Page 24 of The Grump I Married
Cynthia nodded.
“Weston said you were focusing on the jealous, unhinged ex-acting-out angle. Is that still the plan?” I asked.
“We’re fronting thatverylightly. I think I’ve only given permission to the team to drop that to one tabloid. I’m actually far more invested in this Braeburn Summer Festival idea. I want us to redirect the conversation.”
I nodded. “I figure it’s exactly the kind of positive press you can milk to overshadow Narissa’s posts.” And me opening my mouth to Tess in a public place where anyone could overhear.
“That’s the plan. I’m gonna need you to be my eyes and ears on the ground. Please take photos of Weston interacting with the public there.”
“Will do,” I said. “We’ve got the first meeting with the committee next week. Once all the funeral stuff is out of the way, I’ll loop you in on the progress.”
“Sounds good,” Cynthia said.
I glanced at my checklist. “Feel free to pop off now. I think we’ve covered my current concerns. The rest of my agenda is just stuff for Nancy.”
Cynthia gave a little wave and gathered her things before leaving the conference room.
“A summer festival for positive press sounds better than that Bolivian alpaca farm idea,” Nancy muttered.
I laughed. “Has Arnie gotten to you too?”
“This elevator needs a lock, I swear. The man is relentless.”
My lips twitched. “He likes to come up after he’s eaten lunch. That’s when he says the ideas really spark.”
“Lord,” Nancy said, rolling her eyes.
“Weston and I are always conveniently rushing off to an important meeting about that time,” I said. “The café down the street also happens to put out their fresh beignets about then. I consider it my reward for saving Weston from Arnie’s incessant chatter.”
“Noted,” Nancy said. “I’ll have to start taking a late lunch.”
Shuffle. Shuffle.
I frowned, glancing around the office and trying to spot the source of the noise. It was a sizable room on the ground floor, filled with heavy wooden furniture and plush maroon carpeting. A family crest and tartan was framed in gold on the wall above a truly colossal stone fireplace. Was something stuck up in the flue? No, the sound didn’t seem to be coming from that direction.
“All good?” Nancy asked.
I turned back to the computer in time to see Nancy flip the page of her notebook. “Sorry, thought I heard something.”
“Must be strange, rattling around in a place like that. I looked it up, you know. I still can’t really wrap my head around someone I know living in an actualcastle.”
“Yeah, I’ll admit that it’s quite the change, compared to my tiny condo,” I said, laughing. “Like, don’t get me wrong, it’s updated and modern.”
“So no creepy dungeons?”
I smirked. “Not that I’ve found. Some of the rooms even have heated floors.”
Nancy hummed, impressed.
“But there’s also winding staircases and turrets and pictures of old men in kilts on the walls. This morning, I half expected to be woken up by a guy with bagpipes instead of my alarm.”
Nancy laughed, and I was reminded again of how lucky I’d gotten with the pick from the secretarial pool. She was efficient, understood my sense of humor, and so far, I hadn’t had to tell her anything twice.
“Okay, let’s get into it,” I said, getting back to my list. “You got the notes from last week’s board meeting?”
“Typed up and filed.”
“Good, can you flag the section on the energy summit in Norway and get it to logistics? They’re going to need to start planning Kincaid’s involvement for later this year.”
