“Thanks. First, I just want to say I’m sorry, Harper, that I’m here turning your world upside down. It’s the last thing you must have wanted or expected. It’s been a long time, I’m sure, since you had to deal with anything to do with your father. And I wish I could say just ignore this, but I can’t.” Ashton looks at me with sorrowful eyes.

“To say it was a shock was an understatement, but here we are, and I have no choice but to face it head-on and deal with it.” My leg starts to bounce a little under the table, and I can tell my level of anxiety is rising faster than I would like. No one in this room except Felisha has seen me when a panic attack washes over me, and I’d rather it didn’t happen tonight either.

Without warning, Forrest places a gentle hand on my knee and holds it still. A funny warmth spreads up my leg, and the shock of him doing that is enough to stop it bouncing, and without even making eye contact with me, his hand is gone again. But just that action was enough to startle me and make me stay in the here and now. His knee is now pressed against mine ever so gently, but I can’t stop concentrating on the feel of his touch that has pushed my fear into the background while I concentrate on Forrest and what Ashton is saying.

Ashton then starts explaining who he is and his background, which I know our teams have already looked into, and everything he says checks out.

“But I know you don’t really care who I am or what I had for breakfast.” Ashton, trying to keep things light, has been giving me the courtesy of directing his dialogue mainly to me, which I appreciate.

“Well, if you are like me when I fly,” Sandon chimes in, “for a day afterwards, I have no idea what meal I’m eating, and they all just seem like breakfast to me. Something to eat and the strongest coffee you can find to keep you awake to get on to the right time zone.”

“I agree.” Ashton smiles at me. “I’m lucky, though, to be flying here on our private company jet that we bought a few years ago. Have to say it makes the flying experience a whole lot easier.”

I don’t say anything because Sandon is probably the only one in the room who doesn’t have the luxury of flying in a private jet every time he leaves the country.

A deep growly voice unexpectedly comes from beside me. “Can we get on with this?” Forrest is impatient, and we all know that, but it’s no need to be rude. I glare at him to tell him to close his mouth and not open it again in this meeting.