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“No electrical work here, though?”
“Not yet.”
“Hmm.” I glanced at the ceiling. It was monstrous. A giant chandelier was going to hang in this exact spot. “Thank you, Harry.”
“Sure thing, Ms. Martin.”
We returned to the others, waiting outside of the construction zone.
“We could go in the trailer if you’d like, Ms. Martin,” one of the crewmen offered.
“That’s okay.” I had been in the trailer before. It smelled like stale sweat, old coffee, and tobacco. “Thank you, boys.”
I climbed into the car and Kimble drove me back to the office.
“I need to see Renee this afternoon,” I announced from the back of the SUV. I scrolled through my phone. I didn’t have an update from our state lobbyist on the casino rights.
“I’ll make sure she’s in your office today.”
“Thank you.”
I stopped when an email popped up on the screen. There was a congressional meeting tonight on Louisiana’s gambling statues, specifically the Crescent Towers proposal.
“I can’t wait until this afternoon. Take me straight to her office. Now.” I had a bad feeling about the alert. We had been working with local and state officials for months.
I sent my attorney a quick text. I hoped she was prepared to give me answers.
“But you can fix this,” I pressed. It wasn’t often I made office visits. I did the summoning. A lesson my father taught me. Make people come to you.
Renee hesitated. “I’m working on it. I’m as surprised as you are about the special committee hearing tonight.”
“I pay you not to be surprised.”
She exhaled. “Honestly, I think it’s just a formality. You shouldn’t have anything to worry about.”
“But if I do? If you’re wrong? If I don’t get the casino permits?” I couldn’t sit. Renee’s office was near the river. I watched a barge float past, pushing cargo. It wasn’t one of my vessels.
Renee was in her early fifties. She had two kids who were both in high school. They both wanted to go to LSU. They were a family of tigers. Her diploma hung on the wall, along with portraits of her children when they were younger.
Renee never worked for my father. I hired her the day after he died. I needed someone I could trust. It came down to her or a man with a rust-colored mustache. I choose Renee. She had been a business and legal force ever since. For something like this to happen, was unusual. Unprecedented.
“Why don’t we get some coffee, Kennedy?” she offered. “We could talk through what the committee might do.”
Over the past four years, she had also stepped in as a type of surrogate mother. Although, neither of us would admit to categorizing her that way. She was sharp-witted and brilliant, but she was also kind. As long as I paid her well, she kept my secrets. I sometimes looked at the photos of her kids and envied them. They had a mom who was strong and maternal. I didn’t know how that worked. How any of it worked in a functioning family.
“No.” I shook my head. “I have more meetings. I left the site and rushed here as soon as I had the alert. I don’t need the extra stress right now. I can’t lose this. If the casino doesn’t open, I’m screwed.”
Renee rounded her desk and placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. “The casino legislation is going to happen. Patience. Okay?”
Her voice was calming, but my stomach continued to do flips. “Thanks, Renee. Keep me updated every hour.”
“All right. Even if the session runs past midnight?” she asked.
“Especially if it does.” I rarely slept at night. I would wait for her calls.
“You’ve got it. Anything else I can do to help?”
I shook my head. “Just get that law passed.”
