“Of course. It’s already marked on the calendar. Do you need me to bring anything?”

“It’s being catered.”

“Okay.” Of course it’s being catered. My mom doesn’t spend much time in the kitchen unless she’s pouring a glass of wine. We always had a chef growing up. And a nanny or two made it possible for her to go to her fundraising meetings while me and my brothers went to our various lessons. Mine were always of the sports variety.

“We’re having a few friends join us, so it won’t just be family.”

“Oh.” I tap on the desk with my pen. I wonder who my mother is inviting, and why. “Is it possible for me to bring a date, then?” It’s on a weekend, so it’s unlikely that Ruby will even be able to attend since she works, so I’m not sure why I’m asking.

There’s silence on the other end of the line for a few seconds.

“Mimi?” I didn’t grow up calling her mom, although that’s how I refer to her when I’m not in her presence.

“It would be best if you didn’t.”

“Won’t Griffin be bringing Imogen?”

“Well, of course, she’s his girlfriend.”

“So why can’t I bring a date?”

“The Thorton’s are coming.”

I thought I’d managed to evade Brittany and the second date. “Mom.”

She makes a disapproving tsking sound.

“I thought we already talked about this,” I remind her.

“You were ill last time. Brittany is a lovely girl.”

Brittany is pampered and a pain in the ass. I’ve been avoiding her calls since I went out with her all those weeks ago.

“I’m seeing someone.” I might as well be upfront about it, maybe it will help allow me to evade more Brittany interactions.

“Since when?”

“It’s recent.”

“So it’s not serious then? Bringing her to dinner would make it awkward for Brittany, and I arranged this before you were seeing someone. I can’t really change the plans now. And your father has business with her father,” she’s imploring now.

Of course there’s business involved. My father can’t do it any other way. I wish I didn’t feel the need to cave for my mother, but it’s not as though Ruby will be able to join me anyway. “Fine. I’ll do this for you, but it’s the last time.”

“That’s all I ask.”

It’s a dinner, with family and a few friends, so it’s not even technically a date. It’s still frustrating.

Another call interrupts the one with my mother. I’m hopeful it’s my father. I’d like to get this meeting over with so I can get home to Ruby before she has to work tonight.

“I have to go, I have another call.”

“Okay. Thank you for making this easy for me. Have a good day. We’ll chat soon, Banny.”

“Bye, Mom.” I hang up before I can get angry with her. She knows how much I hate being called Banny.

It’s my father’s personal assistant, alerting me that the meeting will begin in five minutes in the conference room. Only two hours and twenty minutes later than I anticipated. I could’ve been in bed with Ruby this entire time.

I gather my things and head down the hall. My father is already sitting at the head of the table. His assistant sets down a coffee and several folders.

“So. What’s the emergency?” I ask as I slide into a chair beside Griffin.

“One of the London properties has an issue.”

I’m suddenly uneasy. “One of the ones I was working on?”

He shakes his head and I breathe a sigh of relief. My father hates errors.

“Lex was managing it.”

That’s a surprise. I had no idea he was managing anything outside of the four hotels we’d been asked to oversee while we were there.

“Which hotel?”

“The Concord.”

We’d stopped in there briefly, so I could get acquainted with the building and the managerial staff while we were in the area. It’s a well-established hotel, up to date, not in need of any real work as far as I knew. “What’s the problem? I didn’t think we were working on that hotel.”

“We weren’t supposed to until next year. It looks like some corners were cut regarding permits.”

That’s not good. I have to wonder if this was what he was taking care of when he went back to London ahead of me. Lex slips into the boardroom, looking rough.

He drops into the chair beside our father. “Sorry I’m late. What’d I miss?”

My father flips open the file folder and pushes it toward him. “Why don’t you have a look for yourself.”

Lex’s smile drops and he blanches.

Three hours later I’m still sitting in the meeting. The first hour was my dad chewing out Lex. There was nothing I could do to help him, since I didn’t know he was working on the project in the first place. The past two hours have been taken up with reviewing the original plans for the minor renovations to the ballroom and the indoor pool at The Concord, which weren’t scheduled for another full year. Securing permits for this kind of upgrade shouldn’t have been difficult.

The indoor pool is where the problem seems to be. I’m barely listening at this point. It’s already early afternoon. I don’t dare send any messages or my father will likely shit a brick. He’s in a foul mood. I’d really like some time to talk to Ruby. If I don’t get out of here before two, I’m not going to have enough time to get home before she leaves for work.

“Isn’t that right, Bancroft?”

I look up from the paper I’ve been scribbling on. I’ve managed to draw a circle. With another circle inside it. And another inside that one. It looks remarkably like a breast.

“I’m sorry. Pardon?”

My father looks annoyed. It’s not good. I don’t want to piss him off more than he already is.

“You’ll oversee the acquisition of the new permits.”

“I don’t have the background on this project.”

He taps his pen on the desk three times in succession, then flips it into his palm. It’s one of his little quirks. When he’s angry or frustrated it comes out through small, controlled body movements. That was definitely the wrong thing to say. “You have the basics from this meeting. I’ll send Griffin along with you.”