Chapter 28 #2
The tears flowed a little more, but I didn’t feel judged. Yes, we were here for business, but this business was always going to be personal. Margot and Amina had both known it. I’d tried to deny it, but it hadn’t got me very far.
“They would have loved this. Mum would have been taking photos of every detail, and Gran would have quizzed Gabriel for far too long.”
Eliza was quiet for a moment, then she moved closer and wrapped her arms around me. I melted into her warmth, breathing in her familiar scent while my shoulders shook.
“I remember how excited your mum got about new technology,” she said softly against my hair. “She would have been fascinated by the 3D packaging. And your gran would have charmed Gabriel into giving us all his suppliers and trade secrets.”
I choked out a laugh. “You’re not wrong there.” I sniffed. “When we’re on the cusp of something amazing, I want to call them and tell them everything.”
“They’d be so proud.” Eliza stroked my back. “You’re doing exactly what your mum dreamed of. You’re honouring everything they both taught you while pushing the business forward.”
I pulled back slightly, wiping my eyes with my sleeve. “That last trip here, Mum kept saying she wished Gran could see how beautiful it still was. She missed her so much. And now I miss them both.” I exhaled. “Why didn’t I get that time was precious? Why didn’t I agree to do this sooner?”
Eliza cupped my face gently, her thumbs brushing away fresh tears. “But you’re here. You’re doing it now. That’s not nothing, Poppy.”
Something in her voice, the tenderness and certainty, made my whole body tingle with… I wasn’t quite sure what. She’d known them both, and somehow that made her comfort feel even more precious.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“For what?”
“For remembering them with me. For being here. For helping me. For not thinking I’m completely unhinged for crying about this during a business trip.”
Katy’s words came back to me: “She doesn’t seem like a villain.” I’d never thought that more than now. Maybe Mum meant someone else entirely.
“This was never going to be just a business trip.” Eliza gave me a sad smile.
“Plus, we can’t be too successful. We’re only taking pre-orders at first, not shipping the watch until it’s ready.
We’re offering exclusive updates, inviting them into a golden-circle moment.
Remember the email Fiona sent last week, and you gave the green light?
” Her tone was gentle but confident. “Scarcity marketing, like Gabriel said. Make it special. People are buying a ticket, and then we ship when it’s ready. ”
I smiled, still shaky from crying. I did remember, of course. “I appreciate all the help you’ve given me.”
Eliza shook her head. “It’s a team effort.
You’re the key contact, dealing with the star, legal and marketing.
I’m helping the Scotland team with logistics, while working on my mental health, too.
” She sighed. “Plus, Andrew is working up the pre-order system. Turns out, Andrew has his uses after all.”
“Sounds like you’ve got it all figured out.”
“Just trying to do my bit. But you have the final say.”
“Who would have thought you’d ride to my rescue these past couple of months, when you tried to undermine me for years?”
Eliza shook her head. “Everything that happened was accidental. I never intended to undermine you. We’ve been playing cat and mouse for at least a decade. I even got married in the interim. You could say we’ve been playing the long game.”
The sexual tension that had been simmering between us all day suddenly crackled to life, intensified by the emotional intimacy we’d just shared.
I was acutely aware we were alone on this terrace, and that the golden-hour light made everything look soft and romantic.
Eliza’s hair was catching the breeze in a way that made me want to reach out and touch it.
Instead, I forced myself to look back at my laptop, though the screen was blurry through my lingering tears.
“Roka’s shooting next week when she’s back in the UK for another festival.
Then she launches her album two weeks later at 23:00 on July 23rd, and the watch pre-order will get super-charged off the back of that.
It’s already up for super-fans. We’ve got 50 influencers lined up for the big launch, social media ads ready, select newspaper and airport ads primed. ”
“You’re creating a moment together.” Eliza’s voice was warm with something that sounded like pride. “This is going to be massive. I predict you might crash the internet.”
My phone buzzed with a call from Fiona, and I grabbed it gratefully, needing the distraction from the way Eliza was looking at me.
“Hi Fiona, how are things?”
“All good here, love. Just wanted to check in. I know you’re worrying about capacity, but we’ve got plans in place. The new 3D printing setup arrives next week, and I’ve got three more craftspeople lined up if we need them. We can handle whatever comes our way.”
Fiona’s surety made calm run through me. I wasn’t doing this alone. I had a team behind me who were backing me all the way.
Even so, I had to check. “You’re sure we can do this?”
“Poppy.” Fiona’s voice was firm but kind. “Take care of yourself. That’s what your mum would want, and in lieu of her, I’m the closest thing you’ve got to a mother figure telling you to stop panicking and enjoy what you’re doing.”
The words hit me unexpectedly hard, especially after my tears about Mum and Gran. Fiona was right: she was the closest thing I had to a maternal presence.
“I know,” I managed. “Thank you.”
After I hung up, Eliza eyed me with concern. “Everything alright?”
“Yeah, just... Fiona looking out for me, like always." I stared out over the lake, where the last light was painting the water gold. “Sometimes I focus so much on the people I’ve lost, I forget the people I still have.”
“You’re not alone,” Eliza told me, and when I looked up, the intensity in her gaze made my breath catch, and a sonic boom explode in my body. I gripped my leg for something to hang on to.
The silence stretched between us, loaded with all the things we weren’t saying. The weekday rule felt increasingly ridiculous when she was sitting there looking at me like that, when she’d just held me while I cried.
“We should probably get ready for our dinner reservation,” I said finally, though I made no move to pack up.
“Probably,” Eliza agreed, but she didn’t move either.