Amanda laughed. “My, my, you are touchy.”
“Are you surprised, after Rex had to provide you an escort home last time you were here?”
“Actually, I’ve seen Rex since then. I called by last weekend when he was here...alone.” She widened her eyes suggestively. “We had a nice chat about him...and me...and you.”
Carmen’s stomach tightened. “If your intention is to upset me, don’t bother wasting your time. Any friendship we had was completely dashed by your behavior here at the housewarming. I don’t care anymore.”
“Oh, Carmen, I’m winding you up!”
Carmen blinked back her surprise.
“I knew Rex wouldn’t be here so you don’t need to worry. I’m here because he told me I should apologize to you...and I suppose he’s right, so here I am.” She folded her arms loosely. “I’m sorry.”
“I can see how hard that was for you.” Carmen laughed.
“Yeah, well, between him and Nate putting the spotlight on me and laying down laws I’m feeling pretty sheepish here, so go easy on me.”
“I make no promises, but I’ll try.” Was Amanda actually trying to be friends again?
“Thank you. Things haven’t been easy. You can imagine what people say, married and divorced from the local vicar inside a year.”
“Yes, I can imagine.” Carmen bit her lip. “It’s going to take you a long time to live that one down. You really didn’t need to add to your colorful reputation by going after Rex and bad-mouthing me at the party.”
Amanda groaned. “Look, I had no idea that you two had rekindled your old flame.”
“That probably wouldn’t have stopped you,” Carmen retorted.
“Probably not, but can you blame me? Rex is the sexiest thing to hit this place and far beyond for a long time. Hell, the next best thing was the local vicar and next to Rex he looks positively anemic. You’re always going to have women looking at Rex and wanting him, so you better get used to it.”
Get used to it? Carmen puzzled over that.
“Congratulations,” Amanda continued. “He’s a gorgeous man, and from what he said last weekend, he’s totally committed to making it work with you, long term.”
He’d decided that back then, right after she’d walked out on him? Carmen was touched.
Amanda stood up. “Oh, my, the look on your face is priceless! I’ll put the kettle on. You need a cuppa.”
Carmen wasn’t going to argue on that point. She pulled out a chair and sat down, trying to work out what had surprised her most—the message, or the messenger.
* * *
“THIS MUST BE an important meeting,” Lance said. “Normally you’d have us drinking beer out of paper cups.”
Rex smiled as he set out the glass flutes he’d purchased on his way to work that morning. “Slipstream is going places. We can’t drink out of paper cups now.” He popped the cork on the champagne bottle and filled the glasses as the small team took up their seats in the kitchen area. It’s where they held their group meetings because Rex wanted them to be as comfortable and relaxed with one another as possible.
When they chinked glasses, he nodded. “First, I want to thank you for the hard work you’ve been putting in over the past few weeks. I believe it will be worthwhile for all of us, but I appreciated it, especially when my time has been divided with personal stuff.” He sipped the champagne, then set the flute down. “I’ve got something else I want to run by you guys. At this stage it’s only an idea and your feedback is very important to me, so don’t worry if you don’t like the sound of it. Just say so.”
All three of them looked concerned, as if they expected not to like it.
“As you’re aware, I’ve been dealing with my father’s estate in Oxfordshire. When we were at Rashid’s place his setup stimulated an idea. I was intending to sell out my share of my father’s estate, but that situation has changed...hopefully. I see potential there, in the way that Nikhil Rashid has developed his business outside the city. Now, this is just a crazy idea, nothing is set in stone, so just hear me out.
“The estate has disused stables that could be used as workshop space. It would be way bigger than this.” He gestured around the unit. “We’d also have space for our own track to test things out.”
“Cool,” murmured Ayo.
Jerry frowned. “You’re telling us you’re going to move the company?”
“No, I’m asking for your take on an idea that is very fluid at the moment, and I’m also aware that you’ve got families and commitments here in London. If it was something that we thought we could run with, I wouldn’t just be expecting you to rebuild from scratch. You’ve put your heart and soul into this business just as much as I have. I’d be offering a complete package, including accommodation for your families and a new lifestyle. It’s something I know you’ll have to discuss with your families, but there are cottages at Burlington Manor that will shortly be undergoing renovation.”