Page 30 of Fake it For Good
Dana returned and tossed a bottle of water in my direction. “Thank you.”
She sat down with her tablet in hand. “What do you need to know?”
“We’re officially in the holiday season,” I said. “I know there were a lot of invitations that crossed my desk.”
“And you wanted me to decline those,” she said.
“I did.”
“And now you don’t?” she asked.
“Maybe not all,” I replied. “I want to find a couple of smaller parties or intimate events.”
“Intimate?” she asked with her brows raised. “Just what kind of parties are you looking for?”
“Very funny,” I said. “I want to talk toys. I want to see what the competition has. I want to do a little networking. I’ve been out of the game for two years.”
“Three, really,” she corrected.
“I need to get back into the game,” I said. “I’m falling behind. What do you have?”
“Are you willing to travel?” she asked.
I shrugged. “I suppose. What did you have in mind?”
“Do you remember that young kid that inherited his grandfather’s business?” she asked.
“Dana, you have to be a little more specific,” I said.
“In Houston,” she explained. “The grandfather made the wood cars. The push kind. Two wooden wheels. Very basic. Very simple. Remember, you bought some of his designs.”
I smiled at the fond memories of meeting Vern. “I remember. I thought his grandson was going to sell the business.”
“He did,” she said. “But he just started a new one.”
“Toys?”
“Dolls,” she replied.
“Creepy dolls or cute dolls?” I asked.
I really hated dolls. The ones we made were definitely in the cute category. No giant, creepy eyes or weirdly shaped mouths. And definitely no fucked-up cries.
“I honestly don’t know,” she answered. “He sent the invitation.” She went quiet and ran her finger across the screen. “No pictures of the dolls. It’s an invitation to a prerelease party.”
“Who’s going?” I asked.
“I have an invitation, not the guest list,” she said dryly. “He included a special note on your invitation. Something about how much his grandfather liked you and he would love for you to support his new venture.”
“You know I don’t want to go,” I said.
“I know, which is why I politely declined,” she replied.
I tapped my fingers on the desk. It would likely be a small event. It would be a good jumping-off point with Noelle. John already knew I was engaged. This was another way to very casually introduce her. I doubted there would be many people from New York, if any. And I did owe Vern one. He might be long gone, but I knew how much he cared about his grandson. I could throw my weight behind him.
“I’ll go,” I said.
“Excuse me?”
