Vanity Fare Read Online Free Page B

traffic area you have to have something that’ll pop, so people will choose your store over anybody else’s.” That sounded pretty good, if I did say so myself. Thank God for buried memory.
    “Precisely,” Nick answered in that dry voice. “You want people to buy your products.” The way he said it sounded like how I explained things to Aidan. He must really think I was dumb.
    I made an attempt to rally. “Of course you do.” I almost added “duh!” just so he’d get the point. “And you want to tie the shop into the library in some way?”
    Simon waved his hand. “Yes, since my pastries are a work of art. Like a Gauguin or a Picasso.”
    It probably wasn’t the time to point out that those guys painted pictures and didn’t write books.
    Simon continued. “With you and Natalie on the team, I’m certain we’ll have fantastic results.”
    I heard another snort in the distance. Well, at least Nick’s disdain was consistent.
    John interposed, his Corporate America voice in full effect. “Molly will need some time to get up to speed. I’ll be filling her in on the details. And, of course, Natalie will be the point person. She’s already come up with some fabulous ideas. We can guarantee a fantastic presentation.”
    “We’ll need more than your assurances.” Nick’s expression was as cold as his words.
    “Of course they’ll come up with something fantastic.” Simon’s tone allowed for no disagreement. The thought crossed my mind that he was probably accustomed to getting exactly what he wanted, all of the time.
    Nick unfurled himself from the wall and walked out without another word. Simon followed, giving me one last saucy look as he left. Beauty and the Beast.
    I turned to John, whose face immediately assumed a soothing expression.
    “It’s nothing you can’t do, Molly. It’s just writing some lively copy, after Natalie generates the look and feel. You can do that.”
    I could do this. I just had to let my imagination run unchecked. And not about the interesting positions my new sort-of employer and I could get into. He sure was beautiful. Arrogant, but beautiful.
    “Molly?” John’s sharp tone pulled me from all sorts of visions that Supposedly Steady Moms should not be having. “I’ve got some basic marketing copy books I can let you borrow. You’ll be meeting with Natalie as soon as I can find out when she’s free. You’ll do fine, Molly,” he said in a reassuring tone. He rose, and I did, too, smoothing my pants with my sweaty palms.
    John handed me a beige canvas bag filled with a menacing-looking three-ring binder. It was so large it bowed the sides of the bag out. I slung it over my shoulder and it landed with a loud whump! on my back.
    “Thanks, John, really.” This money meant Aidan wouldn’t be gnawing off his own hand, even if his mother had to pretend to be the marketing Mata Hari for a month.
    “Good-bye, Molly. Say hi to Aidan for me,” John said as he kissed my cheek.
    I wondered just how intimidating Natalie was. Or how long it would be before Simon suspected I was a fraud. I knew Nick had already made up his mind.
    I wondered just what I was getting into.
    I wondered just what I would get out of it.
    I didn’t stop to wonder at the possibility I would fail. I couldn’t afford to.

A Room of One’s Scone
    Take a moment—two moments, even—for yourself. Remember how it felt, how it smelled, how it tasted to relax for five minutes with a deliciously creamy pastry just perfect for pairing with a cup of tea. Remember what it was like before you did things like count carbohydrate grams and obsess over a teaspoon of butter?
    This scone will bring it all back to you. It’s light, flaky, and packed with raisins and cinnamon, dusted with a delicate layer of spun sugar.
    Okay, not spun, just regular, but it’ll taste like spun sugar. If you knew what that was.
    It’s a pastry worth locking yourself in your room over. A place to ponder the greatness of life, of you,