“I had an idea,” Glen said, raising his hand like a damn kindergartener.

  I snorted softly to myself. Of course he did.

  “I think we have the chance to turn what happened into an opportunity,” he said.

  Oh, this ought to be good.

  “How about we try a pivot?” he began. “We start a new campaign called ‘Breaking up is hard to do,’ where we track our fearless leader as he navigates the dating world post-CamLicity. We could go with him on dates, and have followers suggest possible matches⁠—”

  “Who the hell hired you?” I interrupted him. “I’m serious. Who thought it was a good idea to add you to the team? Because all you keep delivering are strike-outs. Absolutely not, Glen.”

  My outburst pulled all the air from the room. It had been a long time since I’d exploded, and clearly everyone had gotten used to the kinder, gentler Cameron O’Connor.

  Well, that sucker was long gone.

  I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples as everyone around me tried to be as quiet as possible.

  “I think we need to do something totally unexpected,” I said. “Who’s been working on the pet products line? Maybe pictures of cute dogs in leather collars with platinum buckles will bring people back?”

  “Um, that’s me,” a voice squeaked out.

  I squinted at a terrified woman at the far end of the conference table.

  “Do I know you?”

  “No. I mean, sort of. We met on my first day,” she said quickly. She sank lower in her chair. “I’m Becca Pearson. I’m the new team lead for the pet products line, and we’re basically ready to go. We were just waiting for, uh, the right time to launch it.”

  I knew she meant that they had been waiting for the CamLicity campaign to come to an end.

  “Well, no better time than the present. What are the plans?”

  “I sent you an email⁠—”

  “I didn’t get it, otherwise I wouldn’t have asked the question.”

  Becca looked like she was about to cry. “Okay, um, I was thinking we’d introduce the line with Boris modeling everything. One piece a day until we’ve highlighted all of them. Ginny, the new staff photographer, is ready to shoot the images when we are. Once we intro the line, we can open it up to user-submitted content, which always brings tons of eyeballs. People can send in their pets wearing our stuff. Those kinds of call-outs always bring lots of traction.”

  “Finally!” I gestured toward Becca. “This is what I’ve been talking about. I love it, Becca. Let’s bump everything else off the calendar and make pets our focus.” I turned to Sandrine. “Can you work with Becca to get this rolling ASAP?”

  She nodded. “Of course, on it.”

  “Anything else?”

  I glanced around at my employees, and their terrified expressions finally woke me up. With sinking shame, I recalled that this was how my father used to run the company. Since taking over, I’d always kept a tight ship, but I never used fear and intimidation to keep my staff motivated.

  “No? Okay, then. Before you all leave, I just want to say thanks for helping me navigate this storm. It hasn’t been easy for any of us, but we’ll pull through. Let’s focus on the future, okay? We’re done here.” I slapped the table and stood up.

  “Hold on,” Alessandra said, grabbing my arm. “I just got an alert…there’s something you need to see.” She scanned the room. “Sandrine? I think you should be here for it as well.”

  Sandrine approached us warily. “What’s wrong now?”

  “I’m not sure yet, but my alerts are saying that…something was posted.”

  I let my frustration get the better of me again. “Alessandra, plenty has been posted lately. What’s different about this?”

  She held out her phone wordlessly, and I saw a still of Felicity on the screen.

  “She posted a video. On her personal account.” Alessandra said. “And tagged Veritique.”

  I sank back into my chair.

  Fuck. This was going to be bad.

  I’d dealt with my fair share of tirades thanks to Carolina. Rant-filled tantrums that attracted a ton of attention. If the livestream incident had happened with her, I could only imagine the press coverage she’d be demanding. I never believed Felicity was capable of sinking that low, but I was about to get proof she could. I wouldn’t have thought she’d be the kind of person to air our dirty laundry online—but it wouldn’t be the first time I’d been wrong about a woman. I waited until Alessandra, Sandrine, and I were the only people in the room.

  “Put it up on the smartboard,” I said warily. “Let’s deal with this together.”

  Alessandra nodded, and then Felicity was on the wall in front of me. It hurt to see her.

  “Ready?” Alessandra asked.

  “I suppose,” I sighed.

  She pushed play, and the video began. Felicity was sitting cross-legged on the couch in her apartment hugging a pillow to her chest, smiling softly. She was bare-faced, with her hair in a ponytail, dressed in leggings and a worn t-shirt.

  And never more beautiful. My heart pinched with longing at the sight of her.

  “Hi everyone,” she said with a little wave. “Been a while since I’ve posted on this account, but I figured it was the perfect place to try to get my message out. My follower count has tripled in the past few weeks, no doubt because of…recent events.”

  She frowned for a moment.

  “No, Lis, just say it,” she muttered to herself. She reoriented to the camera. “By ‘recent events’ I mean the CamLicity campaign. We’ve all seen what happened by now, right?”

  A shadow passed over her face.

  “I know many of you are disappointed by the way our story ended. I’ve seen the comments, and I’ve gotten a ton of supportive messages.” She clutched her hands over her heart. “Thank you, friends. Your care means the world to me.”

  It was my turn to frown. The only messages I’d gotten were brutal takedowns. I tried to keep up initially, but Alessandra eventually stopped forwarding them to me.

  “But here’s what I really want to say. No matter how things ended up with Cameron, I want all of you to know that I’m glad I took a chance on love.” She paused to take a breath. “Because it was magical.”

  Felicity smiled, and I found myself smiling back, dazed. Until I realized this was not at all what I expected.

  “I experienced a fairy tale. I had the best time, as you probably witnessed.” She giggled. “We attracted a lot of attention, you know?”

  “There’s more to it, though,” her expression went serious again. “It wasn’t just fun. CamLicity gave me a new understanding of what it means to be in a relationship. I learned about how it felt to have a supportive partner. Someone who encouraged me to achieve my dreams. Someone who listened, really listened to me. He made me feel important, and special. Needed. Wanted.” Felicity looked down and fiddled with the fringe on the pillow. “Trust me, I haven’t always been that lucky.”

  She smiled again, and I smiled back despite the pain in my heart. Why was she being so kind?

  “So yeah, guys, CamLicity is no more. I know you’re all disappointed, but sometimes you play the game and get your heart broken.” She shrugged. “That’s life.”

  She was trying to look nonchalant, but I could see she was hiding pain.

  “But here’s the thing…when you come out the other side of a heartbreak, you have to look for the good things you can take from your time together. It might feel impossible at first, especially when you’re still feeling all those bleak emotions.” She made a swirling gesture in front of her chest. “But I promise, if you do, you’ll wind up stronger in the end.”

  Felicity slid off the couch and moved closer to her phone, filling the screen with her beautiful face.

  “One last thing. Ladies, I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to wait for someone to buy you jewelry. You’re worth it, go get that sparkler you’ve been eyeing! Like this…I bought this piece for myself,” she leaned closer and held up a gold necklace with an infinity symbol on it. “It will always remind me of my time with Veritique and how my work there helped me to believe in myself. Isn’t it beautiful?” She chuckled. “This is not spon-con, I promise you, but I did get it from Veritique, if you want your own.”

  Sandrine laughed and cheered. “Ever the marketer!”

  “Anyway, that’s it for me,” Felicity said. “Just remember, love makes you stronger, my friends. I hope that’s a message we can all remember.”

  The video ended with a close-up of Felicity’s face, and despite all of the upbeat cheerleading, I could see sadness in her eyes.

  “Wow,” Alessandra sighed.

  “Yeah,” I agreed. “That was unexpected.”

  “Very much so,” Sandrine agreed. “She’s a class act. We’re lucky to have her.”

  My mouth went tight. Why did I have a bad feeling about her tenure with Veritique?

  “We need to connect with her, to put together some sort of united message,” Sandrine said. She was studying the still image of Felicity on the wall. “Her video was a good start, but we should do something official.” She paused. “Honestly, I’ve been holding off on broaching it with you, but we really can’t wait much longer.”

  No one had ever come out and said it, but everyone knew CamLicity had grown into something deeper than just a publicity stunt.

  “Fine,” I replied quickly. “Why don’t you draft something, and I’ll take a look?”

  “Well, I was hoping that…” she broke off and looked at Alessandra. “Okay, I’ll put together a few options for you.”

  When I left, the pair were standing close together, talking softly and no doubt dissecting everything in Felicity’s video. I was too weary to give it any thought.

  I noticed people scurried the other way as I walked back to my office. It was as if there was a storm cloud hanging over my head.

  The mountain of work waiting for me felt impossible. What the hell was happening to me? I couldn’t focus on a damn thing. I swiveled in my chair to look out at the skyline, hoping inspiration might strike me.

  Nothing.

  My phone buzzed and I jumped at it, which was strange since lately it had been the bearer of bad news only.

  A text from my brother. “Lunch?”

  I frowned. We hadn’t talked since the blowup at the tavern, so why was he reaching out now? Maybe he’d gotten wind of Felicity’s video? He was like that—willing to look past our differences when he sensed I needed him.

  Why couldn’t I do the same?

  “That works. Your choice.”

  Aiden knew I preferred fine dining, but he was more of a dark pub kind of person. It was no surprise that he sent me a pin for a gastropub.

  “Now good?”

  Typical Aiden. Eleven thirty.

  “Sure, meet you there.”

  It wasn’t a quick walk to the spot, but the weather was beautiful. It felt like everyone outside was in a good mood, and I didn’t blame them. Spring was in the air. Renewal. I hoped it would rub off on me, eventually.

  The CamLicity campaign had me assuming that every time someone’s gaze lingered on me, they were trying to figure out if I was who they thought I was. When was that going to stop? I had enough to worry about without feeling like I was being stalked. I kept my head down and barreled toward whatever fresh hell awaited me with my brother.

  26

  CAMERON

  Istrode into the restaurant a few minutes late. It was better than I expected, with the typical industrial-meets-farmhouse vibe common in these types of pubs. Not that it mattered, though, since I had zero appetite.

  “Hey,” Aiden said as I slid into the booth opposite him.

  “Hi,” I said quickly. “What’s wrong? Why did you want to meet?”

  “Wow, you never change.” He smirked and shook his head slowly, staring at me. “Hi, brother, nice to see you too,” he said in an exaggerated voice.

  “Sorry. Just got a lot on my mind.”

  His expression softened. “Yeah, Megan told me about the video. I haven’t had a chance to watch it. You okay?”

  “Why wouldn’t I be?” I snapped at him.

  He threw his hands up in front of him. “Whoa, whoa, hold on. I’m just trying to be supportive. After seeing you together, I assumed you and Felicity were real. Guess I was wrong.”

  “Exactly,” I said in the voice that signaled we weren’t going to be talking about it.

  It was one of those places that made you scan a QR code to get the menu, which pissed me off even more. But I was glad to have something to focus on for a few minutes other than talk about Felicity.

  “Deep fried Cajun pickles? Seriously, Aiden?”

  “It’s called eating local, instead of having rare meats shipped from across the globe.”

  I glowered at him. “Now’s not the time for a climate change talk.”

  He scanned the QR code without answering me.

  We were off to a fantastic start.

  I studied the menu for way too long and finally settled on a burger. Orders placed, all we could do was sit in silence.

  “You look like shit,” he finally said. “Not sleeping?”

  I shook my head. “Not much. And thanks for that. You’re looking well.”

  It pained me to admit that my brother seemed happier and healthier than ever.

  “How’s Boris?”

  I finally managed a smile. “Best boy ever.”

  I wished my dog was all we needed to talk about. A long time ago, when life was simpler, Aiden and I were tight. But time, circumstances, and choices had turned us into little more than strangers.

  “So, I have news,” Aiden said.

  This was what I’d been waiting for. I tipped my head at him, waiting for the bomb to drop.

  “I bought a ring.”

  I paused a beat as the news settled into my bones.

  “Aiden…no.”

  He burst out laughing. “Megan wins the bet! I said that you were going to explode, but she swore you’d be quietly disapproving. Smart girl.”

  I didn’t appreciate that they were making me the butt of a private joke.

  “It’s too fast,” I retorted.

  “Cameron, I love her.”

  There was something in his expression that slowed me down.

  “We’re good for each other,” he continued. “Just because it’s fast doesn’t mean it’s rushed. There’s a difference.”

  I shook my head, barely able to believe my ears. I held on to one thing—he said he’d bought the ring, not that he’d popped the question. Maybe there was still time to save him from himself. “I just don’t get it. Since I know next to nothing about her, other than the fact that she’s a business rival, give me one example of how you two are good together.”

  His eyes took on a devilish gleam.

  “Other than sex.”

  He chuckled and took a swig of beer. “Okay, sure. We look out for each other. Put the other person first. You know how I fractured my wrist? The roller skates she wanted?”

  I kicked myself for not even asking about his wrist. I nodded.

  “The first thing she did when we got home from the hospital was put our skates out on the street with a ‘free’ sign on them. She gave them up because she knew I wouldn’t want to try skating again. And she’s the one who researched the best physical therapy facilities so I wouldn’t have lingering issues.”

  Kind of her. Okay, it was a start.

  “That’s something she did for you,” I eyed him. “What about vice versa?”

  Aiden smiled. “How about a million little things? I make sure her heated blanket is on before she gets into bed. I know how she likes her coffee, and which mugs are her favorites, so I fix it for her every morning. I give her the best side of the couch. I hug her every chance I get. I pay attention to the little stuff she mentions, like a lotion she likes, or new restaurants she wants to try, and I surprise her with them. All I want to do is delight her. It makes me happy to make her happy.”

  He smiled, almost woozy with whatever he was feeling.

  “But it’s more than just stuff. We’re each other’s biggest cheerleaders. We truly listen to what the other person is saying. We give advice when it’s asked for, or provide an ear when that’s what’s needed. She’s got my back, and I’ve got hers. I’m the best version of me when I’m with her.”

  Aiden now seemed sheepish, like he was afraid he’d said too much.

  “I don’t know how to respond to that,” I offered. “Things might be good now, but that could change. No, fuck that, it always changes. So what’s going to happen when the shit hits the fan between the two of you and her daddy comes after Veritique in retaliation?”

  He slammed his hands on the table in frustration. “Damn it, Cam! Can’t you get past your own fucked-up history and realize that just because you had a rough go doesn’t mean the rest of the world will? True love exists. You can deny it all you want, but I’m living it. Every day. And I’m marrying Megan whether you like it or not.”

  I’d never seen easygoing, affable Aiden so pissed off.

  “Did you at least buy the ring at Veritique?”

  He glowered at me. “No, I didn’t.”

  I started to protest, but he cut me off.

  “I sourced the diamond myself and had Clara design a ring based on my specs. I wanted it to be a representation of my love for Megan without any outside influence. One-of-a-kind.”

  My stomach twisted. It was anger at my brother. Or possibly hunger. Or maybe something else?