Patrons holding paper cups of coffee and glassine pastry bags jostled her on her way into the tiny shop. Apparently, she wasn’t the only one in desperate need of a midmorning pick-me-up: the queue wound haphazardly through the space, twenty patrons deep.
Grace found a spot behind an elegant-looking blonde in high-heeled boots and a trench coat. The woman spoke rapid-fire French into a mobile phone, her voice occasionally rising in pitch above the hiss and puff of the espresso machine behind the counter. Something about a winter issue and a certain Jacques’s inability to make a deadline.
Québécoise? Her accent wasn’t Parisian, even if her style was. Grace bit her cheek to keep from smiling when the woman let loose a particularly creative string of insults, then ended the call midsentence to order.
Grace perused the pastry selection through the glass-fronted case until the woman began to rummage frantically through her satchel.
“Oh là là! I can’t believe I left my wallet in the hotel.”
The cashier gave an impatient sigh and snatched the woman’s coffee off the counter.
Grace stepped forward. “Just ring us up together, please. I’ll have a café au lait and one of those chocolate croissants.”
The woman looked at Grace, startled. “Please, that’s not necessary.”
“Morning caffeine is very necessary. Besides, it’s the least I can do for teaching me a few new phrases in French.”
The woman chuckled. “I’m Monique. And merci.”
“Grace. De rien.” The woman behind the counter exchanged the coffees and pastry for a handful of pound coins, and Grace took hers. “Have a lovely day, Monique.”
Monique scooped up her coffee and fell in with Grace, dodging oncoming patrons as they wound toward the door. “Won’t you sit with me for a moment? I can at least offer you a few more amusing French phrases.”
“I’m heading back to the Tube if you’d like to walk with me.”
“Which way?”
“Bethnal Green. Do you know London well?”
“Well enough. I’m in town for a conference, but I like to come here if I stay over on a Sunday.” Monique indicated the paper-wrapped bouquet sticking out of her shoulder bag.
“So do I,” Grace said.
“You’re clearly a photographer. What’s your spécialité?”
“Conflict. The street photography is just for fun.”
Monique’s eyebrows lifted. “Impressive. Do you have a business card?”
Grace retrieved one from the outside pocket of her bag. Monique smiled and tucked it into her purse. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Grace. Stay safe. And thanks for the coffee.” Monique turned on her heel, her boots clicking on the pavement as she walked away.
What an odd woman. Grace shrugged and proceeded to the Tube station, already thinking through her morning’s shots. She would spend the rest of her day on her computer, processing images and uploading the best shots to her online portfolio and social media accounts.
Stay safe. Monique’s words came back to Grace as she descended to the platform. The most danger she faced at the moment was pricking herself on the thorns of her roses. Why had she identified herself as a conflict photographer? Why hadn’t she corrected herself?
Maybe she wasn’t as ready to give up her old career as she thought.
CHAPTER FIVE
IT WAS ONLY 10 A.M., and he already had a headache.
Ian dragged off his wire-rimmed reading glasses and massaged his temples with his fingertips. He’d skipped his outing this morning, choosing instead to do his workout at home, then headed to the office just after seven. Mondays tended to be busy, especially considering Jamie hadn’t been back to London in well over a month. The hotel renovation in Skye was finally drawing to a close, in time for Jamie and Andrea’s summer wedding. Unfortunately, that meant Ian was left to take up the slack in London. As usual.
He sighed and slipped the glasses back on. That was an excuse. He never let anything dissuade him from taking out the single scull he kept racked at the club’s boathouse. The river was his favorite spot to think, a way to work through his troubles without having to worry about the technical skill his crewmates expected from him. But he’d done enough thinking for one weekend.
And part of him didn’t want to know if Grace would show up looking for him.
He didn’t want to see her, plain and simple. He hated how quickly she’d taken over his thoughts. How she’d invaded his dreams the past two nights. It had taken the mere knowledge she was back in London to dredge up uncomfortable questions. Why had she left, and why was she back?
Maybe if they’d done more talking ten years ago, he wouldn’t have been blindsided when she left her engagement ring on their kitchen counter while he slept.
“Sir, you have a visitor.”
Ian jerked his head up to the pretty blonde woman standing in the doorway. “Yes, Eva. Who is it?”
“Oh, um . . .”
Ian repressed a sigh. How was it that Jamie could maintain the same efficient assistant for seven years, and he seemed to be retraining a new one every three weeks? Apparently, he didn’t have any more luck keeping employees than he did keeping fiancées. And considering the current assistant had managed to forget the name of his visitor between her desk and his door, he suspected he’d be searching for a replacement in about a week.
“Never mind. Send him—or her—in.”
“No need. I’m here.” Jake Hudson appeared in the doorway, holding up two paper cups while he wove around the still-gaping Eva. “Coffee delivery.”
Ian waited for a moment, and when the girl didn’t move, he said, “Thank you, Eva. You may leave us now.”
Thankfully, she got the hint and scurried out of the office. Ian rubbed the side of his nose ruefully. Make it thirty-six hours.
“Another new assistant?” Jake folded his lanky frame into the chair across from Ian’s desk and shoved one of the cups toward him. He wore jeans and a battered canvas jacket with a woven scarf looped around his neck. He looked every inch the foreign correspondent, never mind the fact he covered political news in London. Hard to believe he’d once been a green, overeager writer reporting on local sporting news.
Ian took an experimental sip of the coffee. Strong and black, the way he liked it. He lifted his cup in salute. “God has a special reward for you in heaven, Jake.”
“If you stopped hiring the pretty ones, you might get someone who could make a pot of coffee.”
“She’s not that pretty. What are you doing here?”
“I’ve a favor to ask.”
“Sounds ominous. Especially when it requires a trip to my office and a coffee bribe.”
“I tried to call, but—Eva, is it?—disconnected me three times. It seemed easier to show up.”
Ian almost spit coffee onto his desk blotter as Eva’s job expectancy plummeted to twenty-four hours. So much for the staffing agency. He wanted his money back. “All right then, what’s the favor?”
“You wouldn’t happen to have an extra ticket to the CAF fund-raiser on Friday, would you?”
“As a matter of fact, I do. Why?”
“Asha gave away my ticket because I thought I wouldn’t be able to make it, but I’m now free and she’s a bit miffed at me.”
Ian chuckled. Asha was one of the most good-natured women he’d ever met, but she had little patience for inefficiency. “I’d thought I might bring a date, but . . .”
“None of them lasted that long?”
“Something like that.”
Jake sat thoughtfully for a few moments. “By now you know Grace is back.”
“Yes.”
“Asha said she came to the club to see you.”
“She did.”
“So . . .”
Ian tapped his pen against the edge of the desk. “So what? She ran off without saying anything. Seems to be her speciality.”
“You know she’s staying with Asha, right? You don’t want to see her?”
; “No. We have nothing to say to each other.”
“Even if she wants to apologize?”
Ian’s eyes narrowed. “Did Asha put you up to this?”
Jake didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to—his guilty expression said it for him.
Ian stopped his tapping and tossed the pen onto the desk. “Listen, if she wanted to apologize, she’s had ample opportunity. England is not the only country with phones, post, and e-mail. If she wants to talk to me, she clearly knows where to find me.”
“Okay. Consider the subject dropped. I just never understood what happened between you two.”
Me neither. “If you don’t mind, I’ve got five hours’ worth of work to fit in before lunch, which is in about ninety minutes. I’ll messenger you the ticket. I don’t have it on me.”
“Cheers, mate.” Jake raised his cup in half salute, half wave, then slipped out the door, almost bumping into Eva on his way out.
“Sir, your ten thirty is here. Waiting in the conference room.”
“I don’t have a ten thirty.” Ian frowned and brought up his schedule on his computer. His morning showed an empty block between the nine o’clock with marketing and his two o’clock with Jamie’s publicist.
“Okay, sir, I’ll tell him we need to reschedule.”
“No! Please don’t. Who is it?”
Eva scrunched up her nose, as if it would help her recall the correct name. “Um, a Mr. Barnett? Barnes?”
“Barrett? Andrew Barrett?”
“Mr. Barrett, yes! That’s it!” His assistant beamed as if he’d unraveled an impossible equation.
Ian repressed a sigh, rose from his desk, and reached for his suit coat. “Mr. Barrett is one of James’s solicitors. And you have his appointment on the schedule for tomorrow at one.” He took one last sip of his coffee and steeled himself for the unpleasant conversation to come.
Some days he actually did hate his job.
And at the rate she was going, Eva would be lucky to last the day.
Twenty minutes later, Andrew Barrett left the offices of MacDonald Enterprises looking considerably less smug than he had when he’d entered. Ian couldn’t find it in himself to feel bad about firing the law firm. Ever since the elder Barrett had retired and passed responsibility for the firm on to his son, their work had been shoddy and overbilled. Only after Barrett botched two contracts had Jamie finally signed off on a change.
Ian had never been so aware of the fact his power was a sham. He might be chief operating officer of this company, but it was his younger brother’s business. His brother’s image. His brother’s name on which he traded.
For someone who had once been half a second behind an Olympic gold medal, it was a galling reminder.
Ian pushed down the thought as he strode from the conference room to his office. Pure pride. He’d known when he took the position that there was little glory or recognition in it. Only lots of responsibility and an obscenely large paycheck to make sure Jamie could focus on his cooking, his celebrity, and soon, his new wife. Most days, it seemed like a fair trade. Regular office hours and the freedom to take holidays when he wanted, whether or not he actually took advantage of it . . . and yet it in no way resembled the life he’d once envisioned for himself.
He passed Eva, who was staring intently at her computer screen, then stopped abruptly in front of his desk. “What is this?”
The woman popped up from her desk and appeared behind him. “Your lunch. Egg salad on wheat, as you requested.”
Ian blinked at her. “I didn’t—never mind. I’m eating out today. Help yourself.” He turned on his heel and strode toward the exterior door of the office suite, hoping by some miracle she’d be gone when he returned and save him from firing yet another person today.
CHAPTER SIX
ASHA PROMISED TO BE HOME early on the night of the benefit, exacting from Grace a solemn vow that she would wait so they could get ready together. Even though she didn’t say it outright, Grace suspected her elegant friend wanted to vet her clothing choices. Not that three hours gave them many options should Asha find Grace’s wardrobe unsuitable.
Grace waited with her laptop at the kitchen table, eyes tracing a constant triangle between the screen, the invitation, and the clock hanging on the kitchen wall. She wasn’t nervous, exactly. She’d been to her share of formal events, particularly in Paris, where even a minor thing like a dinner party was elevated to an art form. But this was different. While she was evaluating CAF to see if she wanted to work for them, they’d be doing the same. Call it an unofficial interview with formal wear and an open bar.
Put that way, maybe there was an advantage to these kinds of “interviews.” People, she could deal with. People, she liked. It was simply offices, suits, and the associated restrictions that made her edgy.
But as the clock hands swept by half three and toward four without any sign of Asha, she began to wonder if she’d somehow misunderstood. At last, the key turned in the lock at ten after five, and Asha rushed in.
“So sorry, Grace. I got hung up at work and the Tube was simply awful. Did you make it to the cleaners?”
Grace chuckled. Anyone else stumbling in harried and apologetic would be disheveled, but Asha still managed to look as poised and beautiful as ever. “Your clothes are on the back of your bedroom door.”
“You are an angel.” Asha gave her a quick squeeze around the shoulders on her way through the kitchen. “I feel bad having you run my errands. First the groceries, then my cleaning—”
“The groceries were a matter of self-preservation, but you know I’m glad to do it. Call it repayment for letting me crash on your sofa.”
“That was the plan behind offering, of course. I knew you’d cook, clean, and shop for me. I need a housewife.”
“As long as you don’t expect me to meet you at the door in heels and red lipstick.”
“Oh, I know better than to part you from your ugly green Docs. You aren’t planning on wearing those with your dress tonight, are you?”
Grace laughed at Asha’s expression of genuine alarm. “No, of course not. Besides, who said anything about a dress? I haven’t worn a skirt since I was ten, and that was for my confirmation. I looked like I was being eaten by a wedding cake.”
“You do have something to wear, right? I might have something that would fit you.”
Grace snorted. Asha was inches taller than her. Anything she owned would swim on Grace’s petite frame. “I have formal wear. I am an actual grown-up, you know.”
Asha cast a dubious glance toward Grace’s battered duffel bag.
“Okay, so it needed some pressing.”
Asha grinned. “I’m going to start getting ready. The car will pick us up at six.”
Fortunately, with Asha on the job, Grace had no time to feel nervous as they dressed and styled and applied more cosmetics than Grace knew existed. She even managed a pretense of calmness until the sedan’s driver opened the door for them at the River Entrance of the Savoy just before seven. Instantly, her stomach felt as if she had swallowed a handful of broken glass. Tonight might set the course for the next phase of her life. The fact she hadn’t decided whether she wanted the job made no difference—simply considering the possibility made this move to London real for the first time. She smoothed down the front of her slim tuxedo trousers, then buttoned and unbuttoned her jacket.
Asha looped her arm through Grace’s and dragged her toward the brass-studded glass doors, merging into the steady stream of guests disembarking from their own cars. “Will you stop fidgeting? You look gorgeous.”
“No, you look gorgeous. I’ll be lucky if I don’t trip in these blasted heels. Why did I let you talk me into these?”
“Because that outfit demands stilettos. You look like a celebrity, Grace. Haven’t you noticed everyone trying to figure out if they should know you?”
As they entered the opulently decorated lower lobby, filled with guests in tuxedos and floor-length designer gowns, Grace was sudden
ly happy she’d taken her friend up on her offer to do her hair and makeup. The other woman was beautiful on an average day, but in her fuchsia evening salwar kameez, she was stunning. The sequined and embroidered full skirt swirled around the ankles of her matching trousers, making her look like she belonged at a red-carpet Bollywood premiere.
They followed the trickle of elegantly dressed guests to a smaller space outside the ballroom, where others already mingled with drinks in groups of two or three. As soon as they set foot on the patterned rug, a tuxedoed man raised a hand and headed their way.
Grace blinked. “Is that Jake?”
“Shines up nicely, doesn’t he?” Asha grinned before she lifted her face for a greeting kiss.
Then Jake turned to Grace. “All the rumors are true, I see.” Heedless of the event, he put an arm around her and kissed her cheek. “Welcome back. We’ve missed you.”
“Still a liar, but that’s what I’ve always loved about you.” She laughed, her heart suddenly light. From the corner of her eye, she saw a man glimpse Asha and make his way toward them. “I’m going to the bar while I still can. Do you want anything?”
“House white,” Asha said, while Jake shook his head.
Slipping away before the man was close enough to require introductions, Grace navigated the spongy floor carefully in the unaccustomed high heels. She slid up to an empty space at the bar and caught the bartender’s eye. “A glass of your house white and a tonic with lime, please.”
“Sure you don’t want some gin with your tonic? These evenings can get pretty long.”
Grace chuckled when she realized the lad was flirting with her, despite the fact she had more than a decade on him. “No, the tonic will be fine.”
“Suit yourself.” He winked at her and set the drinks in front of her on the bar. She bit back a smile and turned, nearly bumping into the man behind her.
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