show them who’s boss.”
She smiles softly and then glances down at my hand on hers. Suddenly, our attention is diverted as the doors open, and three people stride into the conference room to join us.
“Ah, hello, Ms. Logan, so good to see you again.” A woman walks over to shake Tilly’s hand.
“Hi, Mrs. Woodland. Nice to see you.”
“How is our lovely Freya? Resting comfortably, I hope?”
“She is, thank you for asking. She and the baby on the way are doing quite well.”
“Brilliant.” She turns her gaze to me. “This must be…?”
“Mr. Santino Rossi, Perfectly Sized Pets’ legal counsel,” Tilly answers, turning to me with a nervous smile.
“Ah, yes.” Mrs. Woodland eyes me up and down as she shakes my hand. “Didn’t like our contract, I take it?”
“No, I thought it was great,” I reply, pulling my hand back and unbuttoning my suit coat. “I just like my stationery better.” I shoot her a wink, and it works like a charm as she erupts into a fit of overzealous giggles.
She introduces us to the rest of the team as they take their seats across from us. “We’ve reviewed your new contract in detail, and I believe we have an agreement, but we want to propose one more thing today.”
Tilly’s eyes widen as she looks at me with a mixture of excitement and anxiety. “What is it?”
“We’d like to hire you here at Harrods, Tilly, as the head executive for this new department.” Mrs. Woodland pushes a manila envelope across the table. “I looked you up and spoke to your former employer at Fortnum and Mason, and we think you have what it takes to work here as a welcome asset to our team.”
Tilly blinks silently back at Mrs. Woodland like she’s just sprouted three heads, so she continues. “We want you to find new, fresh talent and establish business relationships with potential vendors for our growing pet department. Within the department, you can work on selling reports and ensure there are no chargebacks once production begins for Freya’s line and any other future pet products we may procure down the road. And we want to be sure we get the right product into the stores so it doesn’t just sell, but it sells well. You’d work here at our corporate office and be on the cusp of this new venture for our luxury department store. After dealing with your tenacity these past few weeks, we think you will be perfect for this position.”
Tilly remains frozen for an extraordinarily long time beside me, so I gently nudge her with my elbow. “Tilly.”
“Yes?”
“Did you hear them?”
“I think so.” She blinks rapidly.
I clear my throat and offer Mrs. Woodland a polite smile. “Sorry, one question: Can you confirm if Freya’s contract is contingent on Tilly accepting this offer?”
“Heavens no!” Mrs. Woodland exclaims. “We’ve already signed your contract, Mr. Rossi.” She slides a second manila envelope over to me, and I open it to see for my own eyes. My verbiage and my stationery are all on full display with all their perfect signatures. “We just need Freya’s signature on that, and we’re all set to move forward.”
“That is good news.” I glance over at Tilly, who still seems a bit shaken by the earlier offer. “Could you possibly give my client the room for a moment to consult with counsel?”
Mrs. Woodland smiles at me. “We don’t need an answer today. The position wouldn’t begin for at least another four to six weeks. We do understand your personal situation with helping out your sister-in-law while she’s on bed rest, though, so if that timeline needs to be pushed back, we have some work-from-home options we can discuss as well. Give it a think and consult with whomever you like.” She eyes me up and down and then turns her focus back to Tilly. “This could work out excellently for both Harrods and Freya. A true partnership with Tilly having both parties’ best interests at heart.”
“It does sound mutually beneficial,” I offer since Tilly still hasn’t snapped out of her shock while her nose twitches nervously.
Mrs. Woodland shoots me a wink as she and her colleagues leave the room. As soon as they’re out of eyesight, I grab Tilly’s chair and swivel her to face me. “Tilly, what’s the matter? You just got a job offer that sounds like a brilliant opportunity for you.”
“I need to talk to Freya,” she rushes out, her blue eyes wide and wary.
“About what?”
“What if she wants this job?” Tilly’s face