The Summer Of Sunshine And Margot. Susan Mallery

and pulled away. “If we must.”

      Margot stopped and looked at her. “I’m not here to make you uncomfortable or put you in a situation where you feel foolish. My job is to help you in any way I can. I want this to be enjoyable and informative. Would it help if I told you how I work?”

      Bianca’s gaze was wary at best. Margot half expected her to bolt.

      “It might,” Bianca said. “Tell me.”

      “Maybe we should go inside where it’s not so cold.”

      Bianca surprised her by linking arms again. “I know somewhere better.”

      They continued walking, then turned onto another path. Up ahead Margot saw a structure. As they got closer, she realized it was a greenhouse filled with exotic flowers. They went in through a glass door.

      The first thing she noticed was the fragrance. It was powerful but not overwhelming, as if the scents from the thousands of flowers somehow blended into a beautiful singular perfume. The temperature was comfortable, maybe seventy or seventy-five degrees.

      “Over here,” Bianca said, leading the way to a seating area in the middle of the greenhouse. Wicker furniture formed a circle. Overstuffed cushions offered comfortable surfaces. There was a low coffee table and a bistro table and chairs.

      “What is this place?” she asked. “It’s wonderful.”

      “Isn’t it? Alec hired the most amazing landscape architect a few years back. The greenhouse had always been here, but it wasn’t used for anything. Now there are all these flowers. I love to come here to read or think. Especially when it’s foggy. It’s like we have our own special place, away from the rest of the world.”

      Margot had to agree. She had the thought that she would love to bring a sleeping bag and spend the night in the greenhouse. With the flowers and the night sky, it would be quite the experience.

      She returned her attention to the job at hand. Once she and Bianca were seated, she leaned forward, deliberately relaxing her body language.

      “I thought we’d begin by talking about Cardigania. The history of its customs as well as what the culture is like today. Their basic industries, areas of growth, demographics. That sort of thing. I’d like for us to brainstorm different events you think you’ll be attending with Wesley. We can talk about what you might wear and who you’d meet. During those sessions we’ll come up with things for you to talk about and I’ll help you become familiar with phrases and strategize ways to incorporate their various customs. None of this is formal. We can switch from topic to topic organically. I do have a workbook I’d like you to consider using. It’s more structured and we can go through it together.”

      Bianca wrinkled her nose. “I hate being flawed. Real life is messy. I prefer pictures where everything can be airbrushed.”

      “You hardly need airbrushing. You’re luminous in person. I’m not sure a photograph can capture that.”

      Bianca’s eyes filled with tears. “What a lovely thing to say.” She blinked. “Still, there are flaws. I have to do this for Wesley. The Cardiganian ambassador to China was recalled for having an affair. That’s so ordinary a thing to do. I’m not sure I could ever be that ordinary. Wesley says I’ll be fine, but what if I’m not? I don’t want to cost him his career.”

      Margot had learned that nearly everyone was apprehensive when she started working with them. “Would you be comfortable taking out my appendix?”

      “What? You can’t ask me that! It’s a ridiculous question.”

      “Why?”

      “I’m not a doctor.”

      “You’re right. Knowing how to perform surgery is something a person has to learn. It’s a skill—not intuitive. No one is born knowing how to do something like that.” She smiled. “That’s all this is. Learning a new skill. I wouldn’t know the first thing about acting, but for you, it’s easy. You wouldn’t have to wonder if you could do it, you’d jump right into the role. You have your process and you’re confident in your abilities. My job is to make you confident when it comes to dealing with Wesley’s lifestyle. Whether you’re meeting a factory worker or a prime minister, there are ways to be appropriate and genuine while still being yourself.”

      Margot shrugged. “A lot of it is just plain silly. Like the way to set a table for a formal dinner. There are rules that sometimes make no sense. We’ll study them so you’ll know how to navigate state dinners. None of this is hard. It’s time consuming and requires some learning, but only because you haven’t had the experiences before.”

      Bianca relaxed. “Like taking out an appendix.”

      “Exactly. Now how did you meet Wesley?”

      Bianca leaned back in her chair and sighed. “It was just one of those things. I had a meeting downtown. I never go there, but that day I had to. When I was finished, I walked back to the parking garage and on the way, I passed a dog park.” Her smile turned impish. “I do love dogs so I went in to pet a few. This cute Boston terrier came running up to me. He was so friendly and handsome.”

      “You don’t have a dog of your own?”

      “Oh, I’ve never had a pet. I wouldn’t be a good pet parent. I did all right with Alec, but only until he was a teenager. Then he went to live with his grandparents. It was the best thing for him.” Her tone turned wistful.

      Margot wondered if Bianca had wanted her son to go, or if she’d been given a choice.

      “Was the handsome dog Wesley’s?” she asked.

      “It was. His name is Bruno and while I was loving on him, Wesley came over and introduced himself to me. We took one look at each other and just knew.”

      “Love at first sight.”

      “It was. For both of us.”

      “Do you experience that a lot?”

      “Sometimes.” Her smile returned. “The best loves are the ones where you know right away, don’t you think? But it’s never been like this before. Never so powerful or strong.” She laughed. “I haven’t tried to change myself for anyone else.” Her laughter faded. “Alec always wanted me to be different. He never said anything, but I could tell. Especially as he got older. I disappointed him.”

      Margot thought about Bianca sleeping with Alec’s best friend when they were both still at boarding school. Not exactly a topic she was going to bring up.

      “Why do you think you disappoint him?” she asked instead.

      “It’s just who I am.” Bianca sprang to her feet and spun in a circle. “I didn’t eat breakfast and I’m starving. Let’s go raid the kitchen. Then you can tell me all about the special Cardiganian sheep.”

      Before Margot could respond, Bianca was gone, running out the door and into the garden. The fog had mostly lifted by now so she could see her until Bianca turned the corner and was lost from view.

      Chapter Six

      Declan expected clients to be difficult. But his current clients were doing their best to give him a heart attack. Even if that wasn’t their stated goal, they were doing a great job of pushing him closer and closer to the edge.

      He left his office early and drove home, arriving a little before four. When he opened the door leading from the garage to the house, he was hit by a blast of music and the smell of chocolate and berries and all things delicious.

      He walked into the kitchen only to come to a complete stop as he took in the view. Two pies sat on cooling racks. A tray of brownies was on the kitchen table and frosting dripped off obviously still-warm cinnamon rolls. But what really caught his attention was Sunshine.

      Connor’s nanny had pinned up her hair, leaving her neck bare. The sweet curve led to nearly bare shoulders.