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“No shit,” Rose whistles, amusement coloring her face. “This is good! I wonder where Gran has been hiding him.”
We make our way through the entrance, and an expressionless receptionist looks at us blankly.
“We’re here for an eleven o’clock meeting,” I inform her, taking the lead.
She sniffs arrogantly. “With whom?”
Heat rushes through me, but to my utter horror and bemusement, Mr. Thomas responds for me.
“With whom?” he spits. “With whom? You may tell Carolyn Wyatt that Jeffery Alan Thomas from the EPA is here, and I am most displeased.”
Rose bites on her lower lip so hard, I’m shocked she doesn’t draw blood, but I also have to turn away to keep from laughing. The receptionist grows pale.
“T-the E-EPA?—?”
Jeff splays his hands dramatically on the counter and leans in, forcing the young woman to withdraw before enunciating his answer.
“Environmental Protection Agency?” he growls. Falling back as quickly as he sprung forward, he turns to Katherine, shaking his head ruefully. “Oh, for heaven’s sake. The education system in this country truly has gone to hell in a handbasket, hasn’t it, Myrtle?”
He looks at Katherine, and a full snort escapes from Rose’s nose.
“Indeed, Dr. Thomas. Indeed.” Katherine nods, maintaining her stoic expression as the younger generation merely gawps at the pair in utter amazement.
“Uh… right this way,” the receptionist whispers, rising shakily. “Ms. Wyatt is expecting you.”
“You’re damn right she’s expecting me. She’ll be expecting an arrest upcoming, too,” Mr. Thomas growls, and my eyes pop.
“You think he’s maybe taking this a little too far?” I hiss, but Rose squeezes my arm to silence me.
“No. I think he’s amazing.”
“He’s pretty impressive,” Eli agrees in a hushed whisper, and I allow myself a grin.
Thomas marches forward, pushing the door open ahead of him with his cane, and the startled brunette inside jumps as the door hits the wall.
“Dr. Thomas—” she starts to say as she rises, but he raises a hand to stop her. For half a second, I think he’s about to tout that old 90s saying, “talk to the hand,” but blissfully, he does not.
“Don’t you ‘Dr. Thomas’ me,” he snarls, reaching into his breast pocket to unfurl a map and slap it onto her desk. “Is it true that your vulturous corporation has bought these properties?”
He randomly jabs a gnarled finger along the map where we previously marked the properties that MVP has purchased. Jeff was given so little practice time, I truly am enthralled by his performance, but simultaneously, I’m terrified about what might happen if he’s asked any real questions about the land.
Carolyn Wyatt sits back, folding her arms under her firm breasts, dark eyes glittering with the wisdom and cruelness of her trade. “I’m not at liberty to discuss the company’s holdings, Dr. Thomas. I believe I was clear on the phone. I don’t know how you managed to weasel your way onto my calendar?—”
“The EPA always finds a way. That’s our mantra, in fact.”
Her brow shoots up dubiously, and I pale.
“Regardless, I can’t offer you any information. You and your… entourage have wasted your time coming here.” Her cockiness makes my heart sink.
This was a waste of time indeed.
Rose nudges him gently, but Jeff doesn’t need encouragement. I can smell the adrenaline pumping through him as if this is the most fun he’s had in twenty years.
Mr. Thomas smiles, showing off his perfectly white teeth, and so begins a tirade, the likes of which I’ve never heard in my life. The soliloquy would have put Hamlet to shame.
“Then perhaps you will listen a moment while I spin you a tale, Ms. Wyatt,” he purrs, flopping unceremoniously onto a chair as the rest of us remain standing. I suddenly don’t know what to do with myself, but it’s clear that everyone else is in the same boat.
All except Katherine, who stares at the old man with stars in her eyes.
