CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTEEN – JEALOUS PARTNER

Later that evening, as Deonna was tucking Kayla into bed, her phone buzzed with a text from Logan. Logan: "Hey, how was your day? Kayla mentioned you had a 'work lunch' today. Everything okay?" Deonna frowned, feeling a twinge of guilt. She hadn't mentioned the lunch to Logan, not wanting to make a big deal out of it. Deonna: "Yeah, everything's fine. Just met with a potential business contact. No big deal." She hit send, then immediately regretted not being more forthcoming. But what was there to tell? It was just lunch with a colleague, nothing more. Over the next few weeks, Deonna found herself spending more time with Marcus. They met for coffee to discuss business strategies, exchanged emails about industry trends, and even attended a startup pitch event together. One evening, as Deonna was preparing dinner, Logan stopped by to drop off Kayla after a day out. "So," Logan said, leaning against the kitchen counter, "who's this Marcus guy Kayla keeps talking about?" Deonna fro