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I shrug. “Not my fault if he refused to take no for an answer. And tried to get me kicked out of class. And when I turned him in for grade fixing, he got kicked out of Columbia. Okay, that last bit was my fault.” Which makes me smile. I’m still proud of that outcome.
“That was one hell of a debacle.”
“I’ve dealt with worse.” Again, I shrug. “But the Darren thing wasn’t because I didn’t handle him well. It was because he was a psycho.”
She waves me off. “Of course. But I think you’re more comfortable spraying vinegar than offering honey. Maybe when you speak to Beau, try honey.”
“I’ll have to,” I grumble. “When Walter came at me about the whole mess, he made it clear my job is on the line here. I have to convince Beau to call off his lawyers and work with me, or I’m fired.”
“Really? I thought Walter loved you.”
“He does. But that love is contingent on my ability to do my job, and sometimes, that requires finessing the clients, which I suck at. So he’s using this situation as a test to see if I can learn to kiss a client’s ass.”
“Speaking as someone who has been a client of many people, it is not ass-kissing that makes a client happy. You just have to talk to them the way you’d talk to someone you want to impress.”
I frown. “I’m not sure I can do that.”
She laughs. “Of course you can, Elsie. You’re the smartest person I know. You were always great at talking to the deans and the faculty at school. Just talk to him like that, and you’ll do great.”
“This is why I bring you on these things, isn’t it? The free pep talks.” I’m already feeling a little better.
“Free?” She shakes her head, brown ponytail swishing side to side. “When you get out of that meeting, we are stopping for an ice cream at that cute little shop back there.”
“That’s fine. I don’t get my dream job with Apple. I have to convince hardass who thinks his resort is overly important to work with me. And I’ll probably get listeria from that ice cream shop when I’m almost certain this town is too small to have a hospital to take care of me. Sounds like a perfect day.”
She laughs harder this time. “You have to stop seeing the negative all the time, Elsie. Sure, you got pulled off your dream job, but now you have the chance to do something even better. You were already complaining about having to work within Apple’s parameters on the other job, right?”
“True,” I admit.
“And okay, so this Beau character is a hardass, but that only means your victory will impress Walter even more, and isn’t he looking to retire soon?”
“So?”
“So, this sounds like the kind of opportunity you need to secure yourself a nice place in his company. Maybe even his office—"
I laugh. “Now, you’re reaching.”
“And if you get listeria from the ice cream shop, I will have you medevacked to my personal physician’s office. Estella is the best doctor in all of Manhattan. Deal?”
There is no arguing with Savannah when she’s this cheerful. “Deal.”
“Splendid. It’s good for you to get out of the city sometimes, and it’s been a while since we had a road trip, so pry that stick out of your butt and pay attention to the scenery. There is nothing wrong with enjoying someplace outside of Manhattan, and this hoity toity town is just what you need right now.”
“You think it’s hoity toity?”
“Didn’t you notice the cars? That Acura is the cheapest thing parked on the street.” She has a point.
Audi, Mercedes, BMW, Maserati, Land Rover, Rolls, they’re all here. There’s even a McLaren, and I don’t see them much even in the city. As I pay more attention, I notice the old money people walking around. They’re easy to mistake for middle class—decent highlights, nice enough clothes. But it’s the shoes that give them away. I’d gotten good at spotting them when I came to New York. They could blend in until I saw their shoes. Shined and well-kept.
“Maybe I underestimated Somerset Harbor.”
She beams at my admission. “See? That’s the spirit. Keep that attitude, and you’ll bowl over Beau MacMillan. I believe in you, Elsie. It’s in the bag. And when you get to take over at Klein and Associates, you can stop working fourteen-hour days.”
“Why would I do that?”
“So you can have a life. I know, I know, it doesn’t suit your goals of becoming a corporate husk, but it is healthier than that.”
I laugh. “I never said it was a goal to become a corporate husk. Pretty sure I said corporateshill.”
