She picked up the folded paper hand pie holder she’d designed. It was compact yet sturdy, with a simple, economical design for pushing broken pieces of pie toward the top. She’d found three manufacturers who could make them, and she’d gotten bids from each of them. Dropping the holder and the bids in the mail was certainly one way to get Toby the information, but that felt too cowardly. Running and hiding had never been in her nature. She was the kind of person who put it all out there and let the consequences be damned. Sort of.

She went upstairs and put on makeup, then replaced her University of Washington sweatshirt with a cute sweater. On her way out, she grabbed the hand pie holders she’d been playing with, along with the folder containing the bids, and stepped into the cold.

But as she approached Judy’s Hand Pies, her courage faded until she started doubting herself. She nearly turned back twice, but told herself she had to be brave. Later, when she looked back on this moment, she would be glad of that.

She found Shaye behind the counter, helping a couple of customers. While they tried to decide between beef with mushrooms and beef burgundy pies, Reggie waved at her.

“I need to talk to Toby. All right if I go up to his office?”

Shaye smiled at her. “Absolutely. The stairs are through the back.”

Reggie nodded and walked behind the counter, then into the prep area, where a huge oven baked the pies. She opened the door at the end and found herself at the foot of a staircase.

“Courage,” she whispered before squaring her shoulders.

She took the stairs two at a time, then walked down the short hallway. Only one door stood open, so she moved toward it and found Toby at his desk, his attention on his computer.

He looked good, she thought, admiring his broad shoulders and the way his intense expression made him even sexier. In that second before he spotted her, she imagined him smiling—a welcoming smile with a hint of wicked. Then he would stand and cross to her before pulling her close and—

“Reggie?”

His tone of confusion and faint wariness was not what she’d been wishing for, she thought, holding in a sigh. She faked a bright smile.

“Hi. Yes, it’s me. I’ll only keep you a second.”

She took a seat in one of the visitors’ chairs.

“Fear not. I come in peace and to talk business.”

His expression warmed. “We weren’t fighting. There’s no need to come in peace.”

“Fine. Then I promise not to tell you all the things wrong with your life.”

“You always did have firm opinions.”

“I still do.”

“So I heard. How are you?”