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“You look fantastic.” At least some good had come out of her work here.
“All thanks to you.” Dot did a little pirouette, her confident smile growing by the minute. “You may not know a lot about the museum but you’re a whiz with fashion.”
“You know I’m not really qualified to take tours, don’t you?”
Dot shrugged. “All I know is I’m surprised you got the job here when you seem a bit out of the loop?”
She laughed at Dot’s diplomacy. “You mean I stink, don’t you?”
“Well, when you put it that way…” Dot joined in her laughter and she beckoned her over to a secluded spot near the entrance so she could explain why she made such a lousy tour guide. She’d bonded with Dot during the makeover sessions and knew she could trust her.
“My cousin Lana Walker is the new head curator. She got the job but suffered a hairline fracture of her ankle before she could start. I needed a job, so she got me an interview with Abraham Voss and he said I could fill in as tour guide until Lana’s back on her feet.”
Dot reached out and squeezed her arm and, for the second time in as many hours, Beth blinked back inexplicable tears. “Considering your lack of knowledge, you’ve done great.”
She swallowed the unexpected lump of emotion in her throat. Dot’s kindness was really getting to her. “If you think I’m great, wait until you meet Lana. She’s so brainy she’ll blow you away.”
“I can’t wait to meet her. We should have loads in common.”
Glancing at Dot’s trendy suit and subtle make up, Beth doubted it.
“It’ll be great for Lana to have a friend when she eventually gets here. Maybe we can all go for a drink before she starts?” With the added bonus of providing a distraction from her screw-up with the boss. “There’s a new vodka ice bar I’ve been dying to try.”
Dot’s eyes lit up. “Sounds great.”
“Okay, leave it with me and I’ll tee it up. Now, I must dash. Tours to take, exhibits to be clueless about.”
Dot chuckled and waved her off, while Beth turned toward the huge front doors.
She could do this.
After all, it wasn’t the first time she’d had to pretend all was right with the world when it wasn’t.
* * *
Aidan glanced around his office,not in the least surprised it didn’t look any different from when he’d first taken on the job. His meager belongings filled a single cardboard box, which proved how he hadn’t settled in as much as he’d fooled himself into thinking.
He’d finally made the right decision for all of them, and if Abe didn’t agree, tough.
Aidan was done trying to do the right thing in an effort to impress Abe, and done trying to get his father’s attention no matter what the cost.
As if on cue, his cell rang and he glanced at the caller, relieved his dad had called back and he could soon put all this behind him.
He took a steadying breath and answered. “Thanks for getting back to me so quickly.”
“Everything all right with the museum? Your message sounded serious.”
Aidan shook his head. Typical Abraham Voss. He could be calling for any number of personal reasons but the first thing dear old dad thought about was his precious museum.
“Everything’s fine here. Though I wanted to let you know I’ve resigned. I’ll give you two weeks to find a replacement, then I’m out of here. Though I’m sure you could always tear yourself away from Kakadu and step up if you’re desperate.”
Abe’s harsh intake of breath didn’t surprise him, nor did the explosive expletive. “What brought all this on?”
Aidan propped against the desk, his heart heavy. Even now, his father couldn’t apologize for feeding him a load of bull about recuperating in Queensland, when in fact he’d been jerking his strings, making him dance to his tune, like he always tried to do.
Time to come clean…about everything.
“The only reason I took this job was to please you, Dad. It’s pretty much why I became an archaeologist, why I’ve done a lot of things in my life. It’s been the only way to get your attention half the time.”
