Better Than My Ex novel · Chapter 23 of 24

Chapter 23: Wedding Plans

The petition arrived in a flour sack.

Bridget carried it in on Wednesday morning and dropped it on the counter with a thud.

"Four hundred and eleven signatures," she said. "Pilots, flight attendants, gate agents. The mechanics signed twice."

"Twice?"

"One of them said he wanted to make sure."

Mrs. Hartnett sat at the corner table with her cane across her knees and a lemon bar on a plate.

She had come every morning since the dinner, and she had never once said why.

"What does it ask?" I said.

"Linden & Rye back in the crew lounges at SFO," Bridget said.

"With the cinnamon twists. They wrote that part in capital letters."

I turned the pages.

Under the signatures were notes in different hands.

Come back. We miss the twists. The baker never lied to us.

A throat closed up in me, and I let it.

"The airline's president called," Bridget said.

"He wants to give you the contract back tomorrow. No bidding, no paperwork. Levi's board said yes."

"No."

"No?"

"I'm not taking it as a favor."

Mrs. Hartnett smiled into her tea.

"I'd want it in writing," I said.

"Open bid, same as any vendor. Our price list, our terms. Levi stays out of the room."

"He'll hate that," Bridget said.

"He'll love it."

I was right.

When I told him that night, Levi laughed so hard he had to sit down.

"You're turning down a contract from my own company."

"I'm winning it from your company."

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