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“Well I’m sensing some sarcasm,” he says, “but it’ll have to do.”
“Thank god,” I say, getting to my feet. I’m aware out of the corner of my eye that the women are gawking at us, and my cheeks burn slightly.
“Okay, so what I—”
“Wait, wait,” Rhett says. “I haven’t agreed yet.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?!” I demand.
“That was the asking stage, now we’re on negotiations,” he says with a shrug. “As enjoyable as that was, I want something.”
“Of course.”
Again he ignores my sarcasm. “Tomorrow I’m going to buy a car, and I need someone to drive the old one back.”
“You’re buying another car? You won’t even—” I stop myself. As far as things he could be asking of me, this is simple enough. Who cares if he wants to waste his mother’s money? She has enough of it.
“Fine,” I say.
“Great,” he replies, clapping his hands together. “So what’s the deal?”
I give him a quick rundown of the mission. To his credit, he listens attentively and lets me finish speaking before asking any questions. Apparently I’m impressed by the bare minimum now.
“Seems easy enough,” he says. “Will she recognize me?”
“I don’t know,” I admit. “She knows your name, of course. But I guess we’ll have to see in the moment.”
We leave the bar, Rhett waving merrily goodbye to the women while I walk quickly and stiffly. Upon reaching the conference room, I see it hasn’t slowed down a bit in the interim.
The first phase is simple enough. Rhett hangs back while I slip our place cards off Table 107. Because it’s the table furthest in the back, it goes like clockwork. It gets trickier from there.
“Okay,” I say. “She’s the one directing traffic onstage.”
“The blonde?” Rhett asks.
“Yep.”
Rhett chuckles.
“What?” I say sharply, though I can already predict his answer.
“Just always nice when work and pleasure overlap.”
Before I can get another word in, Rhett takes off across the conference room. I’m supposed to be moving into position, but I have to stop for a second and watch him. It’s actually incredible. There is no ducking or dodging for Rhett Westing. Towering over the crowd, he parts it like the Red Sea as workers leap out of the way to make room for him. I try to picture him doing it wearing a garbage bag. Unfortunately the image is hotter than anticipated.
I stick to the edge of the room, circling around until I’ve reached the stage. Unsurprisingly, it takes me much longer and by the time I’m in place Rhett has already been up there talking to Miranda for several minutes. Her back is to me so I can’t tell how much headway he’s making, but she’s at least distracted enough for me to switch out the cards on Table One. I choose to banish Rutherford and Ebeneezer Walton to the back row and hope they have enough decorum to avoid making a scene.
I can’t stop wondering what exactly Rhett is saying to her.
The final and most precarious step is now underway. I look up at the stage and see that Rhett has me in the corner of his eye. As I walk to the steps leading up to the stage, he turns ever so slightly, taking an arm and sweeping it over the room, drawing Miranda’s eye away from the board behind them.
I have to admit. He’s actually kinda good at this.
There’s no time to dawdle. I walk confidently up the stairs and to the board. As much as I want to look nervously around, I can’t look guilty. In this moment I have to rely on Rhett fully.
With steady hands, I unpin the cards for the Walton brothers and switch them with Rhett’s and mine. At any moment I expect to hear a cry of alarm. It seems like an eternity under the hot stage lights, but in reality it only takes about twenty seconds.
I push the last pin in and step away smoothly, heading for the stairs. Victory! Now to just make my—
