“No,” Wendy said. “I don’t want to screw Daniel over.”
“Why not?” Tom asked suspiciously.
“He’s with the Blackstone Firm, in case you hadn’t noticed,” Sarah said. “Screwing them over is practically part of Stargazer’s mission statement.”
“Daniel and I have been working together some since we’ve been here,” Wendy reminded them. “He’s had the opportunity to screw me over, and he hasn’t. I’ve had the opportunity to screw him over, and I haven’t.”
“But now we’re here,” Tom pointed out.
“And you need to screw him over if you can,” Sarah told Wendy. “Katelyn knows you called us to help you. With extra resources added to your tab, you’d better come through with something spectacular.”
“That doesn’t have to include sabotaging Daniel,” Wendy protested. “It could simply be doing my job and getting Lorelei out of trouble.”
“And getting her album nominated for a Grammy,” Tom said, “because at this point, I don’t think just doing your job is going to cut it.”
“Nah.” Wendy waved away his concerns with a confidence she didn’t feel. “Lorelei will record a beautiful mini-concert in an hour, and she’ll do great at the awards show tomorrow night. Everything will turn around for her. You’ll see.”
The salesman came out with the shoes then. He offered them to Wendy, but Wendy pointed to Sarah. After he left, Sarah held the box as if she wasn’t sure what to do with it. “These are for me? What’s wrong with what I have on? I just bought these.” She stuck out one sad Mary Jane with a hiking tread.
“What’s wrong with them,” Wendy said, “is that you’re in Vegas, where everybody goes out of their way to look good. You’re part of my posse. You’re a reflection on me. You can’t dress like you teach kindergartners at a Montessori school. We’re getting a scarf and chunky earrings, too, to make what you’re wearing into something presentable. Or just cover it up. And then you are marching right back to your room to put on a bra.”
With a grimace, Sarah tried the boots on. “They fit, but Wendy. I’m running a marathon in two weeks. I’m not willing to break my ankle in heels just because you’re embarrassed to be seen with me.”
“Precisely because you run marathons, you could punch holes in steel plate with your ankles.” Remembering Tom, Wendy turned to him. “You’re very tolerant of us while we conduct this meeting in a women’s shoe store. Thank you.”
“No problem.” He grinned.
“Are you putting up with it, or are you kind of enjoying it?”
“I’m kind of enjoying it. Taking notes like David Attenborough.”
“You’ll make somebody an excellent husband.”
Tom put up his hands. “Hold on there, cowgirl.”
“Not for me, Scruffy! You’re just a baby.” Running her eye up and down him, she appraised his usual attire. “You just need to iron.”
“I don’t iron.”
“Send your clothes out to be pressed, then, and charge it to my room. Jesus.” She turned her sights on Sarah again. “Do you have something to wear to Lorelei’s birthday party tonight?”
Sarah gestured to what she was wearing. “This?”
Wendy took a deep breath and prayed to God for forbearance. Then she said, “I’ll give you a hint. Sequins.”
“Then, no.” Sarah stuck out her bottom lip.
Wendy shook her head in disgust. “When I get a minute this afternoon, I’ll buy you a dress and have it delivered to your room.”
“I feel like your mistress.” Sarah grinned.
“Speaking of inappropriate relationships,” Tom spoke up, “seriously, Wendy, what are you going to do about Daniel Blackstone?”
Wendy glanced around the shoe store to make sure they wouldn’t be overheard, then scowled at him. “Why do I have to do anything about Daniel Blackstone?”
“Because his head was in your lap!” Sarah exclaimed, exasperated.
“You love saying that,” Wendy grumbled.
“I’m just dishing it back out, girlfriend,” Sarah said. “I can’t believe this day has finally come. You and Daniel have both met your match. Only, you’re not really a match for him. Not long-term. If this is a fling that will be over when you go back to New York, that’s one thing. If you think you can keep meeting in New York without anybody finding out, I don’t know. That’s really iffy. And Stargazer cannot find out about this, Wendy.”
Wendy’s stomach twisted. “It’s not against company policy to have a relationship with the Blackstone Firm,” she protested.
“It might as well be,” Tom said. “That’s the first thing I learned in this job.”
“And they already don’t like you, Wendy,” Sarah said. “In case you forgot, they fired you on Monday, but you clung to Archie’s leg and he couldn’t shake you off.”
“Plus, I’ve been doing a really good job of keeping Zane Taylor clean,” Tom volunteered. “Maybe too good. I’ve told the bosses that you laid the groundwork, but they don’t listen when they don’t want to hear it. And now this photo of Lorelei is making the rounds.”
“You can’t give them another excuse,” Sarah insisted. “You’ve got to get Lorelei out of this scrape, and you’ve got to dump Daniel.”
Wendy grimaced. “What if I didn’t dump him? Isn’t there another way out of this?”
“He can’t leave the Blackstone Firm,” Tom said. “It practically belongs to him. You could leave Stargazer and—”
“No!”
“—go to work for—”
“No!”
“It’s not that bad, Wendy,” Sarah broke in. “There are plenty of PR firms that—”
“No!”
“Hey!” Sarah put her hand on Wendy’s thigh. “We know you’re scared.”
“I’m not.” Wendy rose and pointed to the counter, indicating that Sarah should pay for her shoes so they could move on to the next item of clothing. “There’s nothing to be scared of. The only reason I would lose my job is if Daniel and I really fell for each other. I’m not going to let that happen.”
* * *