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“And why are you here so early anyway?” Jaelyn added. “We weren’t expecting you till next week.”
He chose to answer Susie rather than Jaelyn. “I do not have to start training for the movie until March.”
Jaelyn narrowed her eyes at him but didn’t speak. Alessandro glanced at her, and they exchanged an understanding nod. She was thinking about his arrest, something Melanie’s “betrayal” seemed to have thrown out of the others’ heads. Jaelyn understood that he was here to get away.
“Okay, great, but can you edit them and upload them? And who’s going to monitor the accounts and reply to the comments?” Susie wailed.
“I’m sorry!” Melanie said, clutching her hair again.
“I can do the filming,” Alessandro confirmed. “The social media part, not so much.”
He’d had an assistant, but she’d gone back to school last fall, and he hadn’t replaced her. Between Yasmin, Donna, and the rest of his team, and the fact that mostly he reposted Nikki’s exclamation-mark-filled essays, he didn’t need one.
But representing a whole organization? Taking over from Melanie, who’d been running that side of things since he was an unknown? Nope.
“We can’t help it, Melanie,” Etta said, patting Melanie’s arm. “Youarethe PR in this place.”
PR…“I know someone in PR,” he said before his brain had caught up with his mouth.
“Of course you do,” Jaelyn said. “But I don’t think your publicist has time for our little fundraiser.”
“I didn’t mean Donna,” he said, though his brain was screaming at him toshut up, shut up now!
He had no earthly idea what exactly Megan Fielding did for her company. It barely made the news anymore, and if he did happen to catch the name, Megan’s older brother was always the Fielding they focused on. When Alessandro had left for Hollywood, Megan had been in the accounting department and had made jokes about the wonder that was a quarterly report. The department didn’t seem to be where she belonged. With her looks and her style, being the face of Fielding Paper seemed a much better fit. That or sales. Alessandro knew all about selling product. He wouldn’t wish it on anyone. But maybe Megan had flourished there.
“’Sandro,” Susie said, “who do you mean?”
“I… I don’t know. Forget I said anything. She might not be able to help. She has a full-time job.”
Though she’d sounded regretful that she was leaving the department. Maybe helping the Studio would be a way to continue doing something she liked.
Ugh. He had no idea what Megan liked. He was just an ex-barista to her. She would no more help him and these ladies than she would turn down one of Roman’s pecan Danishes.
“Worth asking, though, don’t you think?” Etta asked.
And when Etta asked, you didn’t prevaricate. You didn’t pretend you had something better to do. You told her you’d give her your best shot.
“Okay,” he said. “I will ask her.”
♦
Chapter 3
No way Megan was going to see him again. No way. The only reason she’d go back to Oh Beans! early the next day was so she could get into the office and continue catching up after her vacation.
“Good,” Sophia said as soon as she walked into the rich-smelling coffee shop. “You’re early again.”
“Glad I can oblige,” Megan answered, unzipping her dark-green faux fur-trimmed coat. “And just out of interest, why is that good?”
“Come on back,” Grace said, opening the counter flap.
Megan paused mid-zip. “What?” Go behind the counter? Enter Roman’s sanctum sanctorum? She couldn’t have been more stunned if Meghan and Harry had invited her in for tea.
“Come on, come on, before another customer shows up.” Grace beckoned her impatiently, so Megan had no choice but to follow her behind the counter, down toward the kitchen, and then to a corridor with doors leading off either side.
Alessandro was there.
Megan swallowed audibly. “Oh.”
