Diane Vallere - Style & Error 02 - Buyer, Beware by Diane Vallere

Author:Diane Vallere [Vallere, Diane]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mystery: Cozy - Humor - Fashion - New York City
ISBN: 1939197015
Publisher: Polyester Press
Published: 2013-03-04T06:00:00+00:00

20

There was a limited window of time before cocktails with Andi, and I used it to meet with Nora at I-FAD. I parked in a visitor space near her lecture hall. The only other car in the lot was a highly polished silver BMW. The college was either paying more to their professors than I thought or there were some very spoiled students. When I went to school, I got around on a one-person motorized scooter that capped out at thirty-five miles per hour unless I was going downhill.

An irregular breeze wafted past me, blowing green whirlybirds from the trees. They spun in circles as they descended, landing in soft piles on the grass, to be trampled by students between classes. I picked one up, held it in front of me with two fingers, and let go, watching it spiral its way as it fell.

Students trickled out of the lecture hall, holding beat-up backpacks on one shoulder. I didn’t want to waste any more time, so I pushed through the door and followed the mustard-colored carpet runner to the front. Nora stood, leaning against a marble table, talking to Tony Simms. Surprised, I stepped backward and put one hand on the door to leave, but it was too late.

“Samantha! Perfect timing. I told Mr. Simms you were coming here today, and he wanted to talk to you.”

“Hello, Samantha,” he said, extending his hand. I grabbed it and shook, trying to anticipate the squeeze-and-pump manner he’d used the first time we’d been through this routine.

“Hi Mr”—I caught myself—“Tony,” I finished lamely.

“What brings you to the college today?”

“Nora,” I answered, opting for vague over lying.

“Aren’t you two neighbors?”

“Yes,” I said, not sure how he knew that. “With the hours I’m putting it at Heist, I barely see her anymore.” It was meant to be a joke. I hoped he saw that.

“Speaking of Heist, that’s the reason I’m here. I’m glad you showed up. You should be part of this thing too.” He checked his watch. “But I’m late for an appointment. Nora, do you want to fill her in?”

“Be glad to, Mr. Simms.”

They shook hands as a good-bye, though Nora didn’t appear to care about the business squeeze-and-pump. She looked a lot more natural than I did during the whole process. The small businessman left through a side door marked only by a red neon Exit sign.

“I didn’t expect to find him here,” I said, this time opting for the truth over vague.

“Neither did I.”

“What’s this thing he was talking about?”

“Tony has been very generous to I-FAD. As a thank you, the college is dedicating a building to him. It wasn’t going to happen for a month, but he wants to bump up the agenda to divert attention from the negativity that’s surrounding Heist.”

“Can he do that?”

“When you’ve given as much money to the college as he has, you can pretty much write your own ticket.”

“Interesting. What do I have to do with this?”

“He wants a team from Heist here at the dedication.

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