Jiya
“Are you excited about your presentation?” Liam asked from across the desk.
“I’m nervous,” I admitted, biting my lower lip.
A knot sat heavily in my stomach, tightening with every passing minute. My hands were cold despite the warm temperature in the office, and I rubbed them together lightly.
“What you’ve done is truly impressive,” he said. “You’ve outdone yourself, and you should be proud. You’ve taken this to heart. I know Cole would’ve been proud of you.”
His words landed gently but powerfully, making me feel taller and stronger. I drew in a slow breath, smiling slightly.
“I hope the clients like it,” I said.
“I’m sure they will,” Liam replied with an encouraging smile. “The first client is from Vancouver. He should be here any minute now. I’ll see you in the conference room.”
“Okay,” I said, nodding.
As he walked out, I reached for my phone to distract myself and noticed a new text message waiting on the screen.
Karena
Good luck with your first meeting today. I know you’ve been working hard for it. I’m sure the clients will love it. Take care, and message me later to let me know how it went.
A warmth spread through my chest. Not long ago, seeing her name would have triggered anger, confusion, and suspicion. Now, it stirred something cautious but hopeful.
My mother had kept in touch regularly over the past few months, reaching out through emails and text messages. Every week, she called to check on the children, asking about Lucas’s school and Emma’s latest adventures. She had mentioned that she planned to visit again in a month.
I typed a quick reply thanking her for the message and wishing her a good day before placing the phone back on the table. My gaze drifted automatically to the framed photographs beside my notes—one of Cole smiling warmly at the camera, and another of the children laughing together.
I reached out and touched the edge of Cole’s picture lightly.
Dear God, I hope they like it. This presentation meant more than business. It represented everything I had fought to rebuild after losing him—my confidence, my independence, and my belief that I could stand on my own.
I gathered my notes, holding them firmly in my hands.
Drawing in a deep breath through my nose, I slowly exhaled through my mouth, allowing the tension in my shoulders to ease. Then I straightened my posture and walked toward the conference room, ready to face whatever waited on the other side of that door.
As I walked through the office toward the conference room, a few of the employees looked up from their desks. I offered them a warm smile and greeted them with a quick, “Good morning, everyone,” exchanging a few nods and polite responses before continuing down the hallway.
“There she is, the star of the presentation for this project,” Liam said as I approached the room.
The other man’s back was turned toward me.
I smiled and stepped inside, looking at Liam first.
Then I turned and held out my hand.
And the world spun in front of me.
Everything inside me locked up at once. A heavy sensation dropped into my core, and my muscles weakened instantly.
The blue-green eyes I had once loved stared back at me.
“Jiya, this is Caleb Evans of the Evans Group,” Liam said. “Mr. Evans, this is my partner and sister-in-law, Jiya Flores.”
My body and mind seemed to shut down as I stood there staring at him.
How could this be possible? How could he be the client?
Thousands of thoughts crashed into my mind, and every single one of them made me want to run to the nearest exit and disappear. I had been so distracted by running into him at the restaurant the other night that I had forgotten to ask Liam who the potential clients were.
This was my fault.
I could have been prepared.
I could have spared myself this shock.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Evans,” I said, my eyes still locked on his.
Caleb’s warm hand closed around mine.
The same hand that had once sunk into my hair. The same hand that had caressed my body. The same hand that had comforted me and made me feel safe… a long time ago.
“Good afternoon,” he said, and his eyes continued to hold mine with a hard, unreadable intensity.
“Please have a seat so we can begin,” Liam said, ushering him toward a chair. “Can I get you a cup of tea or coffee?”
“Coffee, please,” Caleb said, not looking away from me.
“Sure,” Liam said, glancing between us with a slight frown.
I pasted on a smile, trying to assure Liam that everything was fine, but my stomach felt rock hard.
How was I going to do this? How could I talk about the presentation now? How could I stand there and face him?
The past had a cruel way of returning when I least expected it. First, my birth mother, and now Caleb. I had barely begun sorting through one squall, and now another had arrived without warning.
Emma’s father.
My first true love.
The man who had betrayed my trust.
And now he sat in front of me while I had to present to him.
I walked over to the laptop, fully aware that his eyes were following me. I prepared the presentation that would be displayed on the projector. With my back turned toward him, I wiped my clammy hands against my jacket.
Was I uncomfortable?
Yes.
Was I scared?
Yes.
Was it possible I would falter during this presentation?
Yes.
Here I was, about to present my late husband’s dream while the man I once loved sat behind me, deciding whether to invest in it or not. My past stood behind me, my present stood in front of me, and my future seemed to be waiting on the next few minutes.
The screen lit up.
Cole’s Community Living!
The words shone in front of me, and everything changed.
My breathing steadied, and my spine straightened.
I had worked incredibly hard on this project.
It was more than a presentation.
It was a promise… a promise to Cole, to Liam, and to myself.
My fear faded, and my confidence returned.
I had neither committed a crime nor done anything wrong. I did not need to be afraid of anyone or anything. If I had faced my past with my mother, then I could face Caleb too, especially when he was the one who had betrayed me.
And if he was not interested in the project, then that would not be the end of the world. There were tons of other fish in the sea. He was not the only potential investor. He was the first, but he certainly would not be the last.
I turned around.
A calm strength moved through me, and the panic that had gripped me only moments earlier disappeared. I rolled my shoulders back, lifted my chin, and met his gaze without flinching.
“I’d like to introduce you to a one-of-a-kind community that brings the old and the new together… Cole’s Community Living.”
“This is great, Jiya,” Liam chirped as we walked back toward my office. “Your first presentation, your first client, and you’ve already got yourself a deal. I’m so proud of you.”
“Yes,” I replied, fidgeting with the button on my jacket. “There’s something I need to—”
“Liam,” Jessica said as she walked up. “Hi, Jiya!”
“You’re just in time, honey,” he said. “You won’t believe what just happened.”
Liam told his wife about the Evans group becoming the investor. I was proud of myself, truly proud, but that pride came with a cost. The man from my past was now linked to my future, helping bring my late husband’s dream to life.
I needed to be honest with Liam and tell him about Caleb. It was not fair to keep him in the dark about my history with our new investor.
But now was not the right time. I needed to wait, even though the truth pressed against my heart, demanding to be spoken.
Liam and Jessica took me out to lunch. Even though I had no appetite, I managed to eat some of the pasta I had ordered. By the time lunch ended, exhaustion had settled into every pore of my body, so I cut the day short at the office and headed home.