Chapter 12
Raven
By the time Holston and I stand outside Glasshouse the next day, the area is already brimming with people rushing to get to their lunch appointments. It’s so busy it almost makes me forget how much I dislike sharing oxygen with my boss these days.
He insisted we ride together, which meant twenty minutes of cheerful micromanagement about phrasing, tone, and body language. In turn, I spent the time mentally reminding myself why stabbing him wasn’t a good idea.
From the outside, the downtown place looks like a greenhouse had a baby with an art gallery.
“Perfect energy,” Holston murmurs as he straightens his tie and checks his reflection in the door. “Let’s be warm but decisive.”
I give him my crisp “Absolutely” and save the eye roll for my skull.
On any other day, I’d enjoy running point with him. Today it feels like standing beside someone I can’t quite trust and pretending nothing’s changed.
I used to relax when Holston was with me at client meetings. Now every smooth word rubs like sandpaper because I can’t stop replaying the way he set me up in his office and basically served me to Matteo on a silver platter.
Inside, the air is cool and lemon-clean. Cutlery clicks and conversation hums. The host recognizes Holston and smiles like we’re an exhibit. “Table for four. The Kearneys arrived a few minutes ago.”
One waves enthusiastically from their corner table, the lanky one with sandy hair that flops over his forehead. The other sits with perfect posture, barely glancing up from his tablet.
Sandy hair is Adam Kearney, the face of North Coast Effects according to their website. The other one is Finn, the technical mastermind. Game face on.
Adam stands as we approach, his smile wide and genuine. “I’m Adam. This is my brother, Finn. Thanks for meeting us for lunch.”
“Gentlemen,” Holston beams. “So good to finally meet in person.”
Finn rises a beat later, reaching out to shake our hands. His grip is brief and exact, like a man who thinks handshakes are a social tax he’s willing to pay.
“Please sit,” Adam says, gesturing at the table. Once we’re all seated, he flags a server. “Iced coffee for the table? And sparkling water?”
“Still for me,” Finn says.
“Sparkling’s fine,” I say, taking in the space.
The server nods and disappears. While we look over menus, the room hums with conversation and soft cutlery noise. A few minutes later, the drinks arrive. Iced coffee sweats down tall glasses, while water bottles are placed on crisp coasters.
“Are you ready to order?” the server asks, smiling so wide I’m sure his cheeks hurt.
“Yes,” Adam says. “We should order now. Otherwise, I’ll talk through the entire lunch and forget to eat. I’m a menace that way.”
Even though all three men try to make me order first, I manage to be the last. I don’t do it to be difficult, but rather because I’m having a hard time deciding. In the end, I settle on gnocchi.
The service is quick and quiet, like everything else about this place, and when the refills come, Adam’s mid-story about a client demo that went off early, his grin unapologetic. It’s easy to lose track of time with that kind of energy.
Holston leans in exactly the right amount, present without crowding. “Raven has told me great things about your company. You’ve built something special at North Coast Effects.”
Adam’s shoulders loosen. “Thank you. Of course, we like to think so,” he grins. “It’s been a family business since it launched many years ago. It used to be me and Pop, but within the last couple of years, Finn joined the ranks. Now it’s just the two of us.”
Am I imagining things, or did Adam flinch slightly when he mentioned his brother joining the team? I look at Holston, but he doesn’t seem to have noticed anything. It’s probably just me.
Considering the sleeves on Finn’s button-down are rolled up exactly the same distance on each arm, I’m not sure I wouldn’t flinch if he were my brother. There’s perfectionism, and then there’s Finn.
On his neck, partially hidden by his collar, I spot what looks like a tattoo. Some kind of curved line disappearing beneath the fabric.
Holston steeples his fingers. “So, first things first. We’re thrilled to move forward. The next step is formalizing the partnership. If we come to terms today, our legal department will have a legal agreement ready for you mid-next week.”
Finn’s gaze flicks to him, then to me. “We’d like to lock things in today.”
Holston’s smile holds. “Today?”
Adam jumps in, all smooth edges. “We’ve got a tight calendar. And we want PR locked in ASAP.”
“We completely understand the urgency,” I assure them. “Especially since you’re shifting focus.”
Since I’m not completely sure Holston’s had time to go over all the ins and outs of the brothers’ business, I summarize as quickly as possible. Which is a great tactic since it’ll also show Adam and Finn that I’ve paid attention.
“In short,” I say, finishing up. “You want to be the company people come to for private events and national celebrations like the Fourth of July and New Year’s Eve.”
Finn nods. “Correct. With safety being our primary selling point. Our systems include redundancies that exceed industry standards by forty-three percent.”
Adam rolls his eyes. “What my brother means is that we make things go boom without burning down the world.” He smirks at his own joke. “You’re right. And the first thing we’re going to launch with our drones is the Phoenix Array.”
Finn growls at his brother as he reaches into his folder. “We agreed to wait,” he sighs exasperated. Then he slides a stack of papers onto the table. “We prepared an NDA for today. It covers both of you personally and Holston PR as an entity. There’s also a preliminary service agreement.”
I can’t help smiling at the old-school physical contract he’s sliding toward me. Truth be told, I prefer this to digital agreements, which are much easier to fiddle with.
While Holston scans the first page, I look at their embossed logo. A serpent eating its own tail, with the center circle printed solid black. Elegant. Designed to be looked at more than once.
“Is that Ouroboros?” I ask even though I already know the symbol.
For the first time, something like approval flickers across Finn’s face. “You’re familiar with the symbolism.”
I nod. “The eternal cycle. Destruction and recreation.”
“Perfect for pyrotechnics,” Adam adds, but it sounds rehearsed. Like they are someone else’s words he’s repeating. “We create controlled destruction that turns into something beautiful.”
“The serpent contains everything within itself,” Finn says quietly. “Beginning, middle, end. Cause and effect.”
During my research, I found that they changed their logo about a year and a half ago. Maybe this was when they started preparing to change lanes, or something to symbolize Finn joining the team.
Though I had to dig deep to find their logo, which is weird. Most companies have that on their website. But not North Coast Effects. Or maybe they’re not showing it off until the new part of their business is ready to completely launch.
Holston clears his throat. “We’re happy to sign your NDA today,” he says smoothly, “and we’ll review your preliminary agreement at the table. A formal countersigned contract from us will follow mid-next week.”
Despite the papers across the table, the server arrives with our food. I frown slightly. It’s customary to wait until papers aren’t littering the table. Then again, most business lunches finish with paperwork instead of opening with it.
Holston quickly moves the contracts to the edge of the table, smiling tightly as the server puts the plates in front of us.
“What we want, Nathan, is momentum.” Finn’s polite edge makes Holston’s answering smoothness feel forced. “We sign today,” he adds, tone making it clear it’s not up for discussion.
Holston looks ready to object, but I step in before he can tank the deal. “Finn, Adam…” I look between them. “While we can sign the NDA today and start preliminary work, the full contract should still go through proper channels next week.”
“Raven,” Holston says, and I can feel his eyes on me.
Choosing to ignore him, I continue. “Holston here is putting a lot of trust in my abilities, and so are both of you. But as you know, I’ve just spent close to two years in Paris.
And they do things differently in Europe, so I’d love to make sure everything protects you instead of rushing into things. ”
Finn’s eyes flick toward me, sharp and assessing, then he gives a curt nod like he’s testing how far I’ll go before folding. Adam just beams.
“That sounds fair,” Adam says. “We’ve had agencies promise the world before, but you seem like you actually know what you’re talking about.”
Now that we’ve all come to an agreement, I finally dig into my gnocchi. The conversation drifts into stories where Adam is the nostalgia to Finn’s factuality.
By the time our plates are cleared, Holston hits his closing rhythm in perfect stride. It’s annoying how much I enjoy seeing him work with clients.
Finn slides the NDA toward him again. “Let’s sign.”
Adam’s smile could power a city. “Let’s make it official.”
Holston picks up the pen, signs both copies before sliding them over to me. I sign beside him. “There we go,” I announce once I’m done.
Finn folds the signed copy neatly and tucks it back into the folder. “To being in business,” he says, inclining his head.
When the server comes to clear our plates and offer dessert, I’m quick to order a coffee. This was just stage one of today. We still have the preliminary agreement to go over.
But if I thought Nathan Holston was great at his job before we arrived, it’s nothing compared to the awe I have for him now. The way he leads the discussion without ever seeming like anything’s his idea is enviable.
After another hour or so, everyone’s smiling and feeling good about the arrangement. And we’re officially going to be North Coast Effects’ new publicists and communication specialists.