Tessa

The morning of her meeting with Graham’s client, Tessa woke up with a thousand bees buzzing in her chest.

She had laid out her clothes — smart but comfortable — and triple-checked her gear the night before.

Still, her hands trembled slightly as she zipped up her camera bag.

Moose watched her, head cocked to the side, like he knew something important was happening.

“You think I’m ready for this?” she asked him softly.

His tail thumped once.

Tessa smiled, taking it as a yes.

At precisely 8:30 AM, her phone buzzed.

Graham:

I’m outside.

She grabbed her bag, gave Moose a kiss on the head, and hurried downstairs.

Graham’s SUV was idling at the curb.

He leaned over to open the passenger door for her, and she climbed in, heart thudding.

“Morning,” he said, voice warm in a way it used to never be.

“Morning,” she said, settling in.

The drive started quiet — just the soft hum of tires and the occasional click of the turn signal.

Tessa stared out the window, nerves gnawing at her stomach.

“You’ll be fine,” Graham said suddenly, like he could hear her thoughts.

She looked over at him, startled.

He kept his eyes on the road, but his mouth twitched like he was fighting a smile.

“They already want you,” he added.
“You just have to show up and be you.”

Tessa fiddled with the strap of her bag.
“Easy for you to say. You’re the king of professionalism.”

He snorted. “Professionalism is just a fancy word for pretending you’re not panicking.”

She laughed, the tension easing a little.

Graham glanced at her quickly, then back at the road.

“You know,” he said, voice lower now, “I was terrified when I first started my own firm.”

Tessa blinked. “You? Terrified?”

He nodded.
“Every decision felt huge. Every mistake felt like it would end everything. I didn’t sleep properly for the first year.”

She stared at him, heart catching.

Graham — steady, composed, unflappable Graham — had been scared, too.

“But you kept going,” she said quietly.

He shrugged. “What else was I going to do?”

Tessa smiled, her chest filling with something warm and fierce.

“Thank you,” she said after a moment.
“For everything.”

He glanced at her again, something soft flickering across his face.

“Always,” he said simply.

---

Graham

He pulled into the client’s building and found a parking spot, killing the engine.

Tessa looked over at him, nervous energy radiating off her.

He reached over without thinking and squeezed her hand once, quick but firm.

“You’ve got this, Tessa,” he said.

She squeezed back, her fingers small and strong in his.

“For luck,” she said, smiling shakily.

He nodded, letting go — even though part of him didn’t want to.

She grabbed her bag, drew a deep breath, and opened the door.

Just before she got out, she turned back to him.

“I’ll make you proud,” she said, fierce and bright.

“You already do,” he said before he could stop himself.

Tessa’s eyes widened slightly — then she smiled, blinding and beautiful — and was gone, striding toward the building with purpose.

Graham sat back in his seat, watching her go.

And for the first time in a long time, he let himself hope — really hope — that this thing between them wasn’t just real.

It was right.