Page 57 of The Sebastian Guarantee
He watched her lift her arm and discreetly sniff, but he couldn’t assure her that she didn’t stink because her words had sparked an epiphany.
Sense of smell . . . the senses. That was it.
“Phoebe, you’re a genius!” he exclaimed.
“A foul-smelling genius?” she asked, giving her other armpit a sniff.
“No, you smell fine. I’m talking about the senses. That’s the . . .” He recalled the words from his meeting with Bernadette and Claudette.
“The what?” she asked.
“The unifying concept. The fresh take on life coaching,” he answered, barely able to contain his excitement.
She gave him a wary once-over. “I’ll let you marinate on your fresh take while I make a pit stop in the ladies’ room. I’ll meet you at the boathouse.”
“I’ll be there.”
Ideas raced through his mind. He had to get it down. He slipped his notebook from his pocket and removed the little pen from the metal spiral. Setting off on the path toward the boathouse, he thumbed through the pad until he found a blank page. Walking and writing at the same time, he listed the five senses: smell, sight, sound, taste, and touch. He could easily organize his core principles around them. It was relatable and memorable.
The Sebastian Guarantee: Success by the Senses.
There it was!
He laughed to himself as relief and elation coursed through his veins. Thanks to Phoebe, his business plan was coming together.
Standing a few steps from the boathouse, he returned the pen to the spiral binding, pocketed his notebook, then took in the lake. The moonlight shimmered on the surface. And he felt it. There was magic in the air. With his heart pounding, he scanned the cocktail hour participants. He recognized a few health and wellness influencers who also had large followings online.
He continued perusing the crowd when a woman in white caught his eye. She glanced away from the trio of men she was conversing with and nodded to him. His stomach dropped. What was Claudette and Bernadette’s associate doing here? Was she there to keep an eye on him? Had the sisters sent her to scope out other health and lifestyle entrepreneurs?
“Ladies and gentlemen,” a woman with a glowing ebony complexion said into a microphone, cutting off his spiraling train of thought. “Welcome to—” Before she could continue, an earsplitting alarm pierced the night air, followed by thebamof a door slamming. She, along with everyone else, swiveled toward the source of the sound.
His jaw dropped. The source of that sound appeared to be Phoebe.
Standing in front of a door with anemergency exitonlysticker fixed across the top, Phoebe froze. Mae’s grandson Bruce sprinted toward the door, coming in fast from inside the lodge. The kid inserted a key into a box on the door, and the blaring ceased.
Aside from the lapping lake, not a peep could be heard from the LETIS participants. Hopefully, she’d taken heed of hisyou want all eyes on youspeech because every single LETIS participant was currently looking right at her—which wasn’t a bad turn of events. The lights glimmered off the beads and mini sequins sewn into the dress. Taking on an ethereal quality, she looked every part the sexy, sophisticated siren. She flashed her stretched-taffy smile and didn’t move a muscle.
He hurried to her side. “What are you doing, Pheebs?” he asked under his breath.
“I took off my glasses and put them in my purse. I didn’t realize this was an emergency exit until it was too late,” she answered with a forced grin. “Is everyone looking at me?”
He surveyed the crowd. “Yep.”
“I don’t hear any laughing.”
He drank her in. “It’s because you’re stunning. They’re staring because you’re an absolute knockout. Are you okay?”
“My vision is blurry, and my feet are literally killing me. How do women wear these all day?”
“Take my arm and let me do the talking.” He surveyed the still-stunned LETIS participants. “False alarm, folks,” he said to the crowd, walking at a geriatric turtle’s pace toward the lake with Phoebe clutching his arm. He looked around and caught the eye of the young woman in white again. She was on the phone, just like when he met with the Marieuse sisters.
“What an exciting way to open the sixth symposium,” the woman with the mic mused, pulling the crowd’s attention from Phoebe.
“Thanks for coming to my rescue,” Phoebe whispered, leaning into him.
“What are friends for?” There!Friends.He’d said it. Now, did that stop the insane, possessive urge to wrap his arm around her so every guy still stealing glances thought she was with him? No. But he fought it.
“Let’s start again,” the woman with the mic said. “I’m Josephine Carlisle, one of the LETIS board members. I’d like to welcome our innovators and investors and thank our main sponsor, Zinger, and the Glenn Pines Lodge, for making this unique event possible. For the next couple of days, you’ll enjoy camp-style activities where investors and innovators can interact in a casual, fun-filled environment. The schedule of events is listed in the folder we’ve placed in your rooms. In the past, LETIS has fostered many lucrative collaborations. Look around. Your perfect match could very well be standing next to you.”
