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“This is a men’s store.”
“Where better to meet men?”
I laugh and peruse the place with her, finding a black leather belt for myself. When I try it on, the old shop clerk pops by. I expect him to explain that the store is formen, so I prepare a response in my head. I usually prefer men’s accessories—they are almost always of a better quality than women’s and the styling is plain, the way I like it.
He smiles. “Good morning. If you like that, it also comes in a few more colors. I have it in toffee, tobacco, steel gray, and espresso.”
“Oh. I’d like to see the steel gray.”
“Right this way...” He leads me through the shop and shows me a few more items, and before I know it, I’ve spent way too much and do not care.
When we leave, Savannah nudges me. “Aren’t you glad we stopped there?”
“Okay, you win. This place isn’t nearly as stuck-up as I thought it would be. In fact, it’s kind of nice.”
“See?” she asks excitedly. “I knew you’d like it. Come on, I need ice cream.”
“For lunch?”
“For a starter. Then we can talk about lunch.” She zips ahead, and just as I speed up to catch up to her, my phone dings.
It’s Walter, and my heart stops. The moment of truth. Either Beau has decided to ditch the contract and won’t it be fun to be fired? Or I’m safe. I take a breath and answer. “Hey, Walter.”
“Elsie, what did you say to Beau MacMillan?”
Shit. “I did my presentation, and it seemed to go well. What—"
“You’re right about that,” he says, chuckling. “He wants to move forward with you on the resort. Congratulations.”
I am so relieved that I almost drop my bags. “Walter, going forward, if you could maybe not make it sound like I was fired before giving me the good news, that would be great.”
He laughs. “Sorry about that, but I have never heard such a turnaround in a client’s voice, and I’m dying to know what you said to change his mind about you.”
“Nothing special. I just did my job.”
“And you knocked it out of the park. Keep this momentum going, Elsie. The MacMillan resort will be a showpiece for your portfolio.”
I smile. “Thanks.”
“Beau wants to officially get started right away. How soon can you set up a temporary residence in Somerset Harbor?”
“Give me three days, and I’ll be ready to get on this. I just have a few things to take care of in Manhattan before I can dedicate my full attention here.”
“Sounds good. Take care.” He hangs up.
I’m not fired. I have the job. And I’m going to eat way too much ice cream to celebrate.
-
11
BEAU
Where is she?In the days since Elsie left, I’ve kept replaying our interaction in my mind.Had she realized that I was looking down her blouse? Did she think I was too much of a pain in the ass?Only time would tell, I guess.
Time, or whenever she shows up.
Maybe Klein is fine with having his people come a bit late, but I am not Klein, and this is not okay. It’s a matter of professionalism. Arrive early, or, at the very least, on time. Right now, she is running late to be early. Will she be on time? A ghastly prospect.
