I’d been trying to figure out how I could engineer another meeting with him. I wanted to ask about his “accidental” tripping of the senator. I suspected Bram Sr. knew more about the incident in the library than he had admitted.

“Is seven o’clock too late?” Bram asked. “I have an end-of-the-day meeting I expect will run long.”

“Seven is perfect.”

He didn’t respond for a few seconds, then, “Sorry. I’m at court again. We’re going in.”

“No, I’m sorry I’m bothering you at work.”

“You can call anytime. You’re never a bother. See you tonight.”

We ended the call, and I picked up Lai Fa and kissed her head. “This is happening.”

I was going to give a presentation. Trey usually did that—tall and confident and next Bezos written all over him. My job was to run the auctions and, if necessary, coddle our clients. I was so not a saleswoman.

For the phone pitches I’d done from New York so far, I just used handwritten notes. I had no slides. No charts drawn up. No projector.

I set Lai Fa on the floor. “Hold on to your fuzzy feathers. We’re about to have a busy afternoon.”

I switched on Violet’s ancient printer in the corner, and it came alive with a whirr. Lai Fa peeped at it, curiously. She hadn’t been startled, showed no fear. And if she could be brave, so could I.

“I can’t be more chicken than a literal chicken. Right?”

While Lai Fa settled down on my feet for a nap, I ran through Ludington’s numbers for the past year. Then I worked up a new, aggressive marketing plan.

Strena popped her head in the door, with two of her models, Monique and Vivian, smiling from behind her.

Lai Fa ran over, and they went to their knees, making a gratifying amount of fuss about her. I felt like a proud parent.

“We’re going to work a couple of hours.” Strena straightened. “Have you thought about the show?”

“Thought about it, yes. Made a decision, no.”

She didn’t push me. She took her models upstairs.

I needed a break, so I packed up Violet’s bathroom—antique perfume bottles, candlesticks, ceramic statues of Greek goddesses—for Goodwill. Lai Fa stalked a small spider under the tub. When she finally snatched it, she let out a triumphant chirp.

“And this is why we’re an unstoppable team.”

The hour we spent cleaning cleared my brain. I reassessed my presentation with fresh eyes. This time, Lai Fa seemed interested, tilting her head. Maybe she’d gained enough self-confidence from the spider hunt to tackle entrepreneurship next.

I simplified my spreadsheets into a handful of easily understandable charts. “Visuals are always appreciated.”