Beaumont Brides Collection Read Free Page B

of that, Mr Nicholson and I have a meeting scheduled with Mr Devlin later this week to confirm the details of Harries sponsorship with the new management.’ More truthfully, she was still waiting to speak to the wretched man and if her fingers had been crossed any more tightly they would have broken. ‘I don’t anticipate any difficulties.’
    She winced as she replaced the receiver. Despite her determination to see Luke Devlin at the first possible moment, his secretary had been evasive about an appointment, merely assuring Fizz that he would be told of her call. She could do nothing, but wait and gather her ammunition. Checking and double checking the portfolio that had convinced the financiers to loan the money for the restaurant and gift shop, and the photographs of what was now an expensive reality.
    There were pages of careful costings and conservative estimates of return on investment. She had a sheaf of photographs and news cuttings showing sponsorship banners at sporting events and listening figures for “Holiday Bay” and she hadn’t wasted her time while she waited.
    She had been looking for alternative sources of sponsorship from likely companies. But the reaction was the same from everyone. With the future of Harries Industries in question, no one could afford to be relaxed. As the largest employer in the area any cutbacks would hurt local businesses. And the invoices for the January Sales ads wouldn’t be sent out by the advertising agencies until the end of the month.
    Not that anyone would be in a hurry to pay them.
    She glared at the phone. ‘Ring,’ she instructed it. ‘Go on, damn you, ring!’ It immediately responded with a low burble and for one disbelieving second she stared at it. Then as it rang again she snatched it up.
    It was her father.
    ‘I was just checking to see if you had managed to speak to Mr Devlin yet.’ He was a good actor, but even so she could detect the note of anxiety that had crept into his voice.
    ‘Not yet,’ she said, rather more brightly than she actually felt. ‘I suppose we must come pretty low on his list of priorities right now. I’ll let you know as soon as anything happens.’
    ‘Well, it’s in your hands, Fizz.’ Yes, she thought, putting down the receiver. That had been made more than clear to her. But she wasn’t complaining. Her father had already done enough in dragging her back from the abyss.
    The telephone rang again.
    ‘Fizz Beaumont,’ she said, matter-of-factly.
    ‘Good morning, Miss Beaumont. Luke Devlin returning your call.’ His voice was cool, distant and not particularly encouraging. He must know why she was calling but he waited, leaving her to do all the work.
    She forced her face into a smile, knowing that it would come through in her voice. ‘Thank you, Mr Devlin, that’s most kind. I know how busy you must be. I received your letter -’
    ‘Did you?’ he interrupted, smoothly. ‘That’s odd, I don’t recall having written to anyone called Fizz Beaumont. It seems unlikely that I would forget such an unusual name.’
    Fizz could have kicked herself. Instead she forced laughter into her voice, congratulating his wit. ‘I meant of course the letter you sent to my father. Since I am the station manager and deal with all financial matters, he naturally passed it straight on to me.’
    ‘I see.’ The words conveyed a world of meaning. That her father had been less than polite in passing on his letter to a subordinate. That he wasn’t used to dealing with chits of girls when it came to business. Something more that she couldn’t quite put her finger on.
    She dropped the laughter. It clearly hadn’t impressed him one bit. ‘My father is deeply involved with the city’s youth theatre at the moment, as well as other projects that have first call on his time. And he prefers to leave all financial matters to me.’

    ‘Even when it concerns the fate of his radio station? Dare I suggest that excessive sponsorship has made him