Chapter 3 #2
Physically, Eddie has been dubbed the male version of me.
We have the same sandy-blond hair, blue eyes, button nose, and cheeky smiles.
However, that’s where the similarities end.
Unlike me, he received the height gene that runs on Papa’s side of the family.
Eddie stands just over six feet tall to my petite five-four frame. He’s also much more outgoing than me.
“You’d better save some for your mum. I bet she’ll be starving when she gets back,” Amanda elbows him.
“Don’t worry about Agnus. She rang me earlier letting me know that the opening reception ran longer than planned.
She only left Cornwall about an hour ago and won’t be back until late.
She’ll pick up some dinner on her way home.
” Papa seats himself at the head of the table.
“Although, it would be nice if there were a few leftovers for her to enjoy tomorrow.” He locks eyes with my brother.
Eddie takes the hint and stops loading his plate, joining Papa at the table next to Amanda. “So, sister dearest . . .” he begins. “What was the most embarrassing thing that happened to you?”
“You haven’t seen Alice in eight months and that’s the first thing you decide to ask her?” Amanda groans.
“Yes.” He shrugs. “She’d probably ask me the same thing.”
He’s right, I probably would if our positions were reversed. I take a moment to think about all the places I’ve visited.
“Okay, here’s a good story for you. On the day I arrived in Venice, our train was a few hours late.
I was able to rearrange most of my plans, but one thing I knew we had to try and squeeze in was a visit to the Guggenheim Museum.
It was going to be closed two of the three days we were there.
So we dashed to the hotel, did the world’s quickest check-in, and darted off to the museum. ”
“What’s funny about that?” Eddie asks.
Amanda shoots him a Be patient look.
I ignore him and continue. “After we’d had dinner and returned to the hotel, I went up to my room and found a trail of rose petals, scented candles, towels folded in the shape of swans, chocolate strawberries, and a bottle of champagne.
It was set up as if somebody thought I was there to celebrate a honeymoon. ”
Amanda and Eddie begin to laugh.
“Why the devil would they think that?” Papa’s brows knit together.
“Bruce and I put our heads together, and the best explanation we could come up with was that the front desk must’ve seen one of the protection officers helping me carry my bags up to my room, and jumped to the conclusion we were newlyweds.”
Papa joins in the laughter.
“The joke was on them. We never bothered to correct their mistake, and they didn’t charge us for the treats. The strawberries were delicious.”
“That’s brilliant.” Eddie wipes a small tear from the corner of his eyelid. “What other stories do you have?”
“Um . . . while I was in Spain, I did laundry, and didn’t secure it on a clothesline correctly. I ended up dropping all my clothes onto the street below. That was pretty bad.”
I shake my head, remembering how fast I had to sprint down the steps from my hotel room to the street and scramble to pick up my bras and knickers.
The security team thought something bad had happened and chased after me.
I was mortified to have to explain about the shower of clothing, but at the very least they didn’t see my undergarments.
Amanda jumps into the conversation and recounts a few memorable moments from her time working as a flight attendant.
My favorite is probably the story of the time she tried to speak to the pilot, and instead of using the intercom to tell him to turn up the heat in the cabin, she accidentally used the PA system.
We spend so much time laughing that the muscles in my face and stomach become sore.
After the washing up has been taken care of and takeaway containers safely tucked into the refrigerator, the four of us migrate into the sitting room.
We have mugs of hot tea and are munching on a delicious lemon loaf cake Amanda baked for dessert.
Spirits are high. My eyes are burning, and I’m about ready to fall asleep, but that’s when Amanda decides to make her presentation to Papa.
“Reggie, if you don’t mind, there is a little something Alice and I would like to discuss with you.” She nods to me.
I down the rest of my tea and hope the sugar from the dessert will give me a second wind.
“Of course, I’m all ears,” he says.
With scary precision, Amanda whips out her iPad and turns on the screen mirroring. Her presentation appears on the telly.
“Property in London, as you may know, is among the most expensive and competitive markets in the world. As soon as a listing springs up online, it’s as good as sold.
” She changes slides. “Alice told me that she’s aiming to purchase a flat in one of the neighborhoods within a five-kilometer radius of Imperial College. ”
Eddie and Papa stare at the screen as a series of maps, charts, and graphs appear. Amanda walks them through the average cost of a property in each neighborhood and what my money can buy.
“Now, if we extend our search radius even two kilometers, to this zone, you’ll notice that the prices drop off more than ten percent.
And with the added benefit of improved safety and access to green space.
Now, there are three properties that Alice and I thought might be worth you having a look over . . .”
I cross my fingers behind my back and hope for the best. She’s doing a killer job. If she weren’t going to be the future queen, she’d make a brilliant CEO. I’m so glad she’s on my side.
“Alice, some of these are knackered.” Eddie’s eyes narrow. “Why are you only interested in places that need so much doing up?”
“Three main reasons. Number one, I’ll be able to customize the place exactly as I want it. Number two, I want a character property. And number three, doing work is the best way to get value for your money.”
The thing about this flat is that when I say I wanted a place that is solely my own, I meant it.
I’m footing the purchase of it from the trust fund my grandad left me, not my parents.
It’s true, there were places available in better condition than the place I bought, but they were well outside my million-and-a-half-pound budget.
“I don’t know, Alice. Your brother is right.” My father removes his reading glasses. “What if your mum and I offered to assist you with the purchase? You’d be able to find a better building.”
“I appreciate that, but the answer’s no. This is my baby.”
“Very well.” He sighs. “I’ll take into consideration the flats Amanda has shown us tonight, but your mum will have the final say.”
Internally, I’m jumping for joy. Papa hasn’t ruled out the flat I bought.
That’s a huge win in my book. It makes everything one step easier in breaking the news to him in a few days when I officially pick up the keys.
“Thank you, Papa.” I hug him tightly. Amanda offers me a subtle high five behind his back.
As the evening winds down, Mum arrives home. She’s clearly as exhausted as me and has a hard time hiding her yawns. Eddie, Amanda, and I spend a couple minutes chatting with her, but we collectively agree it’s time to head home.
“Do you need a ride, Ali?” My brother grabs his coat and helps Amanda into hers.
“Sure, that would be great; I just have one thing I need to ask Papa about.”
“Okay, we’ll be waiting in the car. Come down whenever you’re ready.”
Approaching my father, who’s in the kitchen wiping down the counter, I clear my throat. “Papa?”
“Oh, Alice, I thought you’d left.”
“Not yet. I . . . I just had one more thing I wanted to mention to you before I forgot.” I try and sound as nonchalant as possible.
“Yes?” He places the dish towel next to the sink and leans against the counter.
“I met my new security officers this afternoon. Angela is fantastic—I like her a lot—but the other one, Arthur . . . we didn’t get on very well. I, um . . . just wanted to see if it might be possible to reassign him.”
“I see.” Papa blinks slowly. “And what exactly, pray tell, did you not care for about Arthur? Did he misbehave?”
“No, not exactly. He just, um . . . wasn’t very talkative.” I’m frustrated with how weak and feeble that excuse sounds. I had this entire speech rehearsed in my head and now my mind’s gone blank.
“Alice, that’s not a valid reason to reassign him.
” Papa crosses his arms. “I know that anyone who comes after Bruce has large shoes to fill, but trust me, Arthur is the right person for your detail. I remember reading his file. He earned top marks across the board on all his tests and had several outstanding recommendations from his superiors. Give him some time.”
Papa’s tone is firm. There’s no room for negotiation with him. Arthur is not going anywhere. I decide to make one last-ditch attempt, knowing it’s a lost cause. I widen my eyes and school my face as best I can into the “Daddy’s little girl” look. “Even if I asked with a cherry on top?”
“Alice . . .” My father places a hand on my shoulder. “How about this: Give the man until the end of summer. If you’re still not getting on with him by the time school begins, we’ll reassess the situation. Does that sound fair?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. We’ll circle back to this in a few months’ time.” He kisses the top of my head and walks me to the door. I bid him good night and walk down to the car.
I’ll take tonight as a partial win-win. I may not have been able to get rid of Arthur yet, but at least I’m better off than when I started the night. There’s an end date in sight.