you.
Despite everything, Tessa smiled.
She had lived in New York for years without seeing Gabriel Sterling once. Now she had seen him twice in one week. Twicewas a coincidence. Three times would be the universe testing her.
Bring it on.
