Read Online Sleeping with Anemone by Kate Collins - Free Book Online Page A

sounded so twelfth grade—“partner.”
    Raand shook Marco’s hand, each man taking the other’s measure, while I glanced around. His office appeared to have come straight from an IKEA showroom—light wood, simple lines, and no personal touches at all. Not one photo, award, coffee mug, or pencil cup. The top of his desk, a long, straight-legged table, was bare, save for an intercom/telephone and a silver laptop. The entire room seemed sterile and off-putting, just like Nils Raand.
    “Please. Sit.” Raand indicated a tan leather sofa against the wall. I put my purse on the floor by my feet, as Marco settled beside me. Raand looked comfortably relaxed in an adjacent brown chair, his hands resting on the chair arms.
    “So. What can I do for you?”
    “Give me an assurance that no hormones will be used on your cows,” I stated.
    “Cows must have the lactation hormone in order to produce milk,” he replied.
    “Their own natural hormones, not a synthetic version cooked up in a laboratory,” I countered. “I’m sure you’ve seen studies on the effects of syn—”
    “Studies, Miss Knight,” he cut in sharply, “can be manipulated.”
    “Your studies, perhaps,” I shot back, as his expression stiffened. “You saw the photos of those poor cows. Did they look natural to you? How would you like it if your mother—”
    Marco put his hand on my arm to stop me. “Look, Mr. Raand, you know what Uniworld is doing isn’t right. And you know these protests aren’t going to go away, not here in New Chapel or anywhere else in the country, especially with PAR working so hard to get the word out. All this negative publicity can’t be good for Uniworld’s bottom line. So go back to whoever makes decisions on the health and safety of your product and tell them it’s time to change their policy. Then we’ll get the media in to take photos of you signing an agreement to stop using synthetic hormones, the protests will go away, and everyone will be satisfied.”
    Raand tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair, studying Marco as though he were plotting how to dissect him. “Interesting idea.” He got up from his chair. “You will hear from me.” Then, giving us a slight nod, he strode out of the office.
    Wait. What just happened?
    “That was easy,” Marco said, standing.
    “Are you serious? We didn’t accomplish squat.”
    “He got the message, Abby. You’ll see.”
    I rolled my eyes. “You thought I was naive.”
    “Give me a little credit, Sunshine. I excelled in hostage negotiations. I know how to reason with difficult people. It’s all about hitting them where they’re vulnerable, and for a big company, that means their bottom line. Profits. Keeping shareholders happy. You watch. Within the week, things will start happening.”
    I went to the doorway and glanced out into the hall, but Raand was nowhere to be seen. Instantly, his secretary rose from her desk. “Is there anything I can do for you?”
    “Yes. Get Mr. Raand back here for a real discussion.”
    “Mr. Raand is in a meeting.”
    “You mean he was in a meeting. He walked out before it was over.”
    “We’ll schedule this for another time,” Marco said to me, trying to lead me out
    I wasn’t about to let Raand control the situation. I sat on a chair in the waiting area. “I’m not leaving until he comes back.”
     
    We were escorted out by the same beefy security guards who’d eaten Mom’s candy. Marco said it was my fault. Wasn’t he supposed to support me?
     
    At four o’clock that afternoon, my mom breezed in and motioned for Grace, Lottie, and me to follow her. Then, away from curious customers, she opened a small gift box to show us her latest work of art, something that vaguely resembled my brooch, except that the elegant anthurium of the original was nowhere to be seen.
    “That’s so—retro,” I said, trying to pump enthusiasm into my voice.
    So intently were Lottie and Grace studying Mom’s copy that neither spoke for