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Nothing of notehappened for the rest of the afternoon. The hours between lunch and dinner were free of team-building games, but a large group went for a walk around the estate together, and another group lounged by the pool. It was still a bit nippy to be lying outside in a bathing suit, so Leo tugged on Amelia’s hand and went wandering in the house. They crossed Cora, George, and Gregory, who’d evidently had the same idea and were enjoying the ornate interior of the mansion. Based on George’s recommendations, Leo and Amelia found a gorgeous library full of old books. It filled the entire round turret Leo had spotted when they first drove up to the house, bookshelves built into the curving walls, chairs clustered around the center. There were a few display cases holding antique-looking vases, glittering bits and bobs, and various curiosities that were no doubt priceless.
They lost themselves there for a couple of hours.
Leo stole glances at Amelia whenever she wasn’t looking. She read with full focus, like the rest of the world disappeared as soon as she opened a tome. He imagined that’s what she looked like when she sat down to work on a data analysis problem. It was hot.
Then again, he thought everything about her was hot. The more time he spent with her, the more attractive he found her. That had never happened to him before, and it threw him. There was no denying it: Leo had it bad.
Maybe it was a passing crush. Maybe as soon as they were out of here and back in the real world, his fondness for her would fade. It wasn’t really love. After all, he didn’t know what love was. This was just a strange reaction to a strange situation.
That evening, the pizza party was a huge hit. Amelia even seemed to enjoy herself, spending most of the time sitting next to Cora, their heads bent close together as they talked.
“Smart woman you’ve got there,” Fred said, nudging his shoulder to Leo’s.
He was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the lies he’d had to tell this week. He respected his boss, and he loved his job. He hated that he’d dug this hole for himself. His response, at least, was true: “She’s pretty incredible.”
Fred studied him for a beat. “I’m glad to have you here this week, St. James. Your management of the Montague vow renewal was excellent. You stayed cool even when the clients were difficult, and you made sure you delivered on the brief. I want you to know you deserve to be here with all the rest of the team. The work you’ve been putting in the past twelve to eighteen months hasn’t gone unnoticed.”
Throat tight, Leo dipped his chin. That was high praise from Fred. The big man had a gregarious personality, but it was rare that he was so generous with his compliments.
“This job means a lot to me,” Leo told him. Another truth. “People don’t always take me seriously, but I feel like I’ve finally found something I’m good at. I appreciate you trusting me with larger events this year.”
Fred’s gaze was solemn. He let out a short sigh and opened his mouth to speak, but Percival, wearing his tails and tie, as always, materialized at Fred’s elbow. “Sir,” the butler said quietly. “A word.”
“Excuse me.” Fred followed his butler a few steps away, but not far enough that Leo couldn’t hear what they said.
“Some items seem to be missing,” the butler said. “We’ve done a search of the house, and three of the rare coins in the library collection have been removed. The lock on the glass cabinet was broken.”
Leo’s heart thundered.
“Grandmama’s cake topper and tiara?” Fred hissed.
“Still secure, but it looks like the lock on their display case was tampered with. With your approval, I’d like to move them to a more secure location.”
“Do it.” Fred’s voice was a low rumble that promised death. “Who’s been in the library? I want a list of names. Check the cameras.”
Uh-oh. That was not good.
Leo willed himself not to glance at the two men and instead smiled as Trudy touched her glass to his. As she greeted him, the rest of Fred and Percival’s conversation was drowned out. “You’re a lucky man, Leo,” she said, fondness in her gaze when she glanced at Amelia.
“I am,” Leo agreed.
“Did you know, Robert and I were beginning to believe your fiancée didn’t exist at all.” She laughed, shaking her head. “He had this whole theory about never having met her, and her silly stage name that sounded like something a toddler would come up with when they were trying to lie.” She batted at his arm, shaking her head fondly. “Hilarious.”
Leo’s smile was tight. “Yeah. Ha…ha. Hilarious. Kind of like the rumor that Robert was in the Mob.”
Trudy’s expression froze for the slightest moment. Then she chuckled a bit woodenly and shook her head. “Where do people come up with this stuff? Excuse me.” Just like that, she walked away, leaving Leo slightly shocked.
…WasRob a former made man?
By the time Amelia joined him and they made their way to their room, Leo’s head was spinning. He kept expecting Fred to corner him and accuse him of stealing the rare coins from the library, but his boss had merely stayed in the room and watched his employees with a line between his brows.
“Did you make any discoveries?” Amelia said when they’d locked the door to their suite.
Leo filled her in on the coins and on Trudy’s reaction, to Amelia’s utter amazement. He watched her face change from interest to shock to concern, landing on delight tinged with worry.
“Does Fred think we took the coins?”
“I don’t know.”
