Rhiannon slowly accepted her hand. “Tina, right?”
“Yes.” Her smile was rueful. “I am so sorry for this disruption. I told Annabelle you wouldn’t love it, but I couldn’t talk her out of the idea. I figured I would come with, to minimize any trauma.”
“I’m fine with some disruptions but... wait, did you say trauma?” Rhiannon looked around but her employees were no help. Though at least half of them had their phones out and up. “What is this?”
Tina bit her lower lip. “It’s an invitation.”
Rhiannon took a step closer to the cake. She leaned forward to read what was on top. “An invitation to—”
She staggered back when the cake exploded. “Surprise,” shouted the well-built man in tight leather pants who now stood in place of the cake. He tossed something in Rhiannon’s direction, and she recoiled at the puff of glitter.
“What the fuck?” she yelped.
The man cleared his throat and unfurled a piece of paper. “Hear ye, hear ye. Rhiannon Hunter, you have been invited to the home of Annabelle Kostas to take part in a corporate extravaganza. You have a week to prepare your presentation and pitch for you know what. Please me, and perhaps you shall be pleased. Signed, Annabelle Kostas.” The man rolled up the paper and presented it, with a smaller cake, an edible replica of the giant fake cake. “You can eat this one,” he said with a wink.
When no one moved, Lakshmi accepted the offerings. “Um, thank you.”
“God, I’m so sorry.” Tina wrung her hands.
“I’m not eating a cake that was closed up with a sweaty man for God knows how long,” Rhi heard someone murmur as the guy clambered out of his cake and started wheeling it away.
“Fuck, it’s cake. I’ll eat it,” another employee said.
Lakshmi looked around. “Lin, would you like to take this, um, man cake to the break room. And everyone get back to work.”
There was good-natured grumbling as the crowd dispersed, one of the employees snagging the cake from Lakshmi. Rhi turned slowly to Tina and enunciated each word. “I have glitter in my hair.”
Tina grimaced. “Uh, yes. Would you like me to...”
“Help me remove theherpes of craftsfrom myhair?” Rhiannon nodded. Glitter tumbled to the carpet.
Lakshmi handed her the note and brushed at Rhiannon’s curls. “At least it’s your favorite color,” she remarked.
True. Unfortunately, she wore a black sweatshirt today, which meant the pink glitter was showing up really well. “I don’t like any color glitter.”
“Again, I am so sorry,” Tina said. She timidly dusted at Rhiannon’s shoulder. “Annabelle is... eccentric.”
Rhiannon glanced around to make sure no one was listening. She trusted all her employees, but no need to get anyone’s hopes up if nothing would come of this. “What that stripper was saying...”
“Not a stripper,” Tina said hastily. “I nixed that idea.”
“What is Kostas’s deal?” Lakshmi wondered out loud. “Is she nuts?”
Tina drew herself up to her full height, and haughty arrogance replaced her contrition. “My employer is notnuts. She’s a woman who has a whimsical, fun sense of humor. She’s not stuffy.”
Lakshmi straightened, too, and glowered down at the smaller woman. “You know, there’s a pretty broad spectrum between stuffy and a stuffed cake.”
Tina’s nose twitched, as if she agreed with Lakshmi, but her stubborn chin didn’t waver. Which was good. Rhiannon respected that, and she bet Lakshmi did too. Lakshmi might argue with her in private, but she’d defend her until the death to a third party.
Rhiannon cleared her throat to bring them back on track. “This party next weekend. The pitch and presentation. Is that for what I think it’s for?”
“It’s an introductory meeting, yes.” Tina nodded at the piece of paper Rhiannon held. “Those are the details. Dinner on Friday evening, pitches on Saturday. It’ll take place at Annabelle’s beach house in Cayucos. Driving is probably the best way of getting there.”
“I’m familiar with the place,” Rhiannon murmured, because she couldn’t admit she’d stalked the shit out of Annabelle already.
“Great.”
“Will there be multiple interested parties?”
