“And I like your shirt.” She hoped it wasn’t Kirra’s everyday wear.
“Thank you, possum. It’s one of my favourites.”
Up close, her skinny body towered over Allie. Her legs were bare under a short skirt, despite the cool day, and her large feet were covered by canvas tennis shoes with no laces.
“I brought the key to the Airbnb,” Kirra said. “I can take you there after the meeting’s over. Assuming it finishes before midnight.” She cast a meaningful glance in Phyll’s direction.
Surely, she was joking.
Kirra nudged her. “Not really—it’s never later than ten. Maybe you can keep them in order tonight.”
Ten was bad enough after the eight-hour drive from Sydney. Allie supressed an internal sigh. “I better catch Phyll before we start. See you later.”
Kirra nodded, and Allie stepped away.
Phyll swung around as she approached the table. “Will, once you’ve put the chairs out, can you make sure the urn is heating up for tea?”
The skinny man nodded and, abandoning the chairs, headed for the kitchen off the hall. Escaping Phyll? Maybe.
Allie moved closer. “How are you, Phyll? It looks like a lot is happening here.”
“Sophie, welcome. Glad you got here.” Phyll nodded, her grey hair moving stiffly with her head as if welded there. “Yes, everything is under control—so far.” She stared at Allie. “Glad you’ve got rid of the blue hair. It undermined your authority.” She glanced at the solid watch on her wrist. “You cut it a bit fine—wondered if you were going to make the meeting.”
Uh oh.Exactly what Sophie warned me about. As for the comment on her hair, well, she wouldn’t go there. She inclined her head. “Roadworks. But I’m here now. It was important I come up this weekend so I can patch any holes and keep things moving along.”
“Well, that’s good.” Phyll swung away and clapped her hands. “If we could all take our seats now, we’re ready to begin.” She moved behind the table facing the room and took the seat in the centre.
Allie dithered. Was Phyll expecting her to sit at the table? Well, shewasthe event planner. Sort of. She set her shoulders back and moved to sit next to Phyll, who gave her a brief nod. The other seat remained vacant.
When people had sat and more or less fallen into silence, Phyll stood. “Welcome everyone. Now, before we all give our reports, I’d like to introduce Sophie Lane from Events Done Right in Sydney. Sophie is here to keep us on track and help with the festival.”
Allie smiled and nodded at the faces. Most looked interested, a few scrolled on their phones. Should she say something? Panic gripped her chest—she had no idea what.
Phyll kept talking, obviously not expecting her to speak.
Allie heaved a deep breath and concentrated on keeping a calm, interested look on her face. She pulled her pad and pen from her bag ready to take notes.
Phyll consulted her own pad. “First, an update on the wedding fair in Silver Creek Park. This is my baby. So far, we have almost seventy registered exhibitors, eighteen of which are local. We have a marquee for the wedding attire parade and the singer.”
“Then the marquee will be sitting empty for a lot of the time.” The woman with the auburn plait popped up from her seat. “We’d like to use it for our celebrity chef talk on Saturday. It’s at ten; you should have enough time to set up for the frocks and jocks parade at two.”
Phyll pushed her tortoiseshell-rimmed glasses up her nose. “We’ll need that time to arrange the wedding attire parade.”
“Three hours?” the original speaker asked. “We’ll be out by eleven, and it will save us hiring a second marquee.”
Allie swallowed her nerves and tapped her pen on the pad. Did Sophie know this woman? “I’m sorry, I’ve forgotten your name?”
“Ziggy,” the woman replied. “We haven’t met. Myself and Will are organising the local food showcase.”
Of course.That had been in Sophie’s notes.“What would you need for your speaker?”
“Just what’s already available: the podium and sound set-up. We’re happy to use the chairs around the catwalk.”
“That sounds reasonable,” Allie said. “Does that work for you, Phyll?”
“It should do.” Phyll’s lips thinned. “As long as they don’t overrun.”
“I’m sure that won’t be the case. Ziggy, can you make sure whoever introduces your celebrity chef also wraps them up in good time at the end?”
