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“You can do that?” Drew seemed unconvinced.
“We’re the leading manufacturer of food containers and display products in the Midwest, remember? This is what I do all the time.” At least, it was what Maisie would do if she got the promotion. There was no reason to tell Drew she was dealing with a mere assistant, right?
“I only have”—Drew checked her phone—“eleven minutes until the meeting. Can you work that fast?”
“You clearly haven’t seen me in action.”
It was only when Drew cleared her throat like she was about to choke on her own tongue that Maisie realized how that could’ve been taken. There was no question Drew had seen Maisie in action the previous night, and she’d moved faster than a jackrabbit.
“Uh, right…” Maisie fumbled, her hands trembling a bit. She covered for her awkwardness by rummaging through a box of supplies, pulling out an assortment of ribbon and printed labels. “Here we go. What color do you like best?”
“Er, red?” Drew’s eyes darted from one ribbon spool to another, her hesitance making it seem like she was taking an exam and was scared she’d fail.
“Red it is.” Soon Maisie had the beef jerky packaged in a specialty box, all wrapped up like a present for Valentine’s Day. “Here you go. It’s not what I’d do if you were a client, and if I had more time, but—”
“Are you kidding? It’s the most professional thing I’ve ever seen.” Drew’s eyes shone, and it was clear she meant it. Maisie’s heart swelled until she thought it might burst. “I can’t thank you enough for saving my bacon.”
Maisie took a bite of jerky, letting out a contented sigh. “This is payment enough. Unless you have some actual bacon.”
“Or unless…” Drew pressed her lips together, eyes falling to the ground. “Maybe I can buy you a drink after you’re finished with work.”
Maisie swayed as giddiness bubbled up inside her. “That would be—oh, shoot! I promised my coworkers we’d go to dinner. I already bailed once.”
“No, that’s fine.” Drew’s eyes darted away but not before Maisie registered their look of supreme disappointment. “I really have to run to that meeting.”
Before Maisie could respond, a crestfallen Drew was already galloping off down the aisle, leaving Maisie to wish she’d thought a little harder before speaking.
* * *
“Something’s not right.”Donna clutched at her stomach with a moan, her pale face slick with sweat.
“Yeah, me, too,” Cheryl whimpered. She and Donna had been back from their break for about an hour when the first signs of distress came on, and it appeared to Maisie that they were growing worse by the minute.
“It had to have been something you ate,” Maisie told them, not sure whether to move closer to offer assistance or take a giant step back in case either of them projectile vomited. “What did you eat?”
Despite her discomfort, Donna managed to shoot Maisie a disbelieving look. “It’s a food expo. Whatdidn’tI eat?”
“Cheese-fake,” Cheryl offered. “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Ice Cream.”
“That Parisian bread,” Donna added.
Something Drew had said earlier raced back to Maisie’s mind. “With the buttery spread?”
Cheryl nodded weakly.
“Dairy substitute.” Maisie smacked a hand to her forehead. “That has to be it. Everything you listed was made with that stuff. It’s nothing but a bunch of weird chemicals. No wonder you feel sick.”
“I should’ve known better.” Donna moaned. “It’s the Fat-Be-Gone fiasco all over again. They had to shut down the exhibit hall five years ago because so many of the attendees were crowding the bathrooms.”
“At least that product never made it to market,” Cheryl said. “Can you imagine if some unsuspecting person had binged a full bag of chips cooked in the stuff?”
Maisie had never been so grateful to have missed out on free food. “You two look awful. I think you’d better go back to the room and rest.”
“But we were supposed to get dinner.” Almost as soon as she’d said the word, it was clear Donna had thought better of it. By the look on her face, she might as well have suggested eating a pail of live worms. “Right. Rest would be good.”
“Are you coming back, too? It’s close enough to quitting time.” Cheryl asked, already gathering her purse.
Maisie shook her head. Considering the state they were in, she wanted to be as far away as possible from their shared hotel room for as long as it took for the dairy substitute to work its way through their systems.
