‘There are far worse catches to a deal.’
Seb dismissed it. ‘I’m pretty sure she was joking. She’d had a couple of glasses of champagne by that point anyway.’
I was pretty sure Lady Carstairs was deadly serious, and from what Jess had found out, a dance was just the beginning of what she really wanted. I pushed the thought to the back of my mind and straightened my notes.
‘So, agenda?’ I said, pulling it up on my screen so that it was now split between our video chat and the document he’d sent over last week.
‘Yes, ma’am,’ he grinned and I tried not to think about Seb Marshall in a uniform.
I cleared my throat. ‘Item one. Funnily enough, the summer gala. I’ve had some more thoughts on this.’
* * *
By the end of the following week, I was shattered. Jess had moved in and Harry had very sweetly held a welcome home dinner party for her, which, of course, I’d wanted to go to. It had just coincided with a super busy week at work, including a new client, on top of the busy weekend we’d had getting Jess’ life into boxes ready for the move.
‘How’s that year of saying no working out for you?’ Seb teased me over the top of his coffee mug.
‘It’s fine.’
‘Looks it. Are you not saying no enough?’
‘I am, to things I don’t want to do. I said no to signing up to a mailing list when I got caught by a chugger on the street the other day. Plus, just last week I turned down a week’s hen do in Ibiza for someone I haven’t even seen in nearly ten years, as well as a candle party from someone at my previous office. Both of which I probably would have said yes to out of a sense of obligation before. It just so happens that this week has involved quite a lot I actually have wanted to do.’
‘You look like you could do with a rest.’
‘You know what I really fancy?’
‘Enlighten me.’
‘A spa weekend.’
‘Right now?’
‘No. Just to look forward to. This weekend, I want to just veg with Humphs in front of the telly, watch old films and eat crumpets.’
‘Crumpets? That’s very specific.’
‘I bloody love crumpets. And you’d better not say you don’t like them because I’m not sure we can be friends any more if you don’t.’
‘Then I most certainly do.’
‘Is that a fib?’
‘Nope. I like a bit of crumpet as much as the next man.’
‘You’re such a cliché.’
‘You say the nicest things.’
I toasted him with my tea cup and nodded.
‘I’m not sure crumpets are going to cover all the major food groups though.’
‘No. I suppose not. I will eat other stuff too. But mostly crumpets.’
Seb’s laugh took me by surprise and sent a warming thrill throughout my body. I really hated, and loved, when it did that.
‘What?’ I asked.
