Page 59 of Back in the Country
Fuck it.
“Like I told you before, the program I’m in is more application based. We still get a degree, but it’s less book oriented and more hands-on. This project is supposed to be taking our existing business and finding threeuniqueapplications.”
“Wow. That sounds amazing, Way.”
Her moss-green eyes are bright with excitement, and I don’t sense an ounce of judgment.
I rub the back of my neck with a rough palm.
“I’m struggling to come up with two other applications.”
“Do you want to talk it out?”
I blink.
And then blink again.
What the fuck is wrong with me? Here is my girl—who is arguably the most selfless person I know aside from her brother—offering genuine help as a peer and partner, and I almost miss out because I can’t get my head out of my ass.
Reaching across the space between us, I cup her face and kiss her hard until she is breathless.
She is a little dazed when I pull back, but I don’t know how else to say thank you. Thank you for supporting me, for not making me feel less than, for giving me confidence, and believing in me.
Marlee doesn’t know it yet, but I am going to show her just how much I appreciate her when all this is sorted.
“So my first idea is a vendor table at the farmers’ market they have during the summer months. I’ve seen some other tables set up with homemade goods, and there’s a wide range of people, both regulars and tourists.”
“I think that’s a great idea.” She takes a bite of her sandwich as she looks at my notes. “Would it count to do a second vendor event with a different audience?”
“I think so. As long as I can prove it’s a different target.”
“What about the Brew, Q ’n Boogie? The crowd is predominately young people our age. The location guarantees you’ll pull in more college kids too.”
“You realize we’re probably not in the same age category, right?”
She rolls her eyes as I pretend I’m offended.
“Just because you’re old doesn’t mean you can’t be fun.” She sticks her tongue out, and I have to adjust myself. She’s all sass, and I want to kiss that smug expression right off her face.
“You’re going to pay for that later.”
“I’m counting on it.” She winks and then takes another bite of her sandwich. “There will be tons of foot traffic for the duration of the show. We can have business cards, email lists, maybe a giveaway—like write down your email and we’ll notify the winner?”
“That’s a really great idea.”
I scribble down what she says and add a few notes of my own about what kind of inventory I’d display at a show like that.
Looking up, I see she has a hopeful look in her eyes, and her bottom lip is snagged between her teeth. Seriously, this is like every singlestudyingfantasy I missed out on while I was in school.
“What?”
“I have another idea, but I don’t want to overstep.”
Relief washes over me and I exhale a heavy sigh.This girl.
My girl. “I’d love to hear your idea.”
A bright smile lights up her face, and she wiggles in her seat.
