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“Because you make me do things like knot your tie and interrupt my dinner dates with my best friends to call you a car to take you home.”
“What if I tell you I’ll never do it again?”
“I’ll grab a camera because there’s clearly a flying pig outside.”
“I see me telling you that we’re friends has really unleashed your sarcastic side.”
I wrinkled my nose. “I wouldn’t say it’s unleashed my sarcastic side. More that I’m just speaking my mind instead of holding my snarky comments in.”
“You mean your usual witty remarks have been you holding back? Fascinating.”
“There’s no need to be patronising. This is why I’m resigning.”
The door opened, and I turned in that direction. A young woman in a black dress with a white Peter Pan collar entered the room with a trolley that held two plates covered by those metal tea-cosy looking things.
Look.
I was no wordsmith.
Nor had I ever been served food that was covered with a metal tea cosy, so how the heck was I supposed to know what they were actually called?
The plates were set in front of us, and the young woman left us without a word after removing the tea cosies. Lunch was prawn linguine, and I had to fight my smile when I looked over the table at Theodore.
He knew that was my favourite lunch at work.
Somehow, I doubted it was something that was served on a regular basis here at Buckley Manor.
We ate in silence with only the sound of birds cheeping outside the window. When had being in silence with him become so comfortable? At what point had his presence just become normal to me?
I certainly couldn’t imagine sitting here in a place like this with anyone other than him. I’d been slightly uncomfortable when we’d done afternoon tea as part of Heidi and Harriet’s mum’s hen party slash bridal shower at a Georgian manor house just because of how fancy it was, but I felt no such discomfort here with Theodore.
Which made no sense.
This was his ancestral family home; the same place he would one day be the master of when he became the Duke of Ruxleigh. It was by far the fanciest, most elegant building I’d ever set foot in, and I’d been waited on hand and foot since the moment I’d stepped through the door, yet I didn’t feel uncomfortable at all.
It was strange.
“Have you looked for another job yet?”
Theodore’s question jolted me out of my thoughts, and I peered across the table at him. His gaze was almost shadowed after his words, and nothing could hide the downturn of his lips that clearly showed his displeasure at the thought of me working for someone else.
“Not yet,” I replied, reaching for my water. “My notice won’t go in until we return to London in a month, and I’ll be working hard for you until then.”
He sighed, sitting back in and sinking his fingers into his hair. “And if you can’t find a job during the month you’ll be serving your notice?”
“Your grandfather told me he’d help me, which means he probably has a position in mind,” I pointed out. “Other than that, it’s fine. I have a place to stay in the event I have to leave the company residential building immediately, and I have enough savings that I could get by for six months even if I have to pay rent at market rate.”
Theodore pressed his lips together, almost as if he was displeased by my declaration. “Of course, you do.”
“You sound awfully upset by my financial safety cushion.”
“I was somewhat hoping you’d be desperately broke and would change your mind about resigning.”
I fought back a laugh, resting my chin on my hand. “Your honesty like this is refreshing. You should be more yourself in the office.”
“And what, let those stuffy bastards on the board exploit my kindness as a weakness?” he grumbled. “I’d rather not.”
“Fine, fine.” I waved a hand dismissively. “Stay as the cold, aloof Vice-President who has no cracks in his armour.”
