"This meeting isn't legal," Jeremy whined.
"Of course it is," Marcus said.
"Jeremy, don't you remember what happened last time?" Geoffrey said.
"And there it is!" Jeremy said. "Always patronizing me."
"I'm not," Geoffrey said.
"He's really not," Debbie added.
"And there you go, taking sides!"
"I'm not," Debbie said, irritated. "Chairman, please can you speak to Jeremy."
"He's not the chairman!" Jeremy said.
"I think you'll find he is," Marcus said, enjoying the bust-up tremendously.
"He isn't."
"No, really, he is."
"He isn't," Jeremy said, banging his fist hard on the table. "Authority is only invested in the chair once the meeting's convened, and we're not quorate!" he added with a fury that startled everyone in the room, including himself.
No one wanted to break the silence that followed.
"Sorry," Jeremy eventually said. "I've been under a bit of pressure. Don't know where that came from," he added, hoping it could mend the fences he'd just smashed.
"I'm so sorry I'm late," a breathy voice announced from the door.
Suzie looked over and saw a tall woman in her fifties standing in the doorway. She had rosy cheeks, straight blond hair down to her shoulders, and dark eyeliner that accentuated her eyes dramatically. The woman radiated good health, and perhaps, even more so, wealth. Her hooped silver earrings, exquisitely cut summer dress, and polished brown brogues made Suzie tug at the blue Aertex shirt she was wearing under her dog-walking coat.
"Hello," the woman said to Suzie with the interest of someone inspecting an exotic animal in a zoo.
Suzie realized she didn't know what to say to someone so radiant, and the woman sashayed past her, leaving the fragrant notes of what Suzie guessed was a very expensive perfume.
"Sorry I'm late," the woman said to the others as she headed down the stairs to the chamber below.
"Now we're quorate," Jeremy said in a voice that suggested he finally felt vindicated.
"Ah," Sophia said, "has there been a procedural issue in my absence?"
"Nothing we couldn't handle," Marcus said. "Now, can we start the meeting?"
"How are you, Sophia?" Geoffrey asked.
Suzie couldn't be sure, but did Sophia's smile falter before she answered?
"I'm well, thank you, Geoffrey," Sophia said as she sat down at the table.
"A cup of tea?"
"No, thank you."
"Or coffee?"
"I think we should just get this meeting over and done with, don't you?" Sophia said with a smile, but once again, Suzie picked up what she thought was an odd vibe. In her notebook, she wrote "Tension between Sophia and Geoffrey?"
As the meeting got underway, Suzie settled into her chair. This was her chance to discover who she should approach about her own planning application.
Sophia, she guessed, was far too posh and self-regarding to be someone she could ever influence. In Suzie's experience, people like Sophia didn't pay much attention to people like Suzie.
Marcus seemed perhaps a better prospect. She'd certainly enjoy getting to know him, she knew. But, again, there was a patrician air to him that put Suzie slightly on guard. He was perhaps too well-dressed, too pleased with himself—too much of a peacock. And she was pretty sure she'd have been far more capable of influencing him if she were a man rather than a woman. Or younger and prettier.
As for Debbie, she seemed such a negative person that Suzie knew she'd never be able to convince her to do anything as daring as her suggested planning proposal.
This left only Jeremy and Geoffrey. From Jeremy's outburst about correct procedure, Suzie guessed she'd never manage to influence him, so what about Geoffrey? The more she considered him, the more she thought he could be just what she was looking for. After all, he'd thrown a drinks reception for her, so he was already predisposed to like her. And he was also so obviously a positive soul. It also helped that he was chair of the committee. If she could get him onside, she was sure he'd be able to convince the others to go along with her plans. Yes, she thought to herself, things were looking up for her, they were looking up indeed.
