to use a couple of celebs who champion the environmentâLeonardo DiCaprio, for example.â
âWhy would we use him? Does he hike?â Muriel asked.
I paused. Looked at Mark again, who was suddenly engrossed in doodling. Glanced at Damien, whose eyes were very wide. âWell, if we get a well-known face, especially one associated with a cause, we brand BTRââ
âBags to Riches,â she corrected.
âRight.â I paused. âOkay, wellâ¦people want to be like celebrities, right? Thatâs why J. Crew sells out of whatever Michelle Obamaâs wearing.â
âJ. Crew is not our competitor, Callie,â Muriel said condescendingly. Leila winced.
âI know that,â I said. âWhat I mean is, the First Lady has influence. Which is true in any ad campaign that uses celebrities, whether theyâre hawking milk or Nikes. So if we had Leo in a BTR ad, Iâm sure weâd see a bump in sales.â
âHmm,â Muriel said. âInteresting.â
No one made eye contact. This was Advertising 101. I glanced at Mark, who was looking at Muriel with a very tender expression. He leaned over and placed his hand over hers.
âItâs a lot to take in,â he said. âWell, this has been great. Thanks, Callie. Weâll get back to you and talk about next steps. Oh, and by the way, the BTR peopleare coming out later this week. Weâll be doing an event on Friday. Participation mandatory.â
âWhat kind of event?â Damien asked, immediately suspicious.
âA little hike so Charles can see the beauty of a Vermont sunset,â Mark said, ignoring Damienâs stricken expression. âDrinks and dinner afterward.â
Â
J UST BEFORE LUNCH , Fleur slipped into my office and closed the door. âWhat the fuck-all was Mark thinking?â she hissed. âYeah, heâs shagging Muriel, but did he have to hire her? She doesnât know a bloody thing!â She flopped onto my couch.
The thing about Fleur was that when she was truly upset, her accent slipped, something she was completely unaware of. Her accent was in full force now. I suspected she wanted gossip.
âItâs Markâs company,â I said calmly, turning away from my computer. âAnd Iâm sure Muriel willâ¦â I paused. âWell, sheâll catch on. Obviously, her dad wants her on this account.â
âCallie,â Fleur whispered. âIâve got much more experience than Muriel.â Accent gone, revealing shades of New York. The truth came out. âJust because my father doesnât own the company doesnât mean I should have to take orders from that frigid and ignorant bitch.â
âListen,â I said quietly, âdonât go there. Just do your job well and trust that Mark will work things out.â
âSheâs making more than me. More than you, too, as a matter of fact. Karen told me.â
âKaren shouldnât haveââ
âAll right, all right, she didnât tell me. I just happened to see some paperwork when I was in there for somethingelse.â She sighed. âFigured you should know. You and Mark wereâ¦well. Whatever.â
The accent was back. I glanced at my watch. âI have to run, Fleur. Iâm sorry. Iâm meeting someone for lunch.â
âOh, right!â she said. âThe plan!â
âWhat plan?â I asked, closing a file on my computer.
âThe plan to make Mark green with envy!â she whispered gleefully.
âOh, Iâm not really goingââ
âNow, now, no need to explain! Iâll walk you out.â
SighingâFleur could be a bit muchâI grabbed my bag and we walked into the foyer, where Mark was signing something for Damien. âHave fun on your date!â Fleur called loudly as I pulled open the door to leave. Mark and Damien looked up.
âYouâre going on a date?â Damien asked,
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