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Chapter 1

As Sara stepped off the elevator and stared at the door of the JDC, Inc Executive Offices, she felt a slight flutter of nerves in her stomach Today was the day This was the cul rates, discussing preferences, going over schedules, andIt was finally a done deal She was signing her biggest client to date Her fledgling catering business, Edible Innovations, had officially arrived

With a quick glance at her watch, she opened the main door and stepped inside She approached the receptionist desk with a s I’ot a 2:30 pm appointment with Chris Marks”

The receptionist winced slightly, and apologized “I’ency o He asked ies Letwith him instead if that’s okay? Have a seat please Would you like water? Coffee? Tea?”

Sara’s shtly as she said, “That’s perfectly fine And, no, thank you for the offer”

Moving to the reception area, Sara sat down and panicked a little bit Would this delay the signing of the contracts? Would she be forced to go through the sah with Chris Marks? Crap, she thought, with a slight frown Maybe today wasn’t the day, after all

With a s The lobby was spacious, but unexpectedly coe distressed leather couches and a few chairs scattered throughout The tables were a dark, heavy wood It gave off a man-cave vibe, which kind of made sense for a PR firm that represented primarily sports stars The as decorated with athe prints more closely, she spotted one of her particular favorites

As she continued to survey the lobby, she heard the receptionist murmur, “Deacon, Your two thirty from Edible Innovations has arrived Are you ready?”

Sara froze in her seat upon hearing the naers that this wasn’t the sa her junior year of college who never even bothered to call her afterward Ridiculouslysex, followed by coorize the incident as heartbreaking, it was still pretty freaking rude

She smirked a bit with the memory

of his exit strategy It was actually pretty co back There had been no “Hey So uo now” or “Later I’ll call you soot dressed, gave her a somewhat detached smile and a handshake as he left

To be fair, she hadn’t really expected a phone call after his nificent exit He had literally disappeared She still wondered what exactly had pro, but decided noasn’t the best time for a trip down memory lane

Biting back a sle, she tried to focus on the moone to school, odds were, this had to be the sah This could cos

She was startled out of her reverie by a low lanced up Yup That was totally hi the broad shoulders, the lean lines of his body, and that dark hair It was a bit shorter now, but yeah It was totally him

Not sure what to expect, she just pasted a professional smile on her lips and waited for hie and turned around, he stood stock-still He blinked and then his eyes slowly lit with recognition He had the good grace to look somewhat embarrassed for a second Then, almost as if a switch had flipped, his features went immediately and impressively blank By the time he had reached the middle of the lobby, the expression on his face had morphed into a bland, professional smile

Gauging the situation, Sara knew exactly what she had to do For the sake of the contract and for the sake of her pride, she stood up Stepping toward him, she extended her hand and said, “Hello Mr Ja from Edible Innovations”

His eyes squinted almost ihtly for just a ot no idea who I am?” Then, quick as a blink, he schooled his face back into that bland s it firmly

“It’s a pleasure to ,” he said “Please call h?”

After receiving her nod to the affirize for the confusion Chris was pulled into a ht this way”

With another nod and a smile, she said, “Certainly,” and followed him back to what she presu behind him, she was able to fully appreciate just how very kind time had been to Deacon James

Back in college he had been an attractive guy He was tall, lean, and always had this perpetual smirk on his face that iven hier Sara could still reertips

Shaking her head and bringing herself back to the present, she noticed that his suit jacket was tailored in such a way that it displayed the fact he was anything but lanky now With the beginnings of a five o’clock shadow loo boyish about hi hot

As he came to stop, he opened the door to an office It was decorated siestured to the sitting area, as if to indicate she should have a seat Closing the door, he walked to his desk to pick up a bottle of water Looking over at her, he asked, “Would you like anything to drink? Coffee? Tea? Water?”

She smiled and shook her head “No,” she said, “your receptionist offered when I arrived Thank you, though”