Page 7 of Why Not Us?

By the time we’re done with our paintings, Dani has had three of the virgin drinks, we’ve all had a sundae, and I’ve made my decision. I stand off to the side with Taylor as my daughter talks with Lis, the chef, and Adalie.

“All right,” I say to my brother.

“All right? You’re in?”

I dip my chin in a nod.

He grins. “Excellent. Let’s go talk to Derek.”

I go to Dani first. “I have to go talk to someone,” I tell her. “It shouldn’t take long.”

“Can I stay with Lis and Adalie?” she asks.

“I’m sure they’re busy, pipsqueak. This is their job.”

“Actually,” Adalie says, “Lis and I are pretty much finished for the night. If you want, she can stay with us downstairs in the staff lounge while you talk.” She smiles at Dani. “You can maybe even meet Cerberus.”

Adalie meets my eyes, waiting for my decision. Dani looks up at me imploringly.

“It’s fine by me,” I say.

Dani bounces and grabs Adalie’s hand. “Is Cerberus a dog? You know, that’s the name of Hades’ dog. He guards the gates to the underworld.”

She skips along beside the two women as they chatter about mythology, painting, and art. I also hear the word photography mentioned, but soon they’re too far away for me to make out what they’re saying. Just before they head down the stairs, Adalie turns, looking at me over her shoulder.

“Ready?” Taylor says.

“Yeah.”

I follow him down and into one of the offices, which he walks into without knocking. Derek is sitting at his desk, while a woman, her black hair tied back in a neat bun, points at some papers they’re looking at. He glances up when we enter, standing with a grin.

“Well? Did you have a good night?” He picks up the papers and leads us out of his office. “We’ll have more space in the meeting room,” he says, as the black-haired woman follows.

When we arrive, someone else is already there. I’d met Spencer earlier in the evening and seen him a few times throughout the night. We all sit around a large table, and Derek introduces us.

“You met Spencer before. He’s our event coordinator. And this is Vic. She’s our fearless leader.”

There’s a round of handshakes.

“You three own this business,” I say, to confirm.

“And Adalie,” Derek says. “The teacher tonight. I meant to introduce you guys earlier, but when I went upstairs, you two were already talking.”

“I didn’t realize she was another owner,” I say. I think of the tiny woman who had seemed so nervous when talking to me. She doesn’t seem like the type to help run one of the most popular event venues in Vancouver, let alone be an owner. Then I consider how composed she’d been in front of the class. She’s definitely more fascinating than I’m comfortable with.

“She’s also our human resources coordinator. Here’s the contract.” He slides it across to me and Taylor, who picks it up.

“Shouldn’t she be here if she’s another owner?” I ask.

“To be honest, I don’t need Spencer or Vic here,” Derek says. “They just came to meet you officially. This is my deal, and I have full support from my fellow owners. Besides, Adalie is chilling with Dani, isn’t she?”

Spencer nods. “They’re with Lis in the lounge. When I left them, Dani was asking about the cooking night next week, what Lis is going to be making.”

Taylor hands me the contract and I skim it, trying not to think about fiery red hair and startled green eyes.

Finally, I set the papers down. “This contract looks fine to me. Have our lawyers looked at it?”

Taylor nods. “I took care of that three weeks ago. All that’s needed now is for you to be on board.”

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