Rosalind's phone rang as she stepped out of the shower. She glanced at the screen, saw the goofy picture of Bijou she used as her ID, and smiled wide. "You have impeccable timing," she said as she wrapped herself in a towel.
"Are you getting it on?" her best friend asked with her usual bluntness.
"Alas, no." She sighed, thinking of Nick and how he'd been so resistant to her advances.
"Wait. That sigh meant something." Bijou gasped. "Is there a boy?"
"He's all man, and I'm not sure. He seems interested one moment and then pushes me away the next."
"Is he British?"
"Yes. Why?"
"British men are strange."
She shook her head as she pulled out clothes from the dresser. "He's not strange. He's being gallant."
"And that's strange. You need a dude who'll bang you silly, especially given the recent family events." Bijou paused. "How are you holding up?"
Sitting on the bed, she considered the question. "Well, I think. I miss home, but it's okay being here."
"Portia isn't giving you shit?"
"Of course she is." She smiled wryly. "I'm in London, not an alternate universe."
"Your mom?" Bijou asked, her voice serious.
"Mum is"-she shook her head-"acting oddly."
"That makes sense. Her husband died with another woman."
"But it's a nice odd. She asked to see my designs."
"Whoa."
She nodded. "I know."
"When are you coming home?" Bijou had a way of getting to the core of the matter.
Sighing, she said, "I don't know."
There was a contemplative pause, and then her best friend said, "Then I'm giving you homework."
Rosalind grinned. Bijou had been giving her "homework" since boarding school, and it always had to do with the opposite sex. "Yes?"
"Get this strange Brit you're infatuated with naked."
"Why do you think I'm infatuated with him?"
"Please." Bijou snorted. "You're my girl. I know."
Rosalind hung up, a huge smile on her face and a plan formulating.
The doorbell rang.
Rosalind was ready for it. She opened it quickly, her belly fluttering with nerves. "Hello, Nick."
She wondered if he heard the huskiness in her voice. She wondered if he knew why she'd called him over.
"Rosalind." His gaze ate her up like she was dessert. The way his eyes lingered on her lips, she knew he wanted to kiss her as much as she wanted him.
This was the right thing to do. He'd open her father's office for her so she could search without Portia getting in the way, and she could take care of her homework with Nick.
Win-for her, in any case.
She held open the door and motioned him in. "Are you ready to be a dragon slayer?"
"Where's this beast you called about?"
She pointed down the hall. "The door to my father's office is locked, and no one knows where the key is."
