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A knock was heard on the front door. I grinned at him. “Not if we invite the whole southern part of the empire to this meal.”
CHAPTERFORTY-ONE
Lambert answeredthe door and a moment later Peter, Aria, and Serena joined us in the dining room. He had another bottle of wine and a wide grin across his face.
“I have sold all the first print copies!” he announced as he stretched his arms out on either side of him. “And the emperor himself expects a signed copy!”
Ben smiled at our guests as they took up the last empty seats, besides that which belonged to Sofia. “Congratulations. I’m sure Lady Trent will be thrilled to hear the news.”
Aria laughed. “That old hag is getting three dozen copies, courtesy of her husband. He gave the order right in front of her.”
Serena looked across the table at Mouse. He was still swaying from side to side, but he managed a friendly if lopsided grin. “Hello there.”
She blushed and fidgeted in her seat. “H-hello. . .”
He held out one of his bottles to her. “Care to share a drink with me? I just won the race today.”
She risked looking up and nodded. “I saw. You drove very fast.”
“Stop taking all the credit,” Chase scolded him as he swatted him upside the head. “We all worked hard on that machine.”
“Her name is Bashful,” Mouse corrected him.
“That’s a lovely name for a thunder,” Serena spoke up.
Mouse’s eyes lit up. “You think so?” She smiled and bobbed her head.
“When can you start crafting more of those masterpieces?” Ben wondered.
“We’ll start first thing after the hangover,” Grant promised as he poured himself a drink.
“We should have a name for our company,” Mouse spoke up.
Chase rolled his eyes. “Must you name everything?”
“No, this is actually a good idea,” Grant spoke up as he folded his arms over his chest. “A name would give us recognition.”
“What about ‘Prime Cog?’” Mouse suggested.
“A very appropriate name,” Ben agreed as he raised his glass. “To Prime Cog and to friends new and old.”
We raised our glasses with him and repeated the lines. “To Prime Cog, and to friends new and old.”
“Now let’s dig in!” Grant shouted as the food arrived from the kitchen.
What a terribly fun time we had. Ben and I didn’t shuffle off to sleep until the sun was peeking over the horizon. I collapsed onto the bed and draped one arm over my eyes. “I never again want to see wine as long as I live.”
Ben made the bed bounce as he sat beside me. “Not even as a grape?”
I shook my head. “Not even as that.”
Ben chuckled. “I’ll have to make sure that’s not on the breakfast menu. Or perhaps we could skip that and go straight to dinner.”
“Dinner,” I seconded.
I felt him move and a sigh escaped him. “Another adventure is finished.”
I peeked out from beneath my arm and found him leaning against one of the bed posts. His pensive eyes stared out the nearby window.
