She couldn’t let this go. But she could shift the tide—meet Lucia on her terms. Personal attachment couldn’t be the weaklink. After mentally wringing her hands long enough, Penelope grabbed her phone and typed a single line, stared at it—
Then hit send.
Might as well go all out.
Chapter 9
Pangs of Conscience
Lucia sat at the edge of her bed, one boot on, one still dangling from her grip, the afternoon sun slicing through the blinds in harsh slats. Her phone rested beside her on the blanket, the screen still lit with the message.
She’d spent way too much time wondering what she’d done wrong during their second coffee date (she thought it had gone so well!) only to be met with radio silence again.
If this were just personal, she would’ve moved on. She had no time or patience for people who ran hot, then cold. But no. This was business, and she needed to get along with Penelope.
When the text finally came, she’d cheered before dropping onto her bed seconds later, still staring at the screen, unsure how to reply.
Ms.Rossi, how are you? I was wondering if you’re interested in stopping by the Meridian again. We never managed to finish our last tour, and you seemed quite interested in the inner workings of the museum.
First of all, who wrote such formal text messages?
And after two dates! One. Whatever.
The point was, Lucia had thought they were past this sort of plastic friendliness. Unless…it was teasing? They had surely done so in the past, and she shouldn’t be so sensitive.
Unless Penelope knew?
Maybe she’d been too obvious about checking out the staff-only areas. But no. She’d been calm, and a natural curiosity would have been expected.
She sighed and yanked on her other boot.
Lucia didn’t know how she’d explain any of this to Francesca. She’d been summoned to an urgent meeting. Lord knew what bee had now nested in Francesca’s bonnet. She was getting too old for this.
Lucia picked up her phone again, composed a reply, and pressed send.
~ ~ ~
At Francesca’s, they were once more joined by Skye, but this time, Jules made an appearance as well, and it was a welcome sight.
Late sunlight spilled across the floor, gilding the edges of old frames stacked against the wall.
“We have a problem. Actually—two. And the ideas you’ve sent in won’t work,” Francesca said once they’d all settled in her office.
“The Meridian has altered their plans for theMadonna. It will now be shown as a centerpiece,alongwith your Bellini.” She shot a significant look at Lucia.
“You were in favor of lending them the Bellini.” Lucia crossed her legs, trying to sound composed. No way was she going to take the blame for that.
“Yes, yes, but now it’s interrupting the entire timeline. Besides, the announcement of the ball left us with little wiggle room,” Francesca said. “They plan to move theMadonnato the east wing. It’ll be the biggest display for the ball, and the Meridian is adding extra security.” Francesca grimaced.
“It’s worse. They are adding live feeds,” Jules said.
“Ugh. And now?” Lucia asked.
“Our timing changes. Jules?”
“Right. Producing the spike during the ball no longer works with these new security measures—that’s suicide. We’ll do it beforehand instead. It ups the risk they’ll react too hard, skip the lab and rush her back on display. They willreallywant theMadonnaup now, but if we play it right, they won’t have any other choice.”
“Is it wise to cause the humidity issue just for theMadonna? Couldn’t you also make it look like neighboring pieces are affected, too?” Lucia asked. “That might be less suspicious.”
