She proceeded to name a figure that Nell had a hard time not choking over. Not because it was so low. But because it was so high.
Whatever Vivian Templeton was used to paying her lawyers, it bore no resemblance to what Martin had paid his associates.
“If that’s acceptable—” Vivian’s expression was confident, and at that high a salary, why wouldn’t it be? “—when would you be able to start?”
Nell hid the relief bubbling inside her and glanced at her résumé. “Any time, really,” she said calmly. “Once you’ve had an opportunity to review my references—”
Vivian waved a dismissive hand and sunlight caught in the diamonds on her fingers, dancing across the mild look of distaste on her face. “My grandson is the only reference I need,” she assured. “I trust his judgment.”
If the woman knew, or cared, about the rumors Martin had been circulating regarding Nell, she didn’t show it.
Vivian folded her hands together. “So, that leaves the metaphorical ball in your court, dear. Would you like the position? I can’t promise you a nine-to-five—frankly the thought of that makes me shudder. Dreary, don’t you think?” She didn’t wait for a response. “But I can promise you an interesting variety of tasks. If you like to be busy—”
“I do,” Nell said quickly.
Vivian looked pleased. “Excellent. Is next Monday agreeable?”
It was already Thursday. That would leave Nell with a very busy few days before Monday, but she nodded with more confidence than she felt. “Perfectly agreeable.” She’d been preparing to move out of the condo anyway. What difference did it make if she did it over this weekend or the next?
“Will you need assistance getting settled here in Weaver?”
Nell prided herself on her independence, and the last several weeks had already given her a blow in that arena. The last thing she wanted was for her new employer to think she couldn’t handle such basic matters. “I have it covered, thank you.” She didn’t, but she would.
Again, Vivian smiled as if pleased. “When Archer called me this morning, he told me again just how eminently capable you are. He mentioned you’ve known one another since law school. As many lawyers as I’ve needed in my life, perhaps I should have gone to law school myself. Would have saved a fortune in retainer fees. Obviously you weren’t Archer’s type, but you were good friends with Meredith’s daughter, Rosalind, is that correct?”
Were. Vivian couldn’t know how correct she really was. But Nell highly doubted that Archer would have bothered sharing the details of her fractured friendship with his stepsister. “Ros recently moved in with her boyfriend, but up until then, we’d been roommates since school.” The facts were accurate, despite the real cause behind Ros’s actions. And Nell wasn’t touching Vivian’s blunt comment about not being Archer’s type. “Your grandson was in his last year when she and I were in our first.”
“I’ve met Rosalind,” Vivian said. “Takes after my son’s wife in looks. Quite beautiful. I never trusted beautiful female attorneys.” She looked at Nell and nodded with satisfaction. “Welcome aboard.”
Nell managed not to wince. Vivian obviously didn’t consider her a beautiful female attorney.
Her new employer stood and tugged lightly at the three-quarter-length sleeves of her nubby pink suit. Nell didn’t have a lot of personal experience with high-end designer clothes, but she was willing to bet that the suit carried a very fancy label.
She’d learned enough about Vivian Archer Templeton to know that she hailed from Pennsylvania and that most of her money came from her first husband—Archer’s grandfather—who’d been in the steel industry. The several husbands who’d followed had only added to her wealth.
As a result, Nell doubted that Vivian had ever had to worry about retainer fees stretching her beyond her means.
She stood too and stuck out her hand. “I appreciate your confidence. I’m looking forward to proving it isn’t misplaced.”
Considering her overall air of delicacy, Vivian’s handshake was surprisingly firm. Then she led the way out of the office, lightly clasping the filigreed balustrade that overlooked the rest of the atrium below. She went as far as the curving staircase where Montrose was waiting, as if he had some magical sixth sense that the meeting between Vivian and Nell had concluded.
“Montrose will see you out,” Vivian told Nell. “He can give you the tour on Monday when you arrive. He also can answer any questions you might have before then. One of my granddaughters has been acting as my personal assistant, but she’s away right now. So my man is delighted to fill in for Delia.” Vivian smiled at Montrose, and Nell was certain that she saw a hint of deviltry in her eyes.
The same kind of deviltry that often lurked in Archer’s eyes.
As for Montrose, he was clearly not delighted to be doing any such thing but he managed to exude both boredom and superiority.
Under other circumstances, Nell would have been hard-pressed not to giggle. She felt a little as if she’d landed in some alternate universe.
Instead, she kept her composure firmly in place and followed Montrose’s sedate descent down the fancy, curving staircase. It had a twin staircase on the other side of the room. Both led up to the second-floor landing that circled the entire space. “Are you in charge of the plants, Mr. Montrose? I’ve never seen anything so incredible.”
The windows looked out on the wilds of Wyoming, but inside, a person would think they’d landed in a rain forest. The atrium was filled with exotic plants.
Just one more reason why it all felt a bit unreal.
“It is just Montrose,” he was saying with the faintest of sneers. “And I’m Mrs. Templeton’s chef.”
For a moment she wished Ros could have heard him. He made Nell’s Snape-ishness sound tame.
