It started at lunch.
He had twenty minutes between calls and a text he'd been composing in his head for two weeks.
Baseball's back. Patios are open. The NHL and NBA playoffs start. The cover story practically wrote itself.
He hit send before he could talk himself out of it.
By 3PM he was useless in his meeting.
By 5:30 he was sitting in the parking garage downtown.
Engine off, tie loosened, telling himself he could still cancel.
He didn't.
He pulled up the confirmation, checked the address, and merged onto 94 with the kind of focus a man usually reserves for things that actually matter.
The elevator ride up was quiet.
He'd built a version of me in his head.
The rates, the positioning, the way I carry myself online.
Polished. Guarded. A little standoffish.
The door opened.
I was warm. Funny. Completely unbothered.
The kind of woman who makes a man feel like he's the only one who thought to show up.
And somehow also the smartest one in the room for doing it.
He stayed longer than he planned.
He texted those who needed to know from the parking garage on the way out,
"Traffic getting out of downtown was brutal, grabbing gas, be home soon."
He was smiling when he sent it.
Minneapolis men get something the touring markets don't.
There's a local Minneapolis offer.
It's built around your schedule, your timeline, and what actually makes sense for a first meeting.
That doesn't live anywhere public.
— Paige
P.S. The man who built a story about who I am before he met me is always the most surprised. I find that charming.
P.P.S. The Minnesota offer is real. The workflow is short. The calendar is limited.
-- Modified on 4/4/2026 7:46:24 PM