Under His Care by Kelly Favor Page B

Normally, she thought Nicole smelled lovely, as everything about her sister was understated and tasteful.
    But this time, Kennedy was struck by how repulsive and actually pungent the scent of the perfume was. It was like she’d doused herself in a bucket of the stuff.
    Kennedy’s gorge rose as she tried to walk more slowly behind Nicole in order to get away from the smell.
    She put a hand on her tummy and felt her belly gurgle unappreciatively.
    Finally, they arrived at the sitting room, where Red was waiting, dressed more casually today. He crossed to where they were and shook Kennedy’s hand, then looked at her more closely. “Are you feeling all right? You look pale.”
    “Oh, yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. Just tired.” She gave a wan smile and then sat down as quickly as possible. She was starting to feel as though she was on board a boat that was swaying side to side.
    “So,” Red said, clapping his hands together and sitting across from her, “this must be pretty big news.”
    “It is,” Kennedy told him, looking to Nicole and trying once more to force a smile. Sweat broke out on Kennedy’s forehead as her stomach lurched and she swallowed, saliva pouring into her mouth. “I’m very…very excited about this proposal, Red.”
    “Well let’s hear it.”
    “It actually came to me all at once, like a light bulb moment,” Kennedy told him. “I’ve been doing so much research on the global impact of big business, and particularly advertising and marketing, public relations campaigns. But nothing had stood out in terms of meaningful trends, until suddenly while I was in the bath this morning. And it hit me.”
    “In the bath?” Nicole asked, and then Riley squealed.
    “I think that’s where Einstein figured out the theory of relativity,” Red replied. “Don’t knock it.”
    “Whatever works,” Nicole laughed.
    Kennedy laughed too, but it was an anxious, forced laughter, because she was feeling dizzier and dizzier. “What came to me this morning, is that the way advertising will work in the modern era isn’t going to be just viral marketing and social media, or even big data and the like.” Kennedy closed her eyes.
    “Is something wrong?” Nicole asked her.
    “No, no. I’m fine.” Kennedy opened her eyes and pushed onward. “The patterns of global commerce tell me that the next wave’s going to be focused on complete immersion in emerging markets.”
    “How so?” Red asked. “I mean, it’s a nice headline. But what does it mean that my business needs to do tomorrow?”
    “That means getting in on the ground floor of countries where they’re just beginning to embrace capitalism, and helping to set up infrastructure, becoming part of the community,” Kennedy explained, while sweat dripped down her forehead, and her stomach grumbled. “As our partners engage in building a thriving capitalist marketplace, the consumers will then trust them implicitly. The companies that work with us in this new way will have brands in Mexico, Indonesia, Turkey, Russia and China that are as familiar to locals as Coca Cola, Webster’s Dictionary or Betty Crocker are for us here in the United States.”
    Red nodded his head as he thought about it. “That sounds like a tremendous change in how we use our resources. It’s a turnaround in corporate strategy, too, because right now everything is geared towards data gathering in the digital space.”
    “And that…that will continue,” Kennedy told him, stifling a belch.
    She had to stop. If she spoke another word, she was going to be sick.
    “Kennedy?” Nicole asked, rising from her seat.
    Suddenly, at that moment. The doorbell rang. Now it was Red’s turn to stand up. “Did you invite anybody else?” he asked Nicole.
    She shook her head. “Nobody called us from the gatehouse.”
    The doorbell rang again and again. He started for the door, and his footsteps echoed down the hallway as he went.
    Nicole came to Kennedy’s side and knelt down, stroking her