"Mom, can we get ice cream after your big meeting?" Austin tugged at my sleeve, his wide blue eyes pleading up at me.
I smoothed his dark hair, so like his father's. "If you and Alex behave for Tina while I'm gone, absolutely."
My heart hammered against my ribs as I adjusted my blazer in the hotel mirror. Five years of building my business from nothing had led to this moment—a major conference presentation just outside Newark. Dangerously close to the Walton territory, but too important to pass up.
"You look different," Alex said, studying me with that unnervingly perceptive gaze. At only five years old, he noticed everything. "You're scared."
"Not scared, just... focused." I knelt to his level, straightening his little collar. "Sometimes big opportunities make grown-ups nervous."
"L
