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“Am I missing something here?” she asked, still watching Matthew with narrowed eyes.

Matthew looked at her with feigned naivety. “What are you talking about?”

She looked at Winnie, then back to him. “Do you know her or what?” she asked again, clearly growing impatient.

He didn’t want to get into this. But then, he couldn’t lie to his sister.

With a side-eye toward her, he shrugged. “Maybe.”

“I knew it. Who is she?”

He contemplated remaining silent, but then, what was the point? Char would find out who she was eventually. “That’s the new consultant Dad hired.”

Char’s eyes rounded, her mouth dropping open. “Her? She’s the American?” She leaned back to see Winnie beyond him. “She’s definitely not who I pictured.”

Earlier that morning, Matthew had told Char all about Winnie and her desire to change everything, hoping to get his sister on his side early on. Who knew if Winnie would win Char over like she had Dad and Mum.

“You made her out to be a lot older than she is,” Char continued, staring. “And a lot uglier.”

Maybe he had, maybe he hadn’t. “I think I painted quite an accurate picture.”

“‘Bitter, fake, and old’?” Char said, quoting back the exact words he’d said to her. She folded her arms, shaking her head. “Boy, do you have a chip on your shoulder.”

“I was describing her personality more than her looks,” he defended weakly.

“And what’s so wrong with her personality?”

“She wants to change everything,” he said, acutely aware of how childish he sounded right now. “I already told you that.”

Char exaggerated a gasp. “No, a consultant wanting to change things? Call the constable!”

Matthew stared at her with a blank expression. He was not amused.

Char, however, laughed. “Look, you know I’m on your side with this whole thing. Dad should’ve told you, just like he’d said. But it is what it is. You can’t change it now.”

Matthew knew that. But it didn’t make it any easier to accept. He’d already forgiven Dad for doing what he thought was best for the estate, but that didn’t mean Matthew had let go of Winnie being there—or would ever let it go. She should have said no to taking over the festival.

“She’ll probably have some good ideas,” Char continued. “Ideas that might actually save the festival.”

That little New York snake had already gotten to his sister. How was that possible?

He glanced back to Winnie, who removed an earpiece from her ear but still stared down at her phone. It was a good job she was so attached to her device, otherwise he might’ve been caught staring again.

“The only thing she’s going to do is run it faster into the ground,” he said.

And he felt that now more than ever. Last night at approximately 11:58 PM, Winnie had sent a lengthy email to everyone on the festival staff, explaining who she was and that she wanted to meet together first thing Monday morning.

“I’m thrilled with the prospect of working with you all!” was how she’d ended her email.

Matthew shook his head. It was a joke. All of it. She would have nothing of value to add to the festival. She was a New Yorker, running on New York hours, living on New York fumes, and bringing her New York vibes where they didn’t belong.

Well, she was in for a rude awakening.

“I’m going to introduce myself to her.”

Char’s words broke through Matthew’s thoughts, and his stomach dropped. “What?”

“Yeah, I’m going to see if she’s really as bad as you made her out to be.”