Kelly's POV
By midweek, the upcoming investors mixer had taken over everything else in my life. It had stopped feeling like an upcoming event and started feeling like a living thing, something that breathed and shifted and demanded attention every hour of the day.
Claire, trusting that I wouldn't mess up, had handed me the responsibility with an encouraging nod and a stack of notes that detailed venue confirmations, guest arrivals, and the internal coordination of the event.
It wasn’t a big job to some of the others in the team working on the event, but it mattered, because it was the kind of work that only got noticed if it went wrong.
I was reviewing a seating draft when Owen appeared beside my desk, leaning casually against the partition like he had all the time in the world.
“Te
