Kelly (Hollerand).
“Holy shit,” I breathe, scooting down the bed as fast as I can, grabbing my phone and hurrying to the bathroom, shutting it just as I hear Felix say my name sleepily.
Heart pounding, I allow myself one more ring before I pick up, trying to sound as cool and collected as a Hollerand partner might be expected to act.
“Maeve Villareal speaking.”
“Maeve! Hi, this is Kelly with Hollerand Merchandising.”
“Hi, Kelly, how are you doing?”
“I’m very well, thank you for asking. I’m actually calling to check in on those samples? We sent out a formal email asking for an approximate date of arrival, but I noticed we haven’t gotten an answer to that quite yet.”
“That’s right—I’ll make sure to get that to you as soon as I can. I’m working out some details on my end.”
“That sounds good. Please do email us as soon as possible, as we’re really looking forward to receiving those samples. We do have quite a few other brands interested in working with us, so if it’s too much for you at the moment—”
“No,” I say, a little too quickly. “Absolutely not. This isperfecttiming for me. You’ll get that email from me today, and the samples as soon as I can possibly send them over.”
“Great. Talk to you soon, Maeve. And have a wonderful weekend.”
When I get off the phone with Kelly, my hands are shaking and my heart pounds hard enough that my entire body sways. It takes me a moment to center myself, and when I do, I hear Felix on the other side of the door.
“Hey,” I say, swinging it open and revealing him there, ear poised like it was to the door, just like how he used to eavesdrop when we were kids. I let out a snicker. “You aresonosy.”
“You need that money, don’t you?” Felix asks, his brow furrowing.
I suck in a breath. I do need the money. Rather than showing him how nervous I am about it, I just nod and flash him a grin.
“Yep—and that’s why everything has to go perfectly at our meeting today.”
***
The legal office looks exactly the same as it did last time, but now it feels different with Felix sitting at my side, looking massive in the chair next to me, and fidgeting for the entire five minutes we have to wait for someone to come and get us.
“Ms. Villareal.”
The secretary appears just like she did last time, her heels clicking across the floor as she stops, looking at us, her gaze flitting between me and Felix.
“He’ll see you now,” she says.
We follow her back to the office, where Mr. Stone is waiting for us, a tired look on his face. He gestures for us to take a seat, and we do.
“So, Ms. Villareal,” he says, glancing between the two of us, clearly picking up on the way our scents have started to mix. “It seems you are in the process of taking a mate.”
I have to be bold with this. Reaching out, I take Felix’s hand in mine. He plays the part perfectly, turning it over and kissing it before pulling it so it rests on his thigh, his hand covering mine protectively.
Turning back to Mr. Stone and hoping we haven’t put on too much of a show, I say, “I am. This is Felix Rana. We were childhood friends. I never meant for this to happen, but…coming back to town, it rekindled the spark we didn’t know was there.”
“I see,” Mr. Stone says, lowering his glasses and looking at the two of us. “If you don’t mind, I am required by the late Mrs. Villareal to ensure things are proceeding appropriately. Her testament details that in the event you bring a mate, I am to ask them several questions.”
“Of course,” Felix says, his voice oozing charisma, and I’m more grateful now than ever that he’s used to doing things like this. My heart pounds, and my palms are sweaty with the feeling that I am doing something horribly wrong, but Felix is relaxed in his chair like we’re kicking back with a good friend and not about to get questioned by a legal professional.
But it turns out, I’m hardly questioned at all. All the questions are aimed at Felix—when did he first meet me, what did he think of me, what made him fall in love.
“Well,” he says, leaning forward and dropping my hand for the first time during this meeting. I take the opportunity to rub my sweaty palms on my pants, as Mr. Stone is fully attentive to Felix. “We were—oh, maybe eight or nine, and we were playing in the woods out behind her grandmother’s house.”
Felix gestures to the general direction of the house, and Mr. Stone’s eyes widen. Maybe he didn’t really believe me when I said we were childhood friends. Of course, he seems to take Felix’s word for it over mine. I try not to bristle at that, try to stay calm, try to keep myself from showing how nervous and agitated I am.
