Page 25 of The Last Autograph
“What happened to Lara?”
“She’s on extended leave. That’s all I know.” She paused. “Is there anything else?”
“Look, Molly, a few weeks ago, you were just an obscure name in my brother’s will. Then you turn up out of the blue, and suddenly, we seem to be bumping into each other all over the place.”
She broke off another row of chocolate, her smile fading as she imaginedbumpinginto him. “Not by choice, believe me.”
Jake sighed deeply. “Tell me, what would you do if you were in my position? Just grin and bear it?”
With her thoughts in overdrive, Molly remained silent for a moment. The obvious solution was to move Jake and hispetits gâteauxto another consultant, but that would be too easy. “Wear a helmet, ice some éclairs with old-school chocolate icing so your customers have a choice, stop being such an asshole, and post on your own damn social accounts, then you won’t have to grin at all. Goodnight.”
Molly ended the call. The arrogance of the guy. She knew SpinWeb might well lose Jake as a client over her outburst, but right at that moment, with an uneaten row of chocolate melting in one hand, she really didn’t care. The guy could go fondle himself. She’d deal with the fallout in the morning.
As she leaned back on the cushions, the funny side of their conversation surfaced, and she chuckled. The world was an amazing, magnificent place, but some days, certain people in it just pissed her off.
Jake Sinclair being one of them.
My apologies for the fuck.As if.
It was wet and windy when she arrived at the office the following day to find two people away on sick leave and Winston nowhere in sight.
Molly took a seat at her desk, ideas flooding her mind. If Jake was still on board after her outburst, perhaps she could persuade Gloria to do an interview about how much she loved his chocolate éclairs.
Just as her imagination took flight, Winston poked his head around the communal office door. “Jake Sinclair called earlier. Apparently, you two spoke yesterday?”
“We did, yes.”
Her boss sank into the chair in front of her desk. “Yeah, well he’s tied up for the next few weeks, so he wants to put his campaign on the back burner. He’d been looking forward to working with Lara… They’d already established a rapport, so…”
Of course he’d say that. Plus, not only was Lara excellent at her job, but she was also one of the nicest people Molly had ever met, so Jake’s high opinion of her was warranted. “Well, Laraisyour head of marketing. And, you never know, she may be fine by her second trimester.”
Winston eyed her with suspicion. “What are you not telling me?”
Molly fiddled with her pen. “Nothing. Thanks for letting me know.”
“If I find out that you and Chef Sinclair are enjoying a little soirée on the side and you’re keeping me in the dark, I will not be happy, do you hear me?”
As if.“Jake and I are nothing more than casual acquaintances, I assure you.”
“Good.” Winston handed her the file he’d been holding. “Here.”
She opened it and frowned. “What’s this?”
“Since you won’t be handling Jake’s patisserie, your new client’s that steakhouse on Marina Terrace.”
Horrified, Molly stared at him and pulled a face. It appeared Winston had a sense of humor after all. She’d been to Clifton Steakhouse one night with Gloria, and they’d vowed never to return. “But their food’s terrible, the service is worse, and, as for the desserts, they’re way overpriced.”
He grinned. “Yeah, it’s a shame Jake wasn’t keen, but business is business. You’re not a vegetarian, are you?”
“Not exactly, but?—”
“Great. Do me proud, kid. I love a good steak.”
Kid?
As Winston strode from the office, Molly leaned forward and banged her head on the desk three times, punctuating each one with a muttered “shit.”
She glanced at her phone when it pinged.
