The High Season(13)

Likable and lovely Carole had assured her that Mindy was awful and that she would get no second term. Carole and Helen Gregorian, the biggest donors and the powerhouses on the board, would squeeze her out eventually. But until then Ruthie had to find “spaces of agreement.” Those spaces had been narrowing to a vanishing point lately.

“One second.” Carole shut the closet door and threw herself onto the pink love seat. She patted it, inviting Ruthie to sit. “I have five minutes of calm before things blow up again.”

Ruthie sat. Carole pressed her hands together and leaned toward Ruthie. “Mindy wants to fire you,” she said.

Ruthie shifted position and waited in vain for Carole to say, Kidding!

“Look, everyone knows you’re doing a fabulous job, and you’ve taken the place from sleepy to woken up. I’m your biggest fan. I only came on the board because of you. I’ve tried to tell you that Mindy is pushing for all kind of changes—”

    “Yes, irresponsible, stupid ones!”

“Absolutely. She’s a pill!” Carole gave a reassuring pat to Ruthie’s knee. It was not reassuring. “Look, I guess I’m not as Sun-Tzu-ish as I thought, or maybe it’s because I have a life, but you know how we went on that big board drive, and then she formed an executive committee because the board was too big? Have you noticed that it’s all new board members except for me, Gloria, and Helen?”

“But she hardly knows the new people.”

Carole gave her a significant look. “She’s been having lunches and coffees in the city for months. We never should have let Gloria be treasurer. Nobody likes her and so she was vulnerable. Mindy flattered her and now they’re thick as thieves. Don’t worry, you still have me and Helen! But. We need to switch tactics. Now it’s time for you to stand up to her.”

“You’ve been telling me to get along with her!”

“I know, but who can get along with her? She’s saying that the gala is failing because you picked the wrong honoree.”

“Gus Romany? First of all, I didn’t pick him, the committee did, and it was a unanimous yes. He’s done so much for the museum.”

“He’s not selling tables.”

“We don’t really start selling tables until July. Nobody’s here yet. The locals can’t afford tables. Only chairs.”

“Well, she’s using it. He’s old, and outside of the North Fork nobody cares. You don’t want to fall on your sword for this one.”

“He’s a great artist, and you know the locals will show up—everybody loves Gus.”

“Sweetie, do you think Mindy cares about the locals? Gus isn’t shiny enough to get support from the new summer crowd. She wants glam. It’s ammunition for her argument.”

“What is her argument?”

    “That now that the North Fork is changing, now that we have some celebrities, some serious money here, the Belfry should have a bigger presence. Don’t wince, I’m just repeating.” Carole gave a surreptitious glance at her watch. “She wants us to be part of the Hamptons aesthetic—you know, like Robert Wilson, where we do a fundraiser and celebrities come, and we all wear white, and get photographed, and we’re covered in the Times…”

“People come here to get away from glam. The point is, it’s not the Hamptons.”

“Helen and I have been working madly behind the scenes. We can’t just stand up in a board meeting and say what we really think.”

“Why not?”

“Sweetie, it would be better if you weren’t defensive right now. I’m here to help you. It’s not that you’re not fabulous. It’s just a question of style. You’re kind of…”

Ruthie waited, internally wincing. This wasn’t going to be good.

“…um…how can I say this…you’re not…business-y. Corporate,” Carole said, pointing upward to illustrate her success at coming up with a word. “You know, the whole B-school thing. Mindy is married to that guy. I’m married to that guy. There’s a certain way they talk. Just throw metrics into a conversation and you’re good to go. Or optics. That’s a good one. I can have Lewis recommend some books.”

“This is unbelievable.”

“I know!”

“Wait,” Ruthie said. “How serious is this? Should I be looking for a job?”

“No! We can’t lose you! Don’t do anything while I’m in France. You have the summer to turn things around. Style, remember? It’s not enough anymore to do a fabulous job. You have to do it on Twitter! Everything is about image now. Read the papers. Oh, wait, nobody reads a newspaper anymore.” Carole ran a hand through her hair, and it reassembled itself into perfection. “Do you think I’d have all this if I hadn’t lost twenty pounds and dyed my hair? Come on.”

    “So I should diet?”

“I’m not saying that, you’re gorgeous. I’m saying it’s not personal. Mindy and Gloria are dying to feel important. If they change the place, they get to talk about it at dinner parties. It doesn’t matter if the Belfry is better. It just has to be different.” Carole patted her knee again. Ruthie now wanted to bite her hand. Bite the hand that underfed her. The pat meant Don’t get hysterical, I have to catch a plane. “Here’s the good news. Because there’s no there there, you can fight. Why don’t you borrow an outfit from me for Spork?”