“Ah, not yet, but I think it’s in process.” Rick moved back, edging toward my door. “I’ll just leave that with you, and if you have any questions, you can let me know. Again, sorry to interrupt.”
“Thanks, Rick. I’ll look it over this afternoon and get back to you.”
He executed a move that was somewhere between a nod and bow and hustled out of my office. Daisy giggled.
“I’m not sure if the people here are in awe of you because your grandparents started the company or because you married a prince,” she remarked. “But you have that one ready to do homage.”
“It’s mortifying,” I groaned. “I only want to do my job, and some of the new ones, who didn’t know me before I was the Duchess of Kendal, act as though they expect me to float around on a glittery cloud of fairy dust. Just getting them to speak to me like normal humans is a chore.” I shook my head. “What I was about to ask, before Rick interrupted, was how you think I should confront Nicky about this situation. I’m half-afraid that if I bring it up, he might deny it or tell me I’m imagining things.”
“If you want my advice, for what it’s worth, I think I’d let this ride for a bit.” Daisy leaned forward, stretching her back like a cat in the sunshine. “Because if we’re wrong and it’s something else entirely, you could be putting Nicky into a more uncomfortable position than he’s in now, stressing him even more.” She tilted her head, the corners of her lips tipping upwards. “Give him some time, Kyra. Trust that he is doing what he thinks is best for you both, and if it turns out that he’s made another major mistake, then you have the fun of getting to see him grovel at your feet, begging your forgiveness.” Her grin was swift and wicked.
I couldn’t help laughing. “What an excellent idea—and what a devious brain you have, Daisy.” I gave her a quick side-hug. “Remind me to stay on your good side.”
“I only use my powers for good,” she informed me loftily. “In the cause of supporting my sisters and punishing wayward brothers ... and other males who need a good kick in the ass.”
I was about to ask her if she meant anyone specifically, but just at that moment, our food arrived, and by the time we’d dug into our pad se-ew and pad Thai, Daisy had launched into a hilarious story about one of her friend’s weddings.
Our conversation set my mind at ease ... for now, at least. But I couldn’t escape the sense that something unknown was hanging over our heads—and when it dropped, things just might get messy.
“HELLO,KYRA.DID YOU WANTto see me?”
I glanced up from the papers on my desk. Serena Kessel, who was now the managing partner of the London branch of Honey Bee Juices, stood at my open door, waiting.
“Hey, Serena. Yes, thanks for coming up. I would’ve come to your office, but I was waiting for a response for a question.” I waved her inside. “Have a seat. Oh, and would you close the door, please?”
Frowning, Serena shut the door behind her and glided to the chair on the other side of my desk. I’d learned recently that she’d studied ballet during her youth and had even been part of a premier dance company, which explained the grace and elegance I’d always admired.
“This sounds ominous. Should I be worried?”
I raised one eyebrow. “For yourself? Absolutely not. About the situation I want to talk to you about ... maybe.”
“What’s going on?” Her spine straight and posture perfect, Serena regarded me curiously. “I wasn’t aware we had a situation.”
Sighing, I lifted a stack of papers. “My grandfather used to say that running a successful business means there willalwaysbe a situation of one sort or another. It’s how we handle them and how quickly we address them that determines their effect. This one ...” I hesitated. “I might be jumping the gun. It’s possible that I’m seeing problems where there are none, and that this is just a simple misunderstanding.” Leaning forward, I handed Serena a page from the print-out I was holding. “How well do you know Rick Lester from the production management team?”
She narrowed her eyes, thinking. “Is he the new one, who’s only recently been hired?”
I nodded. “Six months ago, so he’s not brand-spanking-new, but I’d call him a rookie. That’s what makes me wonder if maybe I’m overreacting.”
“I didn’t oversee his hiring.” Serena scanned the paper. “And this is a memo from him, suggesting a new supplier?”
“It is.” I sat back, stretching my neck. “Everything about it is in order. As a matter of fact, I probably wouldn’t have paid the whole thing much attention, but Rick made a point of bringing it to my attention a couple of weeks ago. It was in the process of being vetted by our practices and compliance folks at that point. If he hadn’t mentioned it to me, this supplier would have gone through the process and likely been turned down, and that would’ve been the end of it. But when I saw the bullet point from Steve’s last status report, noting that the farm wasn’t a good fit, I was curious and reached out to him to find out why.” I passed Serena another piece of paper. “This was the supporting documentation he sent.”
I stayed silent for a few minutes to allow Serena time to read the email from our head of practices and compliance. When her eyes went wide, I sighed. “You see it, then.”
“Wow.” She gave the page a shake, as though it offended her. “On the surface, this farmer appears to be a perfect fit for us. Organic practices, no pesticides, sustainable water and growing procedures ...”
“Right.” I gave a quick, sharp nod. “On paper, it works. But luckily, we have a stellar practices and compliance team, and they dug a little deeper. It seems that the organic practices haven’t been verified by the necessary organizations, and we don’t have any soil tests or observation reports to be certain that they’re not using poisons.”
“I see that.” Serena laid down the paper and tapped her finger on it. “I’m assuming that when you saw this and put it together with the fact that Rick went out of his way to approach you about the potential supplier, you smelled a rat. So to speak.”
“Exactly.” I paused for a beat, watching Serena’s reaction closely. “It could be a coincidence. It’s possible that he’s just a guy trying to make a name for himself, and he happened to champion the wrong person.”
“Or he knew exactly what he was doing.” She exhaled a long breath and pushed the page away. “What would be his motive? He’d have to know that eventually, we’d learn the truth, and then he’d take a hit for recommending a bad bet. Meanwhile, though, I assume we don’t really have any evidence either way, or you’d be giving me that now.”
“You assume correctly. So far, it’s nothing but a hunch. As for motive—you’ve got me there. I can’t figure it out, which makes me feel foolish for even bringing this up to you.” I drummed my fingers on the desk. “All right. This is what we’re going to do ... I mean, if you agree,” I amended hastily. Technically, Serena ran this branch, and I was, by title, a representative on site for the board of directions and a consultant on supply and acquisition.
She smiled slightly. “I’m all ears.”
