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“Oui, monsieur,” Blaise said with a nod.
“I don’t want to see the files. I want to see the place for myself,” I corrected him as I held up a hand.
“But that would mean a trip to Southend.” Roger scrunched his nose, clearly appalled at the idea of putting his feet on the ground and getting dirty.
No manager of mine would think of himself as better than those who worked diligently from the very bottom of Rawlins Industries. We all worked together in our own ways to keep my company running. No man or woman was better than the other.
A slow smile spread across my face. “Yes, it would.”
A brief trip out of the city was exactly what I needed.
ChapterTen
Louisa
When Eric and I joined the others at the long dining table, I forced myself to be as cheerful as possible. We all said our good mornings as I loaded some toast with scrambled eggs, bacon, and ketchup then bit into a piece of honeydew melon.
“So, London, day three, or two-and-a-half, whichever way you choose to look at it. What things should we do? The Horse Guard parade could be fun. Do you think our royal neighbors would be up for a visit from us? I know! Horse parade andfollowthem to the palace. I hear they serve strawberries and cream there.”
Byron chuckled. “Wrong time of year, Lou. That only happens in the summer when the Queen isn’t in residence.”
I pouted.
“I’ll bet we could still do all those things, though.” Jack leaned forward. “There must be other places in London that serve sweets, and that horse guard thing sounds cool.”
Eric settled into the chair to my left. “There are many other things we could fill the day in with too. You’ll never run out of things to see and do here.”
“I wish I could come along, Lou, but I have to meet with Simon and get to work on the restaurant plans,” Harris spoke up.
“Never mind. That’s important,” I agreed.
Harris flashed me a smirk. I felt his eyes watching me closely as I tucked into my food, so I avoided his gaze.
Jack bit into a piece of toast. “I’m up for some sightseeing since it’s my first time in the city too.”
“Sounds like fun.” Royce wiggled his eyebrows at me, then Jack. “We could do all kinds of things together.”
“If I’m right about what’s on your mind right now, Royce, I don’t think the neighbors we intend to visit would approve of such scandalous thoughts.” Byron chuckled.
A naughty smile played across Royce’s features. “I can’t help it.”
“As long as Royce and I get Lou to ourselves tonight when we go to the Christmas pantomime.” Jack held his hand out to me.
I placed my hand in his, and we both squeezed each other. “We’re going to a pantomime?”
“And a Christmas grotto. Apparently, they’re traditional English Christmas things.” Royce glanced at his brothers. “Is that okay? I mean, Tate and Harris had you yesterday, and you’re taking her to the ball.” He indicated Eric.
“Absolutely. It’s only fair,” Eric confirmed.
Harris folded his arms on the table. “As long as you cheer Lou up, I don’t care what you guys do.”
He pinned me with his blue-gray eyes when I snapped my gaze at him. “What? I’m happy. How could I not be?” I flashed a smile toward all of them, but maybe it wasn’t convincing because none of them seemed to buy it. I distracted myself once more by lifting some of the eggs to my mouth.
“You’re shaking, Louisa.”
As soon as Royce spoke, I set the fork down and washed the food down with a mouthful of coffee, pushing the chair backward. “We’d better get our butts in gear if we want to see as much as possible. I’ll meet all of you who are coming at the door in ten minutes.”
Before any of them could respond, I left the room.
