The Summer of Sunshine and Margot - Susan Mallery Page 0,24

a structure. As they got closer, she realized it was a greenhouse filled with exotic flowers. They went in through a glass door.

The first thing she noticed was the fragrance. It was powerful but not overwhelming, as if the scents from the thousands of flowers somehow blended into a beautiful singular perfume. The temperature was comfortable, maybe seventy or seventy-five degrees.

“Over here,” Bianca said, leading the way to a seating area in the middle of the greenhouse. Wicker furniture formed a circle. Overstuffed cushions offered comfortable surfaces. There was a low coffee table and a bistro table and chairs.

“What is this place?” she asked. “It’s wonderful.”

“Isn’t it? Alec hired the most amazing landscape architect a few years back. The greenhouse had always been here, but it wasn’t used for anything. Now there are all these flowers. I love to come here to read or think. Especially when it’s foggy. It’s like we have our own special place, away from the rest of the world.”

Margot had to agree. She had the thought that she would love to bring a sleeping bag and spend the night in the greenhouse. With the flowers and the night sky, it would be quite the experience.

She returned her attention to the job at hand. Once she and Bianca were seated, she leaned forward, deliberately relaxing her body language.

“I thought we’d begin by talking about Cardigania. The history of its customs as well as what the culture is like today. Their basic industries, areas of growth, demographics. That sort of thing. I’d like for us to brainstorm different events you think you’ll be attending with Wesley. We can talk about what you might wear and who you’d meet. During those sessions we’ll come up with things for you to talk about and I’ll help you become familiar with phrases and strategize ways to incorporate their various customs. None of this is formal. We can switch from topic to topic organically. I do have a workbook I’d like you to consider using. It’s more structured and we can go through it together.”

Bianca wrinkled her nose. “I hate being flawed. Real life is messy. I prefer pictures where everything can be airbrushed.”

“You hardly need airbrushing. You’re luminous in person. I’m not sure a photograph can capture that.”

Bianca’s eyes filled with tears. “What a lovely thing to say.” She blinked. “Still, there are flaws. I have to do this for Wesley. The Cardiganian ambassador to China was recalled for having an affair. That’s so ordinary a thing to do. I’m not sure I could ever be that ordinary. Wesley says I’ll be fine, but what if I’m not? I don’t want to cost him his career.”

Margot had learned that nearly everyone was apprehensive when she started working with them. “Would you be comfortable taking out my appendix?”

“What? You can’t ask me that! It’s a ridiculous question.”

“Why?”

“I’m not a doctor.”

“You’re right. Knowing how to perform surgery is something a person has to learn. It’s a skill—not intuitive. No one is born knowing how to do something like that.” She smiled. “That’s all this is. Learning a new skill. I wouldn’t know the first thing about acting, but for you, it’s easy. You wouldn’t have to wonder if you could do it, you’d jump right into the role. You have your process and you’re confident in your abilities. My job is to make you confident when it comes to dealing with Wesley’s lifestyle. Whether you’re meeting a factory worker or a prime minister, there are ways to be appropriate and genuine while still being yourself.”

Margot shrugged. “A lot of it is just plain silly. Like the way to set a table for a formal dinner. There are rules that sometimes make no sense. We’ll study them so you’ll know how to navigate state dinners. None of this is hard. It’s time consuming and requires some learning, but only because you haven’t had the experiences before.”

Bianca relaxed. “Like taking out an appendix.”

“Exactly. Now how did you meet Wesley?”

Bianca leaned back in her chair and sighed. “It was just one of those things. I had a meeting downtown. I never go there, but that day I had to. When I was finished, I walked back to the parking garage and on the way, I passed a dog park.” Her smile turned impish. “I do love dogs so I went in to pet a few. This cute Boston terrier came running up to me. He was so friendly and handsome.”

“You don’t have a dog of

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