But the doubt lingered in the room like steam over a cup.
For the next few mornings, Claire looked for Tom as she passed the bookstore, but the steps remained empty. She wondered if he’d found a shelter. Or if maybe… maybe it had just been a moment—one of those passing, weightless things.
Work ramped up. Whispers of a corporate merger circled the office. Meetings doubled. Deadlines stacked. The marketing department buzzed with nervous energy.
One morning, Claire arrived to find the company lobby sporting a new placard: Halstead & Gray – In Partnership with Whitaker Group.
The name pulled at her memory like a loose thread. Whitaker. Why did that sound familiar?
She shrugged it off—another thing to Google later—and hurried upstairs.
