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He sighed, defeated, and finished his espresso. “I’ll let the manager know. London… well. Good luck.”
I wasn’t sure I’d heard a good luck sound so snide, so loaded, before. And I’d heard plenty of them from Miguel. He marched away, footfalls ringing on the tile, and Cameron glanced after him, watching him go.
“Stuffy, isn’t he?”
“A bit.”
“And you took your time,” she said, turning back to me with something flaring up in her eyes. “I told you two weeks ago I was expecting you here.”
“So you did. But you know… Earl needed attention too.”
She drew herself up straighter. “I’m second to a cat, then?”
“No, definitely tied. Either one of you will be very cross if I neglect you.”
She laughed, something giving way as her posture relaxed, eyes sparkling. “I thought you were giving up on this city.”
I flicked my gaze away, off to the tall windows running up to the vaulted ceiling. “Oh, you know… figured some things are worth trying again and again for.”
She paused. “And we’re talking about a city, here?”
“Oh, of course. What else would it be?” I gestured to the kiosk. “Coffee, Miss Mercier? My treat, of course.”
She studied me for a while before she softened into a smile. “You are so difficult to read sometimes… London. I would love an oat milk latte.”
I walked just ahead of her with the brief for the property tucked under my arm, leading her to the coffee kiosk, and I gestured to the lobby. “As you can see, it’s another new construction, completed just four years ago… Leon had high hopes for selling you on this one. Seemed like a crude approach, but rather bad form of me to criticize my own employer like that to the client, isn’t it?”
“Oh, yes? Do tell me about the building. That’s certainly what’s on my mind now.”
“Well, happily, Miss Mercier. Created with the help of a sustainable development grant, it has exceptionally high efficiency grades, and the integration of vertical gardening and interior green spaces creates a luxurious living environment…”
“Are you reading from the packet right now, perhaps?”
“I may have crammed my homework the night before.”
I got her the latte and led her to the elevator at the back of the lobby, swiping the keycard through the scanner and gesturing her into the elevator ahead of me. It was only once the doors closed that she rounded on me, eyes narrowed.
“So now you’re staying? I can’t read you, London.”
“I already told you. I figured things were worth one more try.”
She sighed, hard, turning away, raking her hands through her hair. My stomach twisted into a knot, looking at her.
“C’mon,” I said. “I can’t be that bad.”
“Categorically, much worse. I’m entirely underreacting.”
I folded my arms, watching as the floor numbers went by. “Hardly fair, reacting like that when you’re the one who told me to come pick your case back up.”
Cameron sighed, again, deeply, more… defeated this time, as she sank back against the rail along the elevator wall. “Well, I’m not a fair person, then, I suppose.”
“Did something happen? With—”
“Certainly. Offered to clear up the…” She gestured airily. “The whole thing around my brand. Offered to… forget the whole thing. With some conditions.”
“Smarmy rat bastard,” I muttered, before I pursed my lips. “I said that out loud, didn’t I?”
A smile flickered over her lips, and she looked away. “Speaking of offering to forget the whole thing, I’ll pretend I didn’t hear a thing if you just take me on this tour as regular.”
