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What did it say about their relationship that its demise didn’t cause even the slightest ripple?
“Violet, it’s so wonderful to see you again,” Jocelyn was saying. “We really appreciate you taking the time to join us today.”
“Of course, my pleasure,” Violet lied easily, sipping her ice water and glancing subtly at Edith for some clue as to what was going on. But the other woman didn’t meet her eye, and Violet was alarmed to see how frail and tired Edith looked.
Conversation moved almost immediately toward the typical rounds of small talk: Weather, weekend recaps, and everyone’s plans for the upcoming Oscars.
Violet joined in, said all the right things, even as her irritation and impatience with the situation notched upward with every new mundane topic that circled the table.
Get to the point, she wanted to scream, even as she kept her expression carefully pleasant.
Finally, as soup and salads were served, Dan Bogan cut through the crap.
Violet didn’t know him well. Not because she hadn’t met him dozens of times over the years, but because she wasn’t sure there was much to know. He was a senior board member, and had been a close friend of Edith’s late husband. Dan was friendly with Edith as well, but she’d always sensed the friendship was more one of convenience and shared interests than genuine affection.
Violet had never particularly liked or disliked the man. But she was disliking him now.
“So, Violet,” Dan said with a placid smile. “First, I think I speak for all of us when I say you’ve done a remarkable job with Cain.”
Violet forced a smile, but the “compliment” bothered her. Cain wasn’t a home renovation or a work assignment. He was a human being.
“He’s barely recognizable from just a few weeks ago,” Jocelyn added with a cheerful smile. “In demeanor, anyway. Much more polished.”
Violet heard the caveat loud and clear. “In demeanor?”
Joycelyn glanced at Edith, who remained stoically silent as she sipped her iced tea.
“Let me just preface this all by saying everyone here wants to see Cain take the company reins,” Keith interjected.
Violet gave him a blatantly challenging look. “Everyone?”
His eyes narrowed briefly, but his smile never dropped. “Yes, Vi. Everyone. But the thing is…”
The table fell silent for a moment as everyone danced around whatever they were all thinking but nobody wanted to be the one to say it aloud.
Finally, it was Edith who gathered her gumption and got to the point.
“They think he looks like a lumberjack,” Edith said bluntly.
Jocelyn let out a dismayed noise.
“Edith,” Dan said. “That isn’t what we said.”
“But it’s what you meant, Dan,” Edith said with a chilly smile. “You sent me a four-paragraph email about his hair.”
“We just think,” Jocelyn said, turning to Violet, “that with the vote a week and a half away, we need to lock this thing up all the way. During Cain’s round of interviews, it would help if he—”
“What interviews?” Violet asked, glancing around the table.
She’d known that everything Cain had been put through these past few weeks was an interview of sorts, but she hadn’t realized there’d be formal interviews.
“It’s a new addition to the process,” Dan said smoothly. “Every board member will get a chance to question Cain personally to see if he’s the right fit.”
“I see. And whose idea was this new addition?” she asked.
“It’s not an unreasonable request, Vi,” Keith said. “We’re talking about putting the man at the helm of a billion-dollar company. It’s only fair that the board members feel as comfortable as they can be before handing over the reins.”
“And Cain’s hair will make a difference?”
“Perceptions are important. You know that as well as we do, otherwise you wouldn’t have agreed to Edith’s request in the first place.”
She did know. She just hated it.
Violet looked around the table. “What is it exactly you want me to do? Pin him down, wielding a razor?”
“We just thought you might suggest a new look. These sorts of things are always better coming from a beautiful woman.”
Dan smiled, but for the first time in her life, Violet didn’t automatically smile back for the sole purpose of making him feel comfortable.
He should be uncomfortable. He should be ashamed.
“I see,” Violet said after a pregnant silence. “Is there anything else I should have Cain prepare for? Will there be a hoop to jump through? A ball for him to balance on his nose?”
Violet looked at Edith. “Is this what you want? Your legacy to be determined based on a haircut?”
“What I want has little bearing on reality,” Edith said in a defeated tone.
Dan and Joycelyn both had the decency to look awkward as they became suddenly interested in their meals, but Keith’s attention was entirely on Violet.
“What’s changed?” Keith asked Violet.
She glared at him defiantly. “What do you mean?”
“How is what we’re suggesting any different from what you agreed to? You’ve spent the past few weeks introducing him to cashmere, and keeping his elbows off the table, and teaching him how to appreciate art, and erasing ain’ts from his vernacular. All we’re asking now is more of the same.”
