Riches to Rags Bride by Myrna Mackenzie Page B

herself to concentrate on the task at hand.
    â€œYou’ve had a chance to spend a day in the house and get the lay of the land. Now let’s discuss what we can do with the rooms and how we can best utilize the space that we have.”
    This was new territory for Gen. Her parents had a massive home, but they traveled so much that, beyond the bedrooms and studios, most of the rooms were seldom used. They were filled with art, were cleaned by the staff, but there didn’t seem to be any purpose to them.
    â€œYou’ll be a better judge of what women need than I do. What do you think?” Lucas asked as they stared at a large sunny room.
    Think, Gen, think. So far you’ve done nothing to justify Lucas’s hiring you other than having a recognizable name. “I think…this would be a good place for the women to gather, to talk, to share secrets,” shesaid, struggling for a good response, remembering her own “travel here and there” lifestyle that had precluded building the kind of friendships other girls had. “I’d—I think I’d paint it a soft color, maybe add some comfortable couches and possibly put in lots of big floor pillows. And we could…yes, we could add a table where they could work on crafts or sit and share tea or coffee,” she said, picking up steam and forgetting that she didn’t really know what she was talking about. She had never had any real contact with poor women who had truly suffered. But she knew what she would like. Maybe those women would like some of the same things.
    â€œThat wall would be perfect for a bank of bookshelves. And we could also add a hideaway television or hang one on the wall, so they could watch movies together. If it were my house, that is,” she said, finally remembering that she was on virgin ground here as she hesitantly turned to Lucas. He had a slightly amused expression on that too handsome face.
    Uh-oh, she had gone overboard, hadn’t she? Her parents, despite being artists, had been practical people and they had always told her that she was far too much of a dreamer. That’s why they had wanted her to marry Barry, a man of numbers, one who would overshadow the nonsensical daydreamer part of her and keep her out of trouble.
    Hmm, that was a plan that had failed miserably, but that didn’t mean they hadn’t been right about the daydreaming. Spending her time making up castles in the air hadn’t prepared her for the real world and her current lifestyle at all.
    â€œThose things you mentioned, is that what you did with your girlfriends?” Lucas asked.
    â€œIt’s what I think the women who’ll live here might want to do,” she said, trying not to sound too defensive. She was most definitely not going to tell Lucas how few friends she’d had. She already looked pathetic enough as it was.
    â€œThen it sounds like a very good idea,” he said. “Excellent, in fact.”
    At the words of praise a glow began deep inside Genevieve. No one had ever applauded her ideas before.
    Well, don’t make too much of it. Teresa said that Lucas was a good boss. He probably praises everyone’s ideas.
    â€œWhere to next?” she asked.
    â€œWell, after that, I don’t think there’s any need to do a play-by-play of each room. You seem to have the right idea. Instead, let’s move on to the big-picture plan. Come on. I had Jorge set up a control room last night.”
    â€œA control room?”
    â€œYes. Once we get you set up and comfortable, I’ll return to my hotel where I have a bank of offices to oversee McDowell Sporting Goods and the other projects I’m involved in. I’ll drop in to check on the progress of Angie’s House and for public events, but you’ll be spearheading things, so you’ll need an office. It’s just at the top of the stairs.”
    Genevieve followed him into a room that had been totally empty