Page 43 of Snow Going Back

‘I’ll join you,’ Aubrey replied. ‘I can’t pass up the opportunity to enjoy a cup made by a realBritish personnow, can I?’

Having turned around, Kate was free to roll her eyes.

‘How do you take it?’ she asked.

‘Oh, I’ll have it however you take it, Kate,’ Aubrey replied. ‘You show me how it’s done.’

‘So, Aubrey, it’s great to finally meet you,’ Kate said as she readied the cups and boiled the kettle. She turned and leaned back against the side. ‘Please accept my apologies for not reaching out before now. I’ve just been trying to get everything in order first before meeting any of you to discuss things further.’

Aubrey’s smile twitched, and her head tilted a little to the side as she let out a tight tinkling laugh. ‘Anyof us?’ she asked. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Everyone who submitted a claim on the estate,’ Kate replied. ‘There are a number of you, so I’ll need to arrange some meetings to assess everything.’

‘Well!’ Aubrey’s eyebrows rose upwards, and she pulled her chin backwards with another delicate laugh. ‘I am personallyshockedthat anyone else has had theaudacityto try and claimour company,’ she declared.

‘Our?’ Kate queried, holding her gaze. ‘I was under the impression that the company was owned solely by Cora. At least, that’s who it’s filed under.’

Aubrey’s big blue eyes flashed with irritation, and something dark began to show through the cracks of her fixed smile.

There you are, Kate thought.

Aubrey was an anomaly in Kate’s world. She possessed a personality type Kate hadn’t crossed before, but what Katewasfamiliar with was the attempt to hide behind a mask. Everyone did it to some degree, but the people with the worst intentions always worked the hardest to disguise themselves.

‘I’m sure youalsoknow that I’m theonlymember of this family who actually cares enough about our company to work there then,’ Aubrey replied.

Kate nodded, turning to pour the water as the kettle came to the boil. ‘I do. You’re a junior marketing exec, right?’

She stirred the tea, noting the pause.

‘Iamin marketing at the moment, yes,’ Aubrey said, her tone more professional now as she tested the waters. ‘My great-aunt wanted me to work across different areas of the company in the time before I took over,’ she continued. ‘So I started off in the general office, learning payroll, scheduling, contracts, all those sort of things. After I mastered that, I moved on to marketing. Because youknowwhat they say, don’t you?’

Aubrey shot Kate a winning smile as she walked over with the two teas.

‘What do they say?’ Kate asked.

‘You can have the best product in the world and still fail if youdon’t understand how to market it.’ She gave Kate a look as if to press home a lesson, then took a sip of her tea. ‘Gosh, this tea is divinity itself,’ she gushed. ‘How do you make it? Youmusttell me so I can make this at home.’

‘Teabag, water, milk, two sugars, stir,’ Kate replied, adding a smile to take the sharp edge off of her delivery.

She watched Aubrey nod along seriously as if taking notes and resisted the urge to shake her head.

‘Thank you,’ Aubrey enthused. ‘I shall remember that.’ She smiled. ‘So, who else has put in a claim forour company, Kate? Thisissomething I take quite seriously, and as you are our lawyer, Iwouldlike to discuss that with you further.’

Kate took a deep breath and exhaled, immediately seeing the trap Aubrey was trying to lay. She sidestepped it with a snap decision.

‘Actually, until the ownership of the company is decided, Jenna, the office manager, has been appointed as temporary CEO. So I’ll be discussing anything relating to the business with her at this point in time, and you’ll be made aware of any decisions accordingly.’

As soon as she said it, Kate realised it made perfect sense. When it came to management, Jenna had been, in all but title, Cora’s second in command. Who better to keep things running smoothly? She decided to make it official first thing in the morning.

‘Excuseme?’ Aubrey said, the friendly tone beginning to wear thin. ‘I’m sorry, butwhatdid you just say?’

Kate held her gaze levelly. ‘I said I’ve appointed Jenna to stand as temporary CEO until matters are settled. She’s best placed to do so, and as an impartial party, she’s also best placed to help me decide on the best candidate to take over long-term.’

‘Yes, that’s what I thought I heard,’ Aubrey snapped. ‘Youtellingmethat you’ve made a decision about my family’s business without even asking mypermission. Howdareyou?’ she demanded, her anger beginning to redden her cheeks. ‘I’mfamily, Iworkthere, I haverights.’

‘Actually, you don’t,’ Kate replied, turning her head at the sound of the doorbell. She lifted a finger to stop Aubrey in her tracks as the woman opened her mouth to speak again. ‘Hold that thought.’

She nipped out to the front door, thankful for whoever was on the other side of it for shattering the tense exchange. Her thankfulness was short-lived, however, when she opened the door and found Evelyn, Cora’s sister, standing on the other side.

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