I smoothed my palms over my skirt before walking quickly back into the waiting room, which was actually just a long corridor with chairs lined up at the wall on both sides. The hardwood floors and tall but narrow windows gave the space a friendly vibe. The ceiling was high, and there was something majestic about it.
My sister Skye was staring at the laptop she was holding on her lap, biting her lower lip. This was a nerve-racking day for the both of us, but I’d rarely seen my sister this jumpy. Being surrounded by our competitors certainly wasn’t helping. I sat next to her, determined to push the bathroom incident to the back of my mind and focus on how I could help Skye relax.
The stakes were high today. Skye and I owned Soho Lingerie, a shop selling all sorts of undergarments, and we wanted to expand. To that end, we needed financing, and we were hoping to get it from Harrington & Co. Receiving additional capital would help us expand more quickly; there was no denying that. But we’d also have to give Harrington & Co. some control of our business, and I still had mixed feelings about that. I had to take everything one step at a time though, and right now, my priority was to distract Skye.
She ran a hand through her hair, ruffling her perfectly cut bangs. Her chocolate-colored hair was in complete disarray now. Even her dark-blue suit was getting wrinkled because she was fidgeting so much.
It was usually easy for me to calm Skye down, but today I was nervous as hell too, especially after the bathroom incident.
I drew on my lifelong experience as the older sister to three rambunctious siblings and came up with an idea. Skye always lit up when she spoke about her six-month-old son.
“Did Jonas manage to sit up on his own yet?” I asked. I didn’t lower my voice, because the next group was seated quite far from us.
Skye instantly smiled. “No, but he’s very good at propelling himself forward on his belly. He looks like he’s swimming on the floor.”
“And you didn’t send me a pic?” I pouted, feeling a strange tightness in my chest. I loved being there for every milestone, but this month was our busiest yet for some reason. It was mid-September, which I wouldn’t say was a big shopping month, but I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
“Sorry, I forgot. In my defense, it happened yesterday when I was reading the presentation. But I have a picture.” She took out her phone, tapping it twice before turning the screen to me.
I sighed as my chest didn’t just tighten—something literally squeezed inside my rib cage. I loved my nephew so much. He was growing fast. Every time I saw him, he looked a tad different than the last time.
“Are you bringing him to the store tomorrow?” I asked eagerly.
Skye grinned. “Yup. Seems to make you just as happy as it makes him.”
I grinned back. “That’s because we have a special relationship.” And by that, I meant I was holding him in my arms 90 percent of the time when I was in the same room with him. I just loved that sweet baby smell and his never-ending curiosity. I’d been a baby person even as a small kid. When my two younger brothers were born, I remembered walking with them in my arms around the house. I was pretending to help Mom, but honestly, I just loved holding them.
Skye showed me a few new photos, and her body language was more relaxed than before. Mission accomplished. To be honest, I felt less stressed too.
At least until the door opened and they called someone in to pitch.
“What’s wrong?” Skye asked. “You seem a bit jumpy since you came from the bathroom. Didn’t the stain come out?”
Sighing, I decided to fess up. Maybe that would really help me see things in perspective.
“So...while I was trying to clean the stain, someone walked in on me. Liam Harrington.”
“What’s the big deal?”
“I wasn’t wearing the shirt,” I whispered. “Just a bra. A strapless one. And then I accidentally flashed him a boob.”
Skye opened her mouth wide before covering it with one hand. I still heard her giggle.
“Oh, Tess!”
“Yup. Just my luck, right?”
“That Harrington guy isn’t too ugly,” she whispered.
The remark was so out of character that I couldn’t help but laugh. She rarely noticed any other guys since she’d gotten married. I cocked a brow at her.
“What? You used Jonas to get me to loosen up. I can use the hot-guy technique,” she whispered.
I laughed despite the widening pit in my stomach. Daydreaming about a guy who caught my eye was one of my favorite techniques to relax. Not too ugly was tongue in cheek, of course. I noticed his baby-blue eyes the second I glanced at his picture on the company’s website. And when we arrived today, I couldn’t help but notice that he was breathtakingly handsome all around. On a scale from dreamy to hot, he was definitely on the hot-as-hell end of the spectrum, but that wasn’t helping my nerves. Today, I couldn’t employ my favorite distraction technique.
We received a list with the presentation order when we arrived. My heartbeat accelerated when I realized we would be the next ones to present.
I cocked my head in the direction of the auditorium just as Liam Harrington stepped out, and the whispering in the corridor stopped instantly. His presence muted the conversations the last time he came out too. I suspected he always had the effect of quieting a room, or at least causing everyone to stop what they were doing to pay attention to him. There was something undeniably magnetic about him.
“Okay, everyone. We’re ready. Skye and Tess Winchester from Soho Lingerie are up next,” he said.
All my nerves slammed right back into me.
Skye and I immediately rose to our feet, hurrying toward him. He was holding the door open for us. I carefully averted my gaze, not ready to make eye contact with him.
As I passed him, I was close enough to realize he was taller than me, at least six feet, and that his eyes weren’t his only striking feature. His jawline was sharp and masculine, and his shoulders and arms were toned. He was wearing a black shirt that fit him so well it was easy to see his physique, which made me think his clothes had to be custom-made. His dark-blond hair gave him a bad-boy vibe that didn’t fit the rest of him but was insanely attractive.
I juggled my belongings, taking a deep breath as we stepped inside. The auditorium was very intimidating. It was huge, with ten long rows. All the windows were covered with shutters so the presentations could be projected on the wall. The table with the projector was in the front.
Harrington stood right next to the entrance while two others who were sitting in the first row rose from their chairs as we entered. I recognized Rebecca Johnson and David Delgado because I studied their pictures and bios on their website too. I didn’t know who the six people in the second row were. I assumed it would only be the three fund managers. Were they students, possibly interns?
Harrington led my sister and me to the table in the center. When he pointed to the cable where I was supposed to connect my laptop, I couldn’t help but notice that his initials were sewn at the hem of his sleeve. I’d been right: his shirt was custom-made.
“Skye, Tess, you can start whenever you’re ready. Our interns are watching this too, but if they make you uncomfortable, we can ask them to step out.”
Skye and I exchanged a glance, and my sister nodded.