Chapter 14 #2
"Of course. Anything for Maggie’s family," the celebrity said warmly, turning the full force of her professional smile on Vanessa. "I just have to ask you to sign a quick waiver. My team makes me do it for everyone. It is just a formality."
"A waiver?" Vanessa asked, her smile faltering.
The celebrity clicked her fingers without looking. Her assistant produced a tablet so quickly that Maggie almost missed the motion. She angled it toward Vanessa. A neat single-page document was already on the screen with a signature box at the bottom.
"It just says you will not use the photograph to imply any kind of professional, commercial, or personal connection with me," the celebrity explained breezily.
"No endorsements, no marketing, no claims of association, no public posting suggesting a friendship or business relationship. It’s standard for me.
My legal team would actually kill me if I let anyone take one without it.
" She smiled at Maggie. “Even the family of Maggie.”
"Oh," Vanessa said. She glanced at the document, and without reading it, she tapped her finger across the screen toward the signature line. "Of course," she added. "Whatever you need." Then, without a second thought signed.
The assistant withdrew the tablet smoothly.
"Wonderful," the celebrity beamed. "Now you can take the picture."
Vanessa pressed herself close to the celebrity's side. The celebrity arranged her own face into the practiced lit-up smile that had sold a hundred magazine covers. To Vanessa’s amazement, the celebrity took the phone from her and, in a single quick motion, clicked the photo, then handed the phone back to Vanessa.
"There you are," the celebrity said brightly.
"Thank you so much," Vanessa breathed.
"Shall we?" Maggie invited, gesturing toward the design room.
"Lead the way," the celebrity answered, turning to her team. “You four wait here.”
Maggie closed the design room door behind them.
The celebrity dropped the smile.
"That woman is dreadful, Maggie," the celebrity stated.
"She is a bit much," Maggie confirmed.
"But I have to admit I haven’t had so much fun in a long time,” she admitted gleefully.
"It’s not over yet." Maggie sighed. “While you’re here, let me show you the changes.”
"I’m so excited to see them," her eyes lit up with excitement.
Maggie showed her the changes and the new sketch, which the celebrity signed off on as soon as she saw the gown.
“Oh, my, Maggie!” she breathed. “It’s… It’s out of this world.”
“I’m glad you’re happy with it,” Maggie told her.
“Well, I’m ready to sign it off,” she told Maggie.
Once the documents were signed. Maggie locked it all away, then closed the closet that hid the safe.
Maggie placed it back in its sleeve.
“Maggie, I’m truly sorry for ever doubting you,” she told Maggie. “After meeting that dreadful woman…” She breathed. “I actually drove past her boutique earlier today.” She shuddered. “Goodness, there must be a way to completely close that place down. It was just one big den of copies.”
Maggie nodded and sighed. “I think after today, Vanessa won’t want to copy another design again.”
“Let’s hope so,” the celebrity said.
Maggie picked up the decoy sketch from where she had hidden it and set it back on the drafting table, at the same angle Vanessa had seen the first time. She added a few fresh pencil notes in the margin for good measure, then capped the pencil.
“If you could sign this one for me, please,” Maggie slid it toward her with a smile.
"Of course," her perfect bow mouth curved into a mischievous smile. “Let me authorize my wedding gown.”
They laughed before Maggie walked her out of the design room.
Out on the floor, Kevin and Vanessa had retreated to the small velvet sofa by the window where Maggie had her bridal clients sit. Michael was leaning against the counter, very deliberately not looking at Vanessa. He straightened the second the design room door opened.
"All sorted," Maggie announced brightly. "I am going to walk my client out. Could the three of you give me five more minutes? Go through to the office. I’ll be right behind you."
"Of course," Kevin agreed.
Vanessa was already on her feet.
Michael nodded and turned toward the design room as his phone rang. “Sorry, I have to take this. It’s a client.”
“You can take it in the break room,” Brianna informed him.
Michael nodded and walked toward the room while Vanessa and Kevin ducked into the design room.
Maggie walked the celebrity to the front door, with one bodyguard leading and the other two falling in behind. The third paused at the door, and the celebrity turned in the open doorway and laid one warm hand against Maggie's cheek.
"Make her pay, Maggie," the celebrity said quietly.
"I intend to," Maggie answered.
“Call me once it’s all done,” she made Maggie promise as they air-kissed goodbye.
The celebrity smiled and stepped out into the late morning sun.
Maggie watched her go. She turned back to the boutique. Maggie counted to thirty before she walked into the design room. Kevin and Vanessa were standing by the drafting table. The tissue paper she had laid over the decoy had been moved. Maggie pretended she didn’t notice.
"Sorry about that," Maggie apologized. "She is a force of nature. Right. Where were we?"
She crossed to her desk. Kevin reclaimed his chair opposite. Vanessa drifted, very casually, toward the door of the design room, then toward the corner shelves, then back toward the drafting table.
Kevin set his phone face up on the desk, as he always did, so he would see any message that came through. Just then, Michael came back into the design room.
"That was awesome," Michael said. "Your client is one of my favorite actresses at the moment."
“I think the entire world thinks the same,” Kevin agreed.
Michael sat beside Kevin, put his fake phone right next to Kevin’s, and opened the folder. "I want to ask you about a few things in your demands I’d like you to walk me through.”
"Sure," Kevin said, sitting forward, his eyes coming up off the desk and onto Michael's face.
“While you’re doing that, I’ll go show Vanessa some silk she’s been asking about.” Maggie stood.
She walked around her desk on Kevin’s side, and her hand hit the pot plant on her desk. It wobbled and then crashed. Dirt scattered. The ceramic chipped. Vanessa shrieked in fright at the noise. Kevin jerked back from his chair.
And that’s when Michael moved fast. In the half-second of distraction, Michael's hand swept across the desk for "his" phone, and what came up in his palm was Kevin’s phone while his fake one had moved into its place.
Maggie distracted Kevin by brushing dirt from his shirt as Vanessa stared at the dirt that hit her fake designer shoes.
“My shoes!” Vanessa hissed. “My beautiful shoes.”
It happened in less than two seconds.
"Oh, no," Maggie hissed. "I am so sorry. Let me get Brianna in here to clean this up."
She picked up the desk phone and pressed the intercom.
"Brianna, could you bring the dustpan, please?" Maggie called into the device. “And bring a broom.”
"Coming," Brianna answered through the speaker.
Michael glanced at his wristwatch. The motion was so natural that Maggie almost missed it.
"Maggie," Michael said. "We’re going to be late for our lunch reservation with Linda if we don’t leave in the next few minutes."
"Right," Maggie answered, brushing dirt off her skirt. "Goodness. I forgot the time entirely."
She turned to Kevin.
"Kevin," Maggie said, lifting the folder off her desk. "Let me take this with me. I would like to read it properly this afternoon. Could I come back to you by the end of the day with my answer?"
"Of course you can, Maggie," Kevin agreed, smiling like a cat who had been left alone in a dairy and was working out which pail to start with. "Take your time."
"Thank you, Kevin," Maggie said sweetly.
"I knew you would come around, Maggie." Kevin gave her a victorious smile.
"Mm," Maggie murmured.
Kevin reached forward and picked up the phone in front of him. He glanced at the screen, then pocketed it.
"Vanessa," Kevin called. "We need to go. I, too, have a busy day, and I know Vanessa does too. She is launching a brand new line this afternoon." A gleam shone in his eyes. “One that’s about to explode, it’s going to be so good.”
“Oh, yes,” Vanessa said, grinning. “I’m so excited about it. Wait until you see it, Maggie. You’re going to be so pleased we’re merging our businesses.”
That hit Maggie like a sledgehammer. “Who said we were…”
Michael grabbed her arm warningly. “Yes, well, I’m sure Maggie is looking forward to seeing what you come up with.”
Maggie stood very still for a moment, letting her anger settle. She’d nearly blown the whole charade.
After another painful, gushy goodbye from Vanessa and a look of dollar signs mirrored in Kevin’s greedy eyes, the couple finally disappeared.
Michael and Maggie walked back into the design room.
The tissue paper she had carefully laid over the decoy sketch when Kevin and Vanessa had first walked in lay neatly to the side now, folded back.
The decoy sketch had been moved a full inch to the right.
A small smudge of someone's fingerprint sat in the lower corner where a person leaning over the page had pressed to keep their balance.
Maggie smiled slowly.
"Trap baited," Maggie murmured. "Now let’s see if we hooked them so we can reel them in."
"Maggie Sullivan," Michael said softly. "You magnificent schemer. I forgot just how incredibly good you are at plotting."
“Well, I’m a little rusty,” Maggie admitted. “It’s a long time since I’ve had to use my scheming powers.” She grinned as memories of how she’d always been the one who got them out of trouble or got them revenge when they were kids crossed her mind.
"You are terrifying, Maggie," Michael told her. "I’m so glad I’ve never angered you."
“Good to remember that too,” Maggie warned him with a smug smile. “Because I remember we still have a challenge open.”
“That we do,” Michael confirmed with a soft laugh that made her heart stutter and her toes curl as a warm feeling spread through her stomach.
“Well, as I owe you for your fine performance today,” Maggie told him. “And while we wait to see if our fish swallowed the bait, why don’t I take you out to lunch?”
“Absolutely,” Michael accepted her invitation. “I’m starving.”
“Let’s go,” Maggie said with a smile, her breath hitched at their flirtatious banter and the memory of their soft kiss the previous evening.
They walked to the Bay Café and slid into a booth. After the server left, Maggie leaned forward and narrowed her eyes. “Are you going to just tell me what happened to Salty, or are you really going to make me have to ambush you with some scheme to get it out of you?”
“Having been on the other side of a few of your schemes, Maggie,” Michael leaned in, his face inches from her.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what you come up with.
” He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a husky whisper.
“But know this, you will never get me to betray my uncle and tell you how Salty disappeared in that hat.”
Her eyes locked with his, his breathing became shallow, and her throat went dry as his eyes darkened to an intensity that made the butterflies in her stomach go wild. But right before their lips met, their server arrived with their drinks, breaking the moment.
Maggie leaned back in her seat, glad she was sitting down because her knees felt like jelly, her heart was pounding in her chest, and the one thing she knew for certain was that she hadn’t felt this alive and light in two years.