“Ms. Saint to see you, Ms. Konstantine.”
“Thank you, Tina. Please send her in and hold all my calls.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The door opened immediately, and Mel Saint walked in.
“Sorry it took me so long, Ms. Konstantine,” Mel said, and Kitty could see the younger woman was nervous.
“That’s okay, Mel. Please have a seat.”
Mel took one of the chairs facing Kitty’s desk, opening a steno pad and clicking on her pen.
“You won’t need that,” Kitty said, leaning forward on her desk.’
“Oh.” Mel looked flustered, and Kitty imagined the younger woman was thinking the worst.
“I need your help, Mel,” Kitty said, deciding to get right to the point.
“Of course,” Mel said, still looking uncertain.
“Actually, I need to thank you first—for covering for me this morning,” she added, when Mel looked blank.
“Oh. Well, that’s all right. I was happy to help.”
Kitty smiled warmly. “It wasn’t all right—not on my part—to leave you stranded, and I want you to know I appreciate it.”
Mel relaxed a fraction. “Okay. Then you’re welcome.”
Kitty sat back in her chair, and crossing one leg over the other, she swung her chair back and forth.
“I imagine I also have you to thank for Meg’s assistance this morning.”
Mel looked embarrassed. “Well, I thought you’d like, that is I didn’t think you’d want…I mean…”
“You were pretty sure I wouldn’t want to show up for work in the same clothes I was wearing last evening when I left with Bart Saint.” Kitty grinned. “You were right, of course.”
Mel let out a huff of breath. “Well, I know how…persuasive the Saint men can be.”
Kitty laughed. “Tell me, Mel: When did you find out about what they do?”
Mel seemed to relax completely at that, as she realized where Kitty was headed.
“The first time I saw them, actually.”
“Them?”
Mel nodded. “Yes. I’d followed the band to a dive where I’d learned they liked to hang out. It wasn’t someplace I should have gone into by myself, but I’d heard them play, and knew you’d want to sign them, so I…”
Kitty sat forward suddenly. “What happened? God, please don’t tell me you were hurt.”
“No! I mean, there was this drunk guy who did try to, well, he was pretty obnoxious, but Matt and the others heard the commotion, and they came storming out of the back room and…Well, they took care of him. Took care of me.”
Kitty gasped. “I am so sorry, Mel. God, if anything bad had happened to you, because I was pushing you so hard …”
“It’s okay. Really. And anyway, if you hadn’t…I mean, if I hadn’t decided to follow them into that dive, I’d never have met Matt, so really, it turned out okay.” She smiled brightly. “Better than okay, really.”
Kitty stood and paced to the window. “I pushed all of you too hard, Mel,” she said. “My father was pushing me, and I was dumping all that frustration onto all of you.”
She turned back. “It was wrong of me.”
“Ms. Konstantine…” Mel began.
“Kitty. Please. Call me Kitty.” She took a deep breath. “I have a huge favor to ask of you, and I’d rather ask it of a friend than of a subordinate.”
She paused and took another deep breath. “Besides, I’m not your supervisor anymore.”
“You’re not?” Mel seemed to forget her earlier misgivings as she sat forward, startled.
“No, I’m not. Or at least I won’t be, as soon as HR passes my letter of resignation along to my father.”
“You’re letter of…” Mel gaped at her. “Holy cats…you really quit?”
Kitty found a smile from somewhere. “I thought I might as well. My father made it pretty clear yesterday that if I didn’t get The Four Saints to sign an Opryland contract, I’d be finished here. And after my evening with Bart, I know that was never going to happen.”
“He told you?” Mel asked, tentatively.
Kitty nodded. “Told and showed.”
A thought struck Kitty. “You said ‘they’ came to your rescue. Does that mean all five of them…?”
Mel smiled. “Yes. I don’t remember it real clearly, but there were lots of growls and screams and, well, if you can imagine a bar suddenly filled with five very unhappy bears…”
Kitty laughed and collapsed into the other chair in front of her desk. “God, I really can.”
She shook her head again then glanced at the clock.
“Anyway, before we’re interrupted, as I said, I need to ask you a favor.”
“Okay.”
Kitty was glad to see Mel seemed genuinely willing to listen.
“I’m going to need to find another job, but I don’t think I want to work for anyone else, so I’m thinking about going out on my own.”
“As a talent agent?”