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“You do not need to ask my permission, pet.”
I scowled. “Pet?” It was the second time he’d called me that.
“My apologies. A term of endearment I get the impression you don’t care for.”
“Not even a little.”
“Noted. Now, if you’re off to ride, I think I’ll finish my breakfast and get some work done.”
Beau took my hand and was leading me out the door, jabbering away about Press’ horses.
“Hang on a sec,” I said, dropping his hand and returning to the kitchen. “Thank you, Press. For everything.”
“Not at all, Luisa.”
6
PRESS
Over the course of the next week, Luisa met with Dr. Benedict each morning, then spent the afternoon basking in my brother’s attention while I worked.
My job was to manage the assets of Barrett Family Enterprises, and fortunately, I could do it from most anywhere I had access to the internet.
Our holdings included the vineyard estates and wineries in both Northern California and here, on the Central Coast, as well as in the Burgundy region of France. Our other agricultural properties were in Norfolk and Suffolk in the northern part of East Anglia, and Cambridgeshire and Essex in the south. The family also owned commercial property throughout the United States, primarily on the east and west coasts, and in the UK, mainly in London.
My duties didn’t end there, however. With the help of a staff, I managed a myriad of other investments on behalf of not just my immediate family, but for the entirety of the Barrett clan.
“Hello, pet,” I said when Luisa came in after she and Beau returned from the weekly farmer’s market in Cambria. “My apologies, Luisa,” I added when she frowned at me.
“I thought I’d make dinner tonight, if you wouldn’t mind.”
“Mind? Not in the least. In fact, I’d bow down in appreciation. I haven’t eaten all day.”
Her eyes opened wide. “Why not?”
“Distracted by work,” I said, motioning to the laptop sitting in front of me.
“Do you have to work tonight?”
I closed my computer. “Definitely not. I’ve already spent far too much time today doing so. What did you have in mind?”
“The second episode of the historical romance series we watched the other evening airs at seven.”
“Ah, yes. The story of the duke and diamond of the first water.”
“You wouldn’t mind?”
“Not at all. I enjoyed it.”
She raised a brow and folded her arms.
“What?”
“Youenjoyedit?”
I chuckled. “Very much so, not that you need to broadcast that fact to anyone.”
Luisa smiled. “Your secret is safe with me. I’ll let you know when dinner is ready.”
