Page 65 of Sugar & Shadows

Mark laughed, but I admired her bluntness.

“If I was on my own, I probably would. But I’m not working alone,” I told her. “We’re all doing this together. We’ve got a committee, volunteers, a social media team. I’m just the messenger.”

She walked around the table and held out her hand.

“I don’t work with people I don’t trust. But for some reason, probably because I used to enjoy beating your grandpa at poker, I trust you.”

I took her hand, surprised by her shockingly strong grip.

“Mark. Give the mayor what he needs,” she instructed. “Set up the cameras, shake your ass on TikTok, whatever it takes.”

Mark gave me an annoyed glare that pulled a laugh out of me.

The mayor didn’t have a lot of power. But maybe Gabe Harding did. As a citizen, a son of Maplewood, and as a descendant of the people who’d built something lasting on this land.

There was possibility here. The job didn’t define me, just like the past didn’t define Maplewood. The future did.

Chapter 17

Sabrina

Curled up on my childhood bed, I dug deep for the will to eat.

A crash on the other end of the phone line startled me, and when it was followed by a high-pitched voice whining, “he took my waffle.” I stifled a laugh.

“Give your brother the waffle,” Meg commanded. “You have two hands. Give one to him and keep one for yourself.”

The epic insanity of Meg’s house was comedic. She could have a reality show. Her kids were cute, but God, they were a handful. The kind of handful I’d never have to manage. Years ago, I’d realized that kids weren’t for me. Not only because I worked too much, but because I’d yet to find even one single man I’d be interested in procreating with. My childhood had been difficult. That was a factor too. Being an introverted only child, losing my dad young, and watching my mom struggle. It had been rough.

There was nothing magical about it.

Even so, I respected the hell out of Meg’s decision. She’d seen some shit in her career; I understood why she’d chosen to walk away. A life revolving around music classes and potty training couldn’t be more different from intelligence work, but if anyone deserved joy, it was her.

“I’m here,” she said. “And I’ve got intel.”

“Mom,” another voice asked. “Are you doing your spy job? You said when you work, we get to watch Dora.”

“I’m retired,” Meg said to her daughter. “I’m talking to Auntie Sabrina. And yes, you can watch TV. Just eat your waffle and make sure Jackson doesn’t shove it up his nose.”

A door thumped shut, and then my friend sighed into the phone.

“Okay,” she said, her voice all business again. “I hacked a Canadian agricultural database.”

I pulled up short. “What?”

“Don’t get too excited,” she groused. “It was barely protected. Honestly, I was a bit offended.”

“Meg. Focus.”

“Okay, okay. So. Arcadian Biotech.”

I huffed. “That means nothing to me.”

“They are the parent company of AgriNova. Registered in Delaware. American owned and operated but have a big presence in Canada.”

“So they make our maple tree supplement. BGX-9?”

My stomach clenched. Shit. I really should eat something. But I didn’t have the energy to get up.