“Excuse me?” Her nose scrunches up in distaste. “It’s Mrs. Winthrop,” she corrects.
“Right.” She rolls her eyes at me, annoyed.
“Are you stupid, or do you want to be fired?” I press my lips together, not sure how to respond to her question. This woman is from my new husband's world; I don't want to ruffle any feathers. “Oh my fucking God,” she huffs before turning and storming off back into the restaurant.
I do the same but in the opposite direction. The one that leads me back the way I came and out of the building before I can mess this up any more than I already have. I pull out my phone and respond to the email with the invite, letting them know I unexpectedly got sick.
It's not a total lie; I do have the urge to vomit.
Chapter Ten
WICK
“What luncheon is only for women these days?” I bark into the phone as I hurriedly dress. “I thought the invitation I had sent for her was for a dinner at the cancer fundraiser, not a lunch.”
“This is a different event,” Rise tells me. “I checked the bus stop locations, and the Natural History Museum is on the route. I took a cab here, and there’s a sign that a private luncheon is taking place on the rooftop restaurant next to an Early Mesozoic Era special exhibit.”
“Dinosaurs?”
“They’re very popular.”
“Right.” Eating finger sandwiches next to million-year-old bones is probably common for these ladies. “I’m on my way.”
“Bring your black card. You’ll want to make a donation.”
“They take credit cards at fundraisers?”
“There’s a Venmo QR code on the welcome sign.”
“I don’t know what that is.”
“That’s why I said to bring your black card.”
Rise sounds tired of me. I swipe the card off my dresser and shove it into my pocket next to my phone. As I’m descending the elevator, I call for my car. It’s waiting for me when I reach the lobby. Liz, our valet, throws me the keys. “In a hurry?”
“Yeah, can you turn all the lights to green?” I half joke.
“If I could, it would likely be illegal, so I can’t admit to it.”
“Pretend I never asked and deploy your magic,” I shout as I run out the door. Liz may or may not have broken some laws because I’m able to reach the museum in about half the time it would usually take me.
Rise is waiting for me at the entry. “Here’s your ticket to the museum, and here’s the directions to get to the luncheon. I went in and paid off the waitstaff to let you in. Go to the second set of doors and look for a tall, white male. About twenty-two. He’s got some white flower tucked into his lapel.”
“You’re a gem, Rise. Big bonus incoming.”
“Better have five figures.”
“I’ll draw some stick characters on the check.” I grin and race off before he throws something at me.
I bypass a table decorated with flowers and name cards and head straight for the glass doors to the side. A waiter with a white flower on his suit recognizes me instantly and opens the door, gesturing for me to hurry inside.
“Your table is over there.” He points to a roundtop situated in the back corner.
“Thanks.” I dig into my pocket and hand him a hundred-dollar bill. I only have five of them on me, but I don’t figure I’ll miss it. “Keep the wolves at bay,” I say.
The waiter tucks the money inside his suit and nods enthusiastically. I scan the place looking for Belle but don’t see her. I turn to the waiter. “I’m looking for this woman.” I show him a photo of Belle that I took at the café before I sat down next to her.
“I haven’t seen her.”
