The boardroom felt smaller than usual.
Emma sat at the head of the table, her fingers steepled in front of her, trying not to look at James. He was three seats down on her left, his jaw tight, that muscle twitching the way it always did when he was biting back words.
They'd been married for three months now. Living together for almost a year. And she still wasn't used to this—the careful dance of being his wife at home and his business partner in this room.
"The European expansion is premature," James said, his voice measured and professional. "We haven't stabilized the West Coast operations yet. Stretching ourselves across the Atlantic right now is—"
"Necessary," Emma interrupted, keeping her tone just as even. "The market window is closing. If we wait another quarter, we'll be compet
