‘Until when, exactly?’
She pulled on her game face. ‘I’m not sure exactly.’
He smiled and stood up, walking around towards her. She knew exactly how long it had taken her. He guessed she’d hardly had any sleep last night.
He put one leg on the desk, sitting just a few inches away from her. ‘Grace, if I gave you free rein today, where would you go and what would you buy?’
She was silent for a few seconds. Then, her head gave a little nod. To his surprise she stood up.
Because he’d changed position she was only inches from his face. From close up, he had a much better view of her curves under her suit. He could see the upward and downward movements of her chest beneath the muted satin of her shirt.
Even more noticeable was her flawless complexion. There was a warmth about Grace. It seemed to emanate from her pores. Something trustworthy. But something else, a hint of vulnerability that just didn’t seem to go away.
He’d seen other little glimpses. A spark of fire when he’d obviously annoyed her in the penthouse. She’d taken a deep breath and answered him back. Grace didn’t like people treating her like a fool. She knew how to stand up for herself.
His smartphone buzzed and he glanced at it. An email he should deal with. But the truth was he didn’t want to.
‘What’s your idea for the hotel?’ he asked Grace.
She blinked at the suddenness of his question, but she didn’t miss a beat. She held out her hands. ‘I’m going to bring Christmas to The Armstrong. The hotel is missing something. Even you know that.’ She raised her eyebrows. ‘And you’ve given me the job of finding it.’
He picked up the phone on his desk and stared at her. ‘Tell me where you’re going and I’ll order a car for you.’
She waved her hand and shook her head. ‘I can catch the Tube.’
This time it was him that raised his eyebrows. ‘Aren’t you going to have some purchases to bring back?’
She put her hand up to her mouth. ‘Oops.’
He asked again. ‘So, where do you want the car to go?’
‘First Selfridges, then Harrods, then Fortnum and Mason.’ She didn’t hesitate.
‘You really think you can do all that in one day?’
She shook her head. ‘Oh, no. I can do all that in an afternoon. You’ve obviously never met a professional Christmas shopper, Finlay.’
It was the first time she’d said his name. Actually said his name. And it was the way she said it. The way it rolled from her tongue with her London accent.
He spoke quickly into the phone on his desk, put it down and folded his arms across his chest. He smiled as he shook his head. ‘No, I don’t think I have.’
She wrinkled her brow. ‘How old are you, exactly?’ She matched his stance and stood in front of him with her arms folded across her chest.
It was almost like a challenge.
He stood up to his full height and stepped a tiny bit closer. He could take this challenge. ‘Thirty-six.’
‘Oh, dear.’ She took a step backwards and put her hand up to her head. She looked out from under her hand with a wicked glint in her eye. ‘Did you play with real live dinosaurs as a boy?’ Her smile broadened as she continued. ‘And shouldn’t we watch the time? I guess you make all dinner reservations for around four-thirty p.m.—that’s when all the early bird specials are, aren’t they?’
He’d met a lot of people in this life—both before and after Anna—but he’d never met anyone who had the same effect as Grace. Even though she was officially an employee, he kept seeing glimpses of the woman underneath the uniform. Whether it was fun and jokes, a little melancholy or just a hint of real.
That was what it was.
Grace felt real. She was the only person who didn’t seem to be watching how they acted around him—watching what they said. He liked the fact she was teasing him. Liked the fact she didn’t treat him as if he were surrounded by broken glass.
‘Seriously?’
She nodded. ‘Seriously.’ But it was clear she was teasing.
He laughed and shook his head and countered. ‘You’re probably not that much younger than me. You’ve just found some really good face cream.’
He handed over the company credit card as his phone rang. ‘On you go and have some fun buying up any Christmas decorations that are left.’ He answered the phone and put his hand over the receiver. ‘I look forward to seeing what a professional Christmas shopper can do.’
Sixty minutes later Finlay Armstrong didn’t look happy at all. He looked as if he were about to erupt.
Grace cringed as he strode across the store towards her. She was already feeling a little intimidated. Three security guards were standing next to her. She’d understandably almost been out on the street. That was what happened when you couldn’t remember the pin number for the credit card you were using or answer any of the security questions.
Finlay walked over to the counter. ‘What’s the problem?’
Once she started talking she couldn’t stop. She’d been having the time of her life. ‘I’ve bought a huge Christmas tree for the foyer of the hotel, along with another two large trees for the bar and the restaurant.’ Then she held her hand up towards the counter and the serious-faced woman behind it. ‘Well, I haven’t really bought them. I got here and…’
She held up the piece of paper that he’d given her. It had managed to get smudged and the numbers on it were indecipherable. She leaned forward. ‘Please tell them I really do work for the hotel. I’m not on their list and don’t know any of the questions they asked me.’
Finlay’s jaw tightened, but he turned and addressed the woman with impeccable politeness. ‘I’m Finlay Armstrong. I own the company. I can either use the correct pin, or answer any of the security questions you need.’
The woman gave a nod. ‘I’m afraid you’ll have to do both on this occasion. And, Mr Armstrong, if you add another member of staff onto the card—you really should let us know.’
Grace wanted to sink through the floor. This shopping trip definitely wasn’t going to plan. She was behind already.
Finlay was finished a few minutes later. ‘If I give you the number, do you think you can remember it again?’
The staff member cleared her throat behind them, ‘Actually, Mr Armstrong, your card has already been flagged today. You might be asked security questions if you use it again.’
Grace gulped. ‘What does that mean?’
Finlay glanced at his watch. ‘How much longer will this take?’
Grace glanced down at the list still in her hands. She wanted to lie and say around five minutes. But London traffic would be starting to get heavy. ‘Probably another couple of hours.’
Finlay rolled his eyes. He stared off into the distance for a second. ‘We need the decorations for the hotel,’ he muttered. ‘Okay, let’s go. The car’s outside.’
The cold air hit her as soon as they came outside and she shivered. ‘Where’s your coat?’ he asked.
She shrugged. ‘I just got so excited when you gave me the card and told me there was a car outside, I forgot to go and get my coat and gloves.’ She shook her head. ‘It doesn’t really matter. We’ll be inside for most of the time.’
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