Page 27 of Heart Like Yours
Donovan shakes his head, flipping the tablet back so he can look at it. “I mean, do you really think people would notice the sticks not being taped?”
I’m about to answer and explain that even if no one else did, covers under our design should strive for accuracy, not just looking pretty, when Paige walks in with a couple of blue boxes. She sets them down at the opposite end of the table and I catch her eye. Deciding to get her opinion now, I motion toward Donovan. “Paige, what’s your first impression of this cover, in one sentence.”
He holds it out for her and she takes the tablet. She barely looks at it for ten seconds before she answers.
“Butt stuff and minimal to no hockey in the story.”
“Oh, come on!” Donovan squeaks, snatching his tablet from Paige. “How could you possibly getthatfromthis?”
Paige flinches, the same guilt that’s eating away at me written clear across her face as she shoots him an apologetic smile.
“It’s a really good design. I especially love the reflection of everything in the lake. The mountains are even a good touch. But the hockey sticks on the ice are all wrong. There’s no tape. So if that detail isn’t right, I wouldn’t expect any of the hockey information to be right, if there was even any at all.” Paige continues on as she crosses the room to sit beside me. “And ‘Puckered?’ All I can think about is a butt hole. Which, seeing as how romance is our number one category and what we predominantly focus on, you’re practically taunting butt stuff in my face.” She pauses for a second, thinking something over before shrugging. “Although that’s not necessarily a bad thing. If the sticks get fixed, I would buy the book out of curiosity.”
And now I’m getting hard simply from hearing Paige saying she’d be curious about butt stuff. I shift in my seat, trying to subtly adjust myself as she continues.
“If you switch it out for the right kind of sticks, you could totally get that posted today. With how gorgeous everything else is, I don’t imagine it being available for long.”
That seems to perk Donovan right back up. “Thanks, I’ll make those changes as soon as we’re done here and send you the mock-up before I post it.”
Paige nods, glancing at me, and I can read the thoughts on her mind just from the expression on her face.
By the end of the meeting, he’ll officially be sending things like final approvals to Eva. I grin at her, hoping to silently show her just how excited I am about this.
While the rest of the team slowly filters into the room, grabbing pastries from the boxes Paige brought before they take their seats, I rest my elbow on the table and lean in to whisper to her.
“Are you ready for this?”
She plays with the edges of her notepad but shoots me a small, exhilarated smile.
“Yeah, I mean, I’m still nervous, but this feels…” She pauses, looking around the room at everyone getting settled. “It feels right.”
Muscles I didn’t know were tense relax at her words and there’s no denying the lightness that settles over me. While I might have known all along that Paige was ready for this step, she didn’t. Hearing her admit that and seeing her look this happy only solidify that I was right.
Now to work on getting her to give me a shot to be more than just a partner.
The last of the team finds their seat and I take that as my cue to get the meeting started. We go through our typical checklist, following up on projects and deadlines, making sure that everyone has the resources they need quicker than normal.
There’s a light hum of energy in the room as we finish updates. Or maybe that’s just the five cups of coffee I’ve had this morning buzzing through my veins as I wait for the design team to finish talking. As Donovan concludes, the team automatically starts collecting their things, but Paige speaks up, making them all collectively pause.
“Before everyone leaves and gets back to work, there’s actually an announcement.”
She looks at me, her eyes shining with excitement as she motions for me to continue.
“By the end of the week, SweetHeart Publishing will begin the stages of expanding and slightly rebranding. The changes we have planned will not affect anyone here right away outside of some slight management changes.”
A hushed murmur fills the space and I clear my throat to get their attention back.
“We will be absorbing an assistant company that caters to the one-off and temporary jobs. We will remain a publishing company. That is and will remain our main focus. The goal with the expansion is to be able to offer a wide variety of services, from publishing and design as we do now, to a temp fill-in for an assistant. If things go well, maybe even adding on services like PR management. The only obvious changes you will notice will be a slight name change and the shift in your chain of management.”
Sam leans forward, bracing his elbows on the table. “How so?”
“As many of you know, I have spent the last two years running this company on my own. However, the days of running things solo are dwindling to an end, and I’m excited to announce that I have brought on a partner.” I can’t fight the smile that takes hold as I turn my full attention to the woman beside me. “Luckily, it’s someone I think everyone will approve of.”
The room falls silent for a moment before Sam breaks the rising tension. “Oh, thank you to all that is holy,” he says on a heavy exhale. “I think if you had said anyone other than her, I would have rioted.”
A light pink tints Paige’s cheeks, but she keeps her head held high as congratulations are shouted for her.
“Who’s taking her job?” Asher asks when everyone starts quieting down a bit and I let Paige answer this one.