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without the other. It
has to be a dual venture.”
    “I don’t see why we
can’t do a PR blitz on the casino first to really generate interest, then tie
it in to the hotel afterwards,” Logan replied between mouthfuls, seemingly not
insulted in the least by his sister’s remark.
    Shannon sighed and
rolled her eyes. “This is why I’m PR and you’re the big picture guy. Because
you want The Rising Storm’s name to be what people think of when they think
casino. You have to promote the hell out of the hotel at the same time you do
the casino.”
    Melissa watched the
interplay, fascinated at how siblings could run a business together.
    “What do you think,
Aidan?” Logan asked, peering down the table toward his brother.
    Aidan shrugged. “I can
see both points. You want to generate interest in the casino without cramming
hotel packages down people’s throats, but then again you ought to tie the two
together for name recognition. And, frankly, what we really want is more people
staying at the hotel while they’re gambling at the casino, instead of booking
their rooms somewhere else. But PR? I’m Marketing and we have that angle
covered. Public Relations is Shannon’s job.”
    Smart man, Melissa
thought. That’s exactly the diplomatic answer she’d have given.
    “You’re no help at
all,” Shannon said. Then her gaze switched to Melissa’s. “How about you,
Melissa? What’s your take on promotion?”
    She swallowed the
shrimp caught in her throat. All eyes turned to her. She formed her answer
carefully, considering that every member at the dinner table had a vested
interest in the success of the hotel/casino venture. “Our marketing plan
consists of promotion of the hotel and the casino together. You can start
publicizing the advantages right away, and then offer discount packages to your
high rollers and frequent gamblers.”
    No one spoke for a
moment. Melissa realized that in giving her idea, she had taken Shannon’s side
over Logan. Logan nodded. “You’re right, of course.”
    Melissa exhaled. “The
casino organization works with a master at public relations. He runs his own
company and has promoted some of the newer casinos in the northeast. If you’d
like, I can make arrangements for him to come down and work with Shannon on a
PR plan.”
    “That won’t be
necessary, I can handle PR by myself,” Shannon said, lifting her chin.
    Logan countered. “Good
idea. Have him call me so we can discuss his ideas.”
    Shannon shot a glare at
him. “I told you I can handle this.”
    Logan wasn’t fazed a
bit by his sister’s icy glare, and in fact turned his own frosty gaze back at
her. “I heard you. I disagree. I’ll talk to the PR guy…what’s his name, by the
way?”
    “Max Devlin,” Melissa
replied. “I’ll call him tomorrow and have him get in touch with you.”
    Melissa took a swallow
of Galen’s homemade wine, fearful that she’d just made an enemy of Shannon
Storm.
    “Then I want to be in
on any conversations you have with him. This is my project, and I won’t have
some outsider come in and take over,” Shannon said. At Logan’s nod, she resumed
eating, apparently nonplussed at being outvoted.
    “Don’t worry about it,”
Aidan whispered in her ear. “One of us is always disagreeing with the other
about business. No one here holds a grudge or takes it personally.”
    To illustrate his
statement, Logan stood and headed toward the kitchen, but paused and laid a
hand on Shannon’s shoulder as he walked by. She looked up, squeezed his hand
and smiled.
    “That’s amazing,”
Melissa said to Aidan.
    He tilted his head.
“Why? Aren’t all families like that?”
    She laughed. “Hardly.
My parents could spend an entire meal not saying one word to each other, or to
me. And, if there was a disagreement, it could sometimes last a week or
longer.”
    He reached over and
grazed his knuckles against her cheek. She felt the shock, a tinge of
excitement that warmed her from the