CLAIRE

I woke up Thursday morning with nerves fluttering in my stomach, the Nordstrom meeting was at eleven AM. Julian was already awake, sitting at the dining table with his laptop and papers spread everywhere.

"Morning," I said, walking over to kiss his cheek.

"Morning," he replied, barely looking up. "Big day today."

"For both of us," I observed, gesturing to his work.

"Trial prep," Julian explained. "My lawyer needs these documents reviewed by noon."

"Then I won't distract you," I said.

I made coffee and toast, eating quickly while mentally going through my presentation. Nina had helped me prepare a portfolio of designs, production capacity, pricing models, everything Nordstrom...