AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘Thanks,’ Estelle said. ‘Just leave it with me. I’ll go over it now with James, so he knows where we’re at.’
Zeke placed it on her desk and left the room.
In the silence that followed, James held Estelle’s gaze, the corners of his mouth lifting at her struggle to keep a straight face. Eventually, she burst out laughing. The sound made his soul sing.
‘You’re still on my shit list,’ she said.
‘I know.’
‘And I’m blaming the hamster-bollock pheromones for my inability to control myself around you.’
‘I’m not complaining.’
‘It’s chemical warfare. That’s all.’
‘So, underneath the animal attraction you don’t like me?’
She hesitated. ‘I don’t not like you.’
‘I’ll take that as a win.’
Another silence. A frown appeared between Estelle’s eyebrows. She took a breath as if to speak, then stopped.
Just do it. ‘I used funds from the BDE account to pay people off to get Dad back.’
She gave him a brief nod, as if she’d already guessed as such.
‘I didn’t tell you because all calls and messages are monitored. I couldn’t take the risk of anyone finding out.’
‘So—’
‘But that’s not all.’
There was a knock at the door.
‘Come in,’ Estelle called out.
Carly poked her head in. ‘Just a quick one. UberGraft management has got in touch. They do want to stay at the cottage in the woods.’
‘Ah, okay. I’ll let Henry know and we won’t give it to anyone else.’
Carly gave her a nod and left.
Estelle turned back to him. ‘The Foxbrooke estate is giving all their holiday rental properties to festival acts, as well as any free rooms in the manor. They aren’t charging the performers, or us.’
Her statement was a challenge. She was showing how much she and her family were doing to save money. It made what he was about to tell her next even harder.
‘Last year,’ he began. ‘Dad moved the offices here because he couldn’t afford the ones in Bath. He overextended by buying this place and didn’t have enough money left.’
Estelle’s face froze, her hands clasped tightly around the coffee mug.
‘There wasn’t enough to honour the contract you signed and therefore zero contingency. This year, prices have gone up across the board and I had to find even more savings.’
‘You should have told me.’
‘You already hated me. That would have just made things even worse. I had to make it work. If the festival doesn’t turn a profit, then my parents lose their home.’
Her eyes widened.
