RICHARD: "That's kind of you."
He looked past her toward the displays.
RICHARD: "I'm not here to shop today."
VANESSA: "Oh?"
RICHARD: "I have a meeting to attend."
Vanessa's interest increased.
VANESSA: "A meeting with the management?"
Richard paused.
RICHARD: "Something along those lines."
He continued walking.
Vanessa watched him go, then glanced toward Marcus. Her expression suggested that she had just discovered a useful opportunity to restore her position in the store.
VANESSA: "You see? That's the kind of client experience I'm talking about."
Marcus did not answer.
Vanessa lowered her voice.
VANESSA: "That gentleman clearly understands the level of service expected here."
MARCUS: "You haven't spoken to him long enough to know what he expects."
VANESSA: "I know enough."
She turned back toward the mirror, satisfied with her own judgment.
Richard, meanwhile, had reached the area near Danielle.
She was still holding her phone, and a small notification appeared on the screen. She read it, then raised her eyes toward the approaching man.
For the first time since he had entered, Richard's expression softened.
RICHARD: "Danielle."
Danielle put her phone away.
DANIELLE: "Richard. You're earlier than I expected."
RICHARD: "I was nearby when your message arrived."
DANIELLE: "Did you receive the documents?"
RICHARD: "Not all of them. The first set is ready, and the remaining pages are being checked."
Danielle nodded.
DANIELLE: "Good. I want everything reviewed before anyone makes a formal statement."
RICHARD: "That's already being handled."
Richard glanced toward the central counter.
RICHARD: "Is that the manager?"
DANIELLE: "Marcus Cole."
RICHARD: "And the woman in green?"
Danielle looked briefly toward Vanessa.
DANIELLE: "Vanessa Reed."
Richard remained silent for a moment.
RICHARD: "I see."
DANIELLE: "I'd rather not discuss the details here."
RICHARD: "Of course."
He lowered his voice.
RICHARD: "Do you want me to speak to him?"
Danielle considered the question.
DANIELLE: "Not yet. I want to give him the opportunity to explain his decisions."
Richard nodded.
RICHARD: "Understood."
They stood quietly for several seconds.
From across the boutique, Marcus could see them talking, but he could not hear their conversation. He noticed that Richard appeared to know Danielle personally and that neither seemed interested in drawing attention to their meeting.
That alone made him curious.
He had assumed Richard was there to meet someone from management. Instead, the older man had gone directly to the woman Vanessa had been trying to push out of the store.
Marcus glanced toward Vanessa.
She had noticed the same thing.
VANESSA: "Who is that man?"
MARCUS: "I don't know."
VANESSA: "You said he had an appointment?"
MARCUS: "He said he had a meeting. He didn't tell me with whom."
VANESSA: "And now he's speaking to her."
Marcus did not respond.
Vanessa's expression became more suspicious.
VANESSA: "Do you think she arranged for him to come here?"
MARCUS: "I have no idea."
VANESSA: "That's convenient."
MARCUS: "What is?"
VANESSA: "First she refuses to explain herself, then she makes a mysterious phone call, and now a man in an expensive suit walks in and meets her."
Marcus looked toward Danielle and Richard again.
MARCUS: "People are allowed to make phone calls and meet other people."
VANESSA: "You really don't see anything unusual about this?"
MARCUS: "Not enough to draw conclusions."
Vanessa folded her arms.
VANESSA: "Perhaps you should start paying attention."
Marcus had heard enough.
MARCUS: "Perhaps we should stop assuming that every person who enters this store needs to justify their presence."
Vanessa turned toward him sharply.
VANESSA: "Excuse me?"
MARCUS: "You heard me."
For a moment, the two of them stared at each other.
Marcus had not intended to challenge her so directly, but he was beginning to understand how easily he had allowed himself to be drawn into a dispute without evidence of wrongdoing.
He had questioned Danielle because Vanessa wanted him to. He had treated a routine shopping visit as a potential problem because someone with influence had suggested that it was one.
The realization left him uncomfortable.
Vanessa, however, was not interested in examining her own behavior.
VANESSA: "I have never seen you act this way before."
MARCUS: "Maybe I've never been this clear before."
She opened her mouth to respond, but Richard's voice interrupted them from the other side of the room.
RICHARD: "Mr. Cole?"
Marcus turned.