Page 49
“Oh, is it?” he said airily—almost too airily. “Put her through.”
“Of course.” Lipa paused. “Did you… need me to go and get something for you, sir? Were you leaving for something?”
“No, I was just… Yes, actually. Can you… Could you go and get me a bag of almonds? From the health food shop on the corner. Not the general store across the street.”
I thought I heard a tiny sigh.
“Of course, sir,” Lipa said smoothly. “I’ll put Anita through to you now.”
“Great. Thanks.”
“One second, Anita,” Lipa said to me. “I’ll connect you to Mr var Rorik now.”
“Thanks. Oh, I’ll let you know when the food-tasting has been arranged, if you want to come.”
“Ooh, yes please. That reminds me—I think you forgot to copy me into the email about the viewing at the Basalt that Mr var Rorik went to this morning. Would you mind just making sure to copy me in on future emails so I can keep on top of his schedule?”
Heat flooded my face. “Of course. I’m so sorry for the oversight.”
“It’s no problem,” she said cheerfully, then paused before snorting. “He’s shouting at me from his desk that the call hasn’t come through, so I better connect you. Speak soon.”
“Okay.”
My gut churned as ringing sounded in my ear while she put me through to his direct line. It went on for so long that I thought he wasn’t going to answer, but then there was a click.
“Nuni var Rorik,” he drawled with almost over-the-top nonchalance.
My fingers twitched around my phone. “Hi, Mr var Rorik. It’s Anita Chaudhary. I hope I’m not disturbing you.”
“Nah, you caught me in a quiet moment. I’m just going over some contracts at my—” He stopped and coughed awkwardly. “What can I do for you?”
“I just wanted to confirm that you’re definitely happy with the Basalt as the venue before I make the booking.”
“Oh.” Was that a hint of disappointment in his voice? “Yeah. Go ahead. Like you said the other—um, like you said, it’s an impressive part of the city’s demiurgus history. Seems like a good choice.”
I should have been feeling more smug about winning this one, but I was too busy trying to think of other things to ask him so he’d stay on the phone.
“Alright. Excellent.” There was a pause as I wracked my brain. “Oh, there’ll be an additional charge for bringing in an outside caterer instead of using the hotel’s usual kitchen team. Did you still want Piquante to cater? They’ve worked at the Basalt before, so they know their way around the ballroom kitchen.”
“Yeah, definitely still want them. They’re the best. The food at the Basalt is pretty good, but we want something different for the event.”
“Alright. No problem.”
There was a pause, before var Rorik asked, “Have you, uh, eaten at the Basalt before?”
“I have.” I hesitated, before adding, “The annual Diamond Planning Awards is held there every year. It’s the awards ceremony for events and event planning.”
“Oh. Nice.”
“Yes. It’s actually where I met Corva.” I wasn’t sure why I was telling him this, why I was talking about non-event-related things. “And then she asked me to join her firm.”
“Oh, really?” For some reason, he actually sounded interested. “So you were working for a different event planner at the time?”
“Yes. One who isn’t exactly Corva’s biggest fan.”
He snorted. “So she poached you? Why am I not surprised.”
What did that mean? Did he think I was good? Did he mean I was obviously poach-worthy? Why did I care so much?
