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“That tree? You want me to drive into that tree?”
“No, the sign after the tree, silly.”
“Oh, right, I get it.”
I pull onto the drive that leads up to a red brick academy. The cars parked up are all Ferraris and Bentleys. I feel out of place taking the Jeep out of the garage, but it was the only thing I felt safe driving. I didn’t like the idea of scratching something that would cost more to repair than I make in a year.
I pull up outside the entrance. “See you after school,” Alicia says, climbing out and swinging her bag over her shoulder. Her smile drops at once, and I’m not sure why. Then I see it.
Over by the door, two girls are pointing at Alicia and sneering, laughing with each other. Her shoulders sag as she walks toward them. She ducks down lower as she goes through the door, and then a teacher appears, waving for the others to go inside.
I’m not sure what to do. I decide I better stay until the end of the school day so I can ask Alicia about it.
I set off back, trying to remember the way. After a couple of wrong turns, I find the house, heading up the drive toward the front of the house. The place looks incredible in daylight.
White stone, Colonial style, more windows than I can count. Huge plants everywhere, ivy running up the walls but shunning the glass panes. A couple of men in black suits are standing over on the lawn. They notice me pulling around, look at me, and then continue their conversations. I continue on around to the garage at the back. It seems like a stable that’s been converted, big enough to drive straight in and park up between the sports cars and SUVs. I kill the engine and climb out, wondering if I made the right decision to come back.
I need to charge my cellphone and speak to Ursula. She’ll know what I should do. She always gives me good advice. Either that or I could go to the office and find Jo.
I walk into the house and hear voices talking somewhere in the distance. I head that way and find myself walking into a meeting that could have been straight out of my office.
Jo is sitting there, a mug of chamomile tea sending fragrant wafts toward me as she lifts it to her lips. Next to her is Eric. Buffy is here too, scowling at me, saying nothing.
At the head of the table is Hunter, looking out at half a dozen more employees. There’s one empty seat next to him. He points at it when he spots me.
“Join us,” he says. “I was just telling everyone you have a file of ideas for the direction to take the magazine’s next issue.”
“I do?” I scratch my head and then nod. “I do. Seriously though? You want me to present them. I don’t have my file with me.”
Jeremy appears from nowhere, slipping my file into my hand. “Apparently, I do have my file with me,” I say as I sit down, opening it up to the first page. “First, we must be at the cutting edge of what’s new. There’s no point covering old ground that all the other magazines are already drenched in. We must be at the beating heart of new fashion coming through.”
Jo claps her hands together. “I’ve been waiting to hear that for years.”
“What do we do?” Eric asks. “I need specifics I can work with, not buzzwords.”
“We get people on the front row of every catwalk left this season. We network with the designers, so we’re the first to hear about what’s coming up. There’s a Dior show in Paris next week.
“We need someone there the entire time, taking notes, taking photos, and bringing back the contact numbers of everyone who matters. We spread our influence, and we network deeper into Europe. That way, we’re the first name on people’s lips when they think who to leak to.”
“Going to cost a lot to send people to every show.”
“Don’t worry about the cost,” Hunter says. “The budget’s there for precisely this purpose. What else have you got, Bex?”
23
Bex
* * *
Food is brought in when we take a lunch break, and everyone digs in. I try to get Hunter’s attention. “Can I speak to you for a minute?” I ask, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him out of the room into the corridor.
“What’s the problem?” he asks. “You look worried. You did great in there.”
“It’s not that.”
“What is it then?”
“Do you ever take Alicia to school?”
