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“I don’t suppose you could re-arrange your schedule so that…”
Again, Delaney interrupted her. “No; I’m sorry. I accommodated Mr. Whistler the other day and ended up leaving when I realized it was some kind of casting call. If Mr. Whistler is interested in speaking with me, he’ll need to come to my office.”
“Mr. Whistler does not like to take meetings anywhere but here at our headquarters,” the woman said in an irritated tone.
“I understand that is his preference. As that is the case, please tell him I hope we’ll have another opportunity to work together, if I have the time. Have a lovely day.”
Delaney was just about to end the call when the secretary called. “Wait. Please wait. Can you give me just a moment?”
“Of course, I can,” said Delaney politely. She was pretty damn sure telling Whistler he wasn’t going to get his way would not be a pleasant task. Delaney listened to the elevator music, which was better than most.
“Ms. Pierce, Mr. Whistler will be delighted to meet you at your office the day after tomorrow at ten.” She heard the woman close a door. “And confidentially? Well played.”
The call ended and Delaney set the phone down, pumped her fist and said “Yes!” Then, she picked up the phone and called Lucy.
“What’s up, sister mine?” Lucy answered the phone.
“I need you to find out everything you can about the place at the foot of the Winds. Guess who’s coming to my office at ten the day after tomorrow?”
“No shit?”
“Mr. Big Shit himself. I want to be able to give him a full presentation. Do you have any specs for the property?”
“Not right in front of me, but I’ll get them, and I’m taking tomorrow off so I can help in any way you need.”
“I can’t ask you to do that…” started Delaney.
“You didn’t. I volunteered myself just like all the times you’ve volunteered to bake something amazing for my open houses. I’ll see you at home tonight and we can make a game plan so we can hit the ground running tomorrow. This is the start of something big, Delaney; I just know it.”
Delaney hung up, knowing her sister was right—she could feel it in her bones.
Delaney had decided to downplay her usual important meeting wear. Instead of a business suit, she wore a long midi-skirt in charcoal gray in a textured knit with a soft, V-neck sweater in the palest pink. She belted it so that it angled off her waist and was in the same black leather as her booties. It was professional but had a certain bohemian flair. Lucy had created the entire ensemble. This morning Lucy had arranged her hair and helped Delaney with her make-up.
The small conference room in Delaney’s office was set up with delicious scones and muffins, and her trusty pod coffeemaker was sitting next to them with mugs, various roasts of coffee and extras people liked to add to their coffee. Her machine wasn’t fancy. It could make hot or iced coffee, but that was it.
The office wasn’t overly large, but it was in a nice part of the town and had a great deal of charm. When Delaney had purchased the building, she’d taken great care to peel back the decades of upgrades done and had restored it with period materials and details. She’d won a local award for the best renovation.
Whistler arrived a few minutes after ten, which Delaney supposed was on time for him.
Delaney walked out of her private office to greet him, extending her hand, “Mr. Whistler, it’s nice to see you again. Thank you for agreeing to meet me here in my office.”
Whistler chuckled and shook his finger at her. “According to my secretary, you didn’t give me much choice in that.”
Delaney smiled—never let ’em see you sweat. “That’s not true. I wonder what gave her that idea.”
“I think it was the unspoken ‘or else’ she heard in your tone. I have to tell you; she was impressed, and it takes a lot to impress her. One time she intimidated the President’s Executive Assistant. And before you deny it, let me just apologize again for the other day. Keeping you waiting…”
“Was exactly what you had in mind,” Delaney said, interrupting him.
Whistler smiled ruefully. “Yes, it was. I have to say, you certainly made yourself stand out from the crowd, and only confirmed my impression of you after the celebration event the other night. Can you chalk it up to a bad habit on my part, and let me start fresh?”
Delaney realized even though he was being charming, he still set off her alarms. There was something about the guy that just made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. She wouldn’t go out on a date with him, but she’d sure as hell consider designing a building for him.
“Of course, we can. Why don’t you step into my conference room where I’ve got some things I want to show you. I am assuming this is about a commission to create a new manufacturing plant.”
“So you’ve heard about that?”
“The rumor mill is rife, and I suspect it started with you. There are too many details for it to be a true rumor.” She waited for him to deny it and when he didn’t, she continued as she showed him into the conference room. “This is for the production of Norle, and you were wanting it away from any of the tech hubs in the United States.” Drakaina
