Étienne is wary as he slides the folder across the desk. “You haven’t found yourself the executor of another dowry, have you?” he asks dryly.
“God, no.” Impatiently, I fling a hand to the folder. “Just take a look.”
Once again, his curiosity gets the best of him, and he opens the folder. It only takes a minute at best for Étienne to understand what my intent is. By the time he turns to the second page, his lips are drawn into a thin line, and one thick brow is arched.
His eyes veer between the papers in his hands and back to me. Ever so slightly, he shakes his head. “You’re sellin’ your shares of AT&T?”
“Absolutely.”
Étienne looks at me with disbelief. “This isn’t somethin’ you can nullify. Once the papers are signed, they’re signed.”
“I’m quite aware of how documents work.”
“I’m beginnin’ to think you don’t,” Étienne mutters under his breath.
“I’m beginnin’ to think you underestimate me far too often.” From there, I tell my brother my intentions. My plans are broad, and by all accounts, I’m taking a tremendous risk. But I have a plan. One I’ve thought over carefully. The longer I talk, the broader Étienne’s smile becomes. And by the time I finish, something close to respect fills his eyes.
“I have to admit I was skeptical at first. But I believe you’ve thought this through. I’ll help you.”
My shoulders sag with relief.
“You’re right, though. This is a tremendous risk but quite possibly the best one you can take. Now go to Rainey and tell her you’re sorry for everythin’.”
A headache starts to build near my temples. I could explain how I feel a hundred times over, but Étienne wouldn’t understand. He’s happily married to his soulmate.
I look out the window. “I’m loving her the best way I know how.” I take a deep breath. “From afar.”
“I thought Serene and I were bound to love from afar, and I almost lost her.”
I turn around. “Yes, but—”
Étienne holds up a hand. “I know. It’s different. But is it really? You’re about to lose the love of your life out of sheer stubbornness.”
“I will talk to her. Not today but soon, all right?”
Étienne nods, pleased with my reply. He drums his fingertips on his desk, his attention moving back to the leather-bound folder. “What is the second thing you wished to speak with me about?”
Clearing my throat, I say, “I think we both know that my occupation at the family shipping company was not workin’ out.”
My brother dips his head. “Fair enough.”
“I went to college and received the same degree as you, but I was merely the spare to the heir.”
At that, Étienne winces. “I wish you wouldn’t say that. Mere minutes separate us. I just happened to arrive first.”
“Thank God for that. I couldn’t handle the pressures you face. I’m not equipped to run a business.”
“What are you made for?”
“To find you clients for your business,” I reply.
Étienne leans back in his chair and lifts a brow. “Why do I need your help to find clients?”
“Because you have the charm of a hedgehog mixed with a cactus.”
“You flatter me,” Étienne says dryly.
“But I can speak to anyone about anythin’. You find the task of conversin’ painful and tedious, do you not?”
With his fingers steepled together, Étienne watches me carefully. He’s intrigued to say the least. “I can’t argue with that.”
I go in for the kill. “Your primary concerns are businesses you can invest in with capital and returns. With me, my responsibility would be to keep consistent communication with your clients and findin’ new leads.”
I have the pleasure of seeing the complete surprise on my brother’s face. Just because I didn’t want to manage a business didn’t mean I wasn’t aware of the inner workings.
“Asa helps me find new leads.”
“Asa is consumed with AT&T,” I counter.
For several minutes, Étienne is quiet. I can see the wheels in his head working, processing what I’ve told him. There’s a high probability he will decline. Étienne prefers to handle every aspect of the business on his own, and every person who was hired had remarkable resumes and glowing references. I would be not be an exception because I was his brother.
“All right.” Étienne leans forward and extends his hand out between us. “I’m interested to see what you will bring to the company. You’ll be treated like everybody else.”
I shake his hand and smile at his words. “I would expect nothin’ less.”
I stand because even I know to quit while I’m ahead. Étienne hands me my folder, and I gladly take it. This is a victory I didn’t know if I would win, and at the moment, I bask in my accomplishment. Only for a moment, because my next thought is, “Tell Rainey!”
It’s second nature to share every part of my life with her.
Not yet, I remind myself. Soon, but not yet.
“I wish you the best of luck,” Étienne says.
“Thank you,” I reply and walk out of his office. Once I’m out of the front door and on the street, I mutter under my breath, “I will be needin’ every bit of it.”
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Rainey
“Evening gowns have certainly changed since 1912,” Serene remarks.
As the maid bends down to fix the hem of my dress, I fuss with the bodice. “Are you sure?”
Serene swats my hand away. “Trust me. I know what I’m doing. This is perfect.”
Typically, I trust Serene. We are one and the same in a lot of ways. She simply says what I’m thinking in a less articulate way. It certainly drives the point home, though.
Today I’m questioning everything. I didn’t get any sleep last night, and when it was time to wake up, my body decided it was time to sleep. I only woke when my maid was shaking me, telling me it was almost time to leave for Belgrave.
When I arrived, Serene unknowingly had me dress in the same room I stayed in after Livingston’s attack. Very little in its appearance has changed. The bed still faces the fireplace; it simply has a different quilt across the mattress. Fresh flowers are on the nightstand.
Serene was already dressed in her evening gown when I arrived. The maroon chiffon evening gown was trimmed with beads, and her sleeves elegantly fell to her wrist. After recently having a baby, she looks comfortable in the relaxed fit of the dropped-waist.
The entire time I got ready, she kept my mind preoccupied by talking about her kids, and Étienne, and how she missed Nat. We spoke of everything but the bachelors and Livingston.
When the maid was done with every button, Serene takes a step back and looks at me. “This dress is so beautiful on you.”
Nervously, I toy with one of the straps of my dress and look at myself in the full-length mirror. The dropped-waist evening gown is sage green. There’s an iridescent gold overlay with sequins. Every time I move, they sparkle in the light. The back dips to a V, exposing more skin of my back than I’m used to. My favorite part is the train that dramatically flares away from the dress, reminding me of a gold waterfall. And when it’s time to dance, I can slip the convenient ribbon loop around my wrist to keep it off the floor.