Page 52 of The Rebel

I don’t like where this is going. I thought we were discreet but Kevin sounds like he knows.

‘Yes.’

I don’t offer more than a curt affirmation, hoping he’ll leave it at that.

‘But I thought…’ He gives a rueful chuckle. ‘Never mind.’

Relieved that Kevin isn’t probing, I turn my computer screen so he can see what I’ve been working on. ‘This is the reason I’m going to Melbourne. To meet with the founder of the this foster kids association and get the ball rolling on my idea.’

Kevin peruses the screen, reading quickly, before meeting my gaze head-on. ‘What do you have in mind?’

‘You know those old villas at the back of the property?’

He nods.

‘I want to turn those into a vacation destination for foster kids and their families. Give them something that most never have, time away from the drudgery of their lives. Open up new horizons. Let them see there’s more to life.’

‘Wow, impressive.’

Kevin’s audible admiration encourages me to continue.

‘I want it up and running sooner rather than later, and I want to advertise it. But Daisy didn’t agree initially.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I wanted to add this onto the resort’s main website so when prospective families look this place up they can see what’s on offer. She agreed, but only if I’m the face of both campaigns to pull them together.’

‘Sounds sensible—’

‘It’s not.’ I shake my head, residual anger making me grit my teeth. ‘I’m a private person. I don’t want my face bandied around as some do-gooder. So the kids’ programme needs to be an adjunct of what we’ve already come up with.’

A small frown appears between his brows. ‘Isn’t that muddying the message?’

My expression tightens but I give him a chance to elaborate.

‘I mean, the whole aim of this PR campaign was to re-establish faith in consumers that the Rochester brand is being reinvigorated and going from strength to strength despite your grandfather’s death. We want to promote the hell out of this island, use it as some kind of flagship resort, increase bookings by fifty per cent, and to do all that you hired a PR firm.’

Annoyed by his logic telling me nothing I don’t already know, I say, ‘And your point is?’

‘While I think your idea for foster families is brilliant, I agree with Daisy. To make the rebranding and your idea work cohesively, we need to make you the new face of it all.’

I open my mouth to respond and he holds up his hand. I should be outraged but all I can think is he’ll make a damn fine manager.

‘I don’t mean that to sound snobby or to reflect badly on the foster programme at all, but I think we have a great opportunity here to do something for those kids, so why would you want to rush it without giving the programme due diligence?’

I nod, begrudgingly admitting he’s made a valid point. ‘I’m not trying to rush anything but the way I see it, why not make use of the launch to gain free publicity rather than having to duplicate all over again when the programme is up and running?’

‘But won’t you just have a vague outline of the programme if you add it onto the new website, with a “coming soon” label? Is that really the publicity you want, when you could make a much bigger impact when there’s actually something to see and links to bookings? Unless your ugly mug is plastered all over the website, only then will everyone know what you represent. High-end glamour for tourists and generous lodgings for kids in need.’

Fuck, he’s making sense.

‘You’re right, but we’re going ahead as planned.’ I thump my desk in frustration and he jumps. ‘Sorry. I fucked up with Daisy over this.’

‘She’s a professional, she’ll do what’s best for the Rochester brand.’

Yeah, but what about what’s best for me?

I’ve never had anyone see through me the way she did. Even Pa didn’t know the root of my problems and why I could never fully trust him.

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