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“It’s not like that—"
“You said—"
“Okay, fine. Itislike that. The previous architect on the project has become unavailable, and we need the client happy. I can’t think of anyone else who would make them happier than you.”
Shifty. His entire answer is shifty. It’s not like Walter to do this. “Pavel can take whatever jobs he wants, butI’mgetting reassigned?”
He scrubs his hand over his wrinkly face and through his thinning hair. “Elsie, I need you to be a team player on this.”
“You mean you need me to take one for the team?”
To calm me down, he gestures with both hands, something I know for a fact hurts his arthritic knuckles. Which means this is really important to him. So, I can’t say no.Shit. He grumbles, “We are under contract with the MacMillan Corporation. I need my best on it.”
“Andyour bestdoesn’t get notice ahead of time?”
“It’s not ideal. But I need you for this, Elsie.”
“What is so important that I’m getting yanked away from Apple for some company I’ve never heard of?”
He smiles, and I almost believe it, but not quite. “A resort.”
That’s a huge gig.I’m instantly picturing something upstate or someplace out West.This could be amazing. “Where is it going to be?”
“Somerset Harbor.”
I frown. I know the name, but can’t place it. “Where the hell is that?”
“It’s—"
“Wait,” a sinister feeling sinks into my gut, “that little nothing tourist trap on Long Island? You want me to design a motel for mistresses and their made men boyfriends? Are you kidding me?”
He smiles, trying to appease me while knowing nothing short of a miracle will do the trick. “It’s actually more like The Hamptons, and the resort is going to be a fancy, exclusive multi- multi-million dollar project. This isn’t a downgrade.”
“So, you want me to go to some crappy little town and create a masterpiece to be wasted on women named Muffy who dress Coastal Grandma and sip martinis, while dreaming of their glory days back at Vassar?”
His voice firms up. “Yes, and I put the meeting on your calendar. You have five minutes before the client gets here.”
“What?” I snap.
He rubs his temples. “Elsie, you know I would not ask this of you if I didn’t need you, right?”
“Is this because Pavel ended up taking that gig in Dubai? They wanted him, right? He’s the architect who is suddenly unavailable?”
He loudly exhales out his nose. “It’s because the client asked for the best.”
“That’s not a no.”
“Does it matter?”
He’s talking in circles, and I want to argue my way out of this. Anything to get out of creating a beautiful hotel where it,and my talents, will be wasted. No one is going to go there for a resort, and what else is in that nothing town? For that matter, what moron is funding this thing? No one cares about Somerset Harbor.
But a new Apple store in Manhattan will see thousands per day. It will be a star attraction. It should have beenmystar attraction. To think my skills will be squandered like this…it’s a gut punch. A damn near literal gut punch.
But it doesn’t matter. There is nothing I can do. Not really. Walter is my boss, and Pavel Cerny is a spoiled brat who does whatever he wants. It has infuriated me many times since coming to Klein and Associates. Walter runs a tight ship, but somehow, there’s a leak.
Pavel has all the leeway in the world simply because he’s ten years older than me and who his father was. Ivan Cerny, Pavel’s father, was a legendary architect. He designed for celebrities, royalty, anyone with enough name recognition to earn his attention. Even though he’s gone now, his name opens doors around the world for his son. Growing up in that realm, Pavel knows everyone, so he can pull whatever strings he likes. Sure, he’s good at his job. But I’m better. He and I have equal seniority at Klein and Associates, and I thought that would matter.
I was an idiot for believing it would.
