I thought for a second I saw a hint of pride in his emerald-green eyes. It reminded me of the morning when Bram had been in Talon’s room, the way he had—
“Braelyn? Something on your mind?”
My gaze darted over to Talon and I felt warmth infuse my cheeks. “Huh?”
His eyebrows rose and I saw humor dancing in his eyes.
He’d busted me.
“No, I’m…” I cleared my throat, opened my laptop. “I’m good, thanks.”
Gideon kicked things off. “Laura Dunbar turned in one possession sometime close to dawn. She opted to keep the other for a little while longer, but I don’t think it’ll make much of a difference. If I had to guess, she’s no closer to making a decision than she was the last time she came here.”
Talon did not appear surprised.
“And Brad and Leah?” he asked.
“We could send them home today with their possession,” Zed answered with his easy, laid-back charm. “They’re locked and loaded.”
Talon jotted something on the notepad in front of him. “That’s good news. What about Mr. A?”
I took a sip of coffee, listened to the back-and-forth. Zed Lynch was an interesting man, I’d come to learn. As seemed to be his preference, his long, rangy frame was clad in a comfortable T-shirt, legs covered with denim. He wasn’t wearing his signature cowboy hat, but his dark brown hair was mussed as though he had been.
I liked Zed. Far more than I expected to when I first met the man. He was older than the others, I’d been told. In his late forties, and apparently had a wealth of life experience to go along with his age. Two ex-wives, four grown children, seven grandchildren, two former male partners—how Talon had referred to them—and a number of Professional Bull Rider buckles to signify a life hard-lived.
According to what I’d learned, the Texas-born country boy had come to stay on Sapphire island two months ago after he’d made his first visit and left empty-handed. After another week on the app, interacting with a few possessions who’d captured his attention while he was here, Zed had approached Talon with a request for a longer-term stay. At that point, Talon had listened to his reasons and conceded to his request. According to Talon, Zed had not found what he was looking for yet, and he’d admitted he wasn’t sure he would. When I attempted to get more details, he hadn’t elaborated.
“And the others?” Talon asked.
While Gideon went into his lengthy update regarding the status of the Owners currently visiting, my attention shifted to Talon. I enjoyed watching him work, the way he gave his full attention to whoever was speaking. He was very efficient when he spoke, getting right to the point and expecting others to do the same. I remembered his conversation with Memphis on Tuesday, the first meeting I’d been invited to, along with Zion. They had walked through what, in my opinion, was a phenomenal benefits package. Unlike Ransom, Memphis hadn’t negotiated; however, he did warn Talon he wasn’t sure Tiegan was going to be continuing in her role.
To my shock, Talon had insisted Memphis get her under control. He was not willing to lose her as an employee, and he expected Memphis to do what was necessary to retain her. I got the feeling, based on Talon’s responses, it would be the personal relationship between Memphis and Tiegan that would be the saving grace. I’d yet to hear how that was going.
“Take me through the plan for today,” Talon stated when Gideon was finished.
While Gideon and Zed gave an update on the possessions in training and what they would be doing throughout the day, I listened closely, careful to take detailed notes. I’d learned yesterday that Talon was very interested in what went on, and he’d started to ask me for updates. It had become my job to seek out Gideon, Zed, and Ransom for additional details as the day went on.
Since I was eager to show Talon I was suited for this job, I figured it was in my best interest to stay on top of things.
After all, it seemed to please him immensely, and oddly, that was becoming something I was eager to do. Please him.
*
TALON
Gideon and Zed were finishing up their update when Ransom strolled into the meeting room looking concerned, his full attention on me as he took a seat. Because there was nothing else to gain from this meeting, I dismissed everyone, with the exception of Braelyn and Ransom. I had a