Eddie takes the hint and stops loading his plate, joining Papa at the table next to Amanda. “So, sister dearest...” he begins. “What was the most embarrassing thing that happened to you?”
“You haven’t seen Alice in eight months andthat’sthe first thing you decide to ask her?” Amanda groans.
“Yes.” He shrugs. “She’d probably ask me the same thing.”
He’s right, I probably would if our positions were reversed. I take a moment to think about all the places I’ve visited.
“Okay, here’s a good story for you. On the day I arrived in Venice, our train was a few hours late. I was able to rearrange most of my plans, but one thing I knew we had to try and squeeze in was a visit to the Guggenheim Museum. It was going to be closed two of the three days we were there. So we dashed to the hotel, did the world’s quickest check-in, and darted off to the museum.”
“What’s funny about that?” Eddie asks.
Amanda shoots him aBe patientlook.
I ignore him and continue. “After we’d had dinner and returned to the hotel, I went up to my room and found a trail of rose petals, scented candles, towels folded in the shape of swans, chocolate strawberries, and a bottle of champagne. It was set up as if somebody thought I was there to celebrate a honeymoon.”
Amanda and Eddie begin to laugh.
“Why the devil would they think that?” Papa’s brows knit together.
“Bruce and I put our heads together, and the best explanation we could come up with was that the front desk must’ve seen one of the protection officers helping me carry my bags up to my room, and jumped to the conclusion we were newlyweds.”
Papa joins in the laughter.
“The joke was on them. We never bothered to correct their mistake, and they didn’t charge us for the treats. The strawberries were delicious.”
“That’s brilliant.” Eddie wipes a small tear from the corner of his eyelid. “What other stories do you have?”
“Um... while I was in Spain, I did laundry, and didn’t secure it on a clothesline correctly. I ended up dropping all my clothes onto the street below. That was pretty bad.”
I shake my head, remembering how fast I had to sprint down the steps from my hotel room to the street and scramble to pick up my bras and knickers. The security team thought something bad had happened and chased after me. I was mortified to have to explain about the shower of clothing, but at the very least they didn’t see my undergarments.
Amanda jumps into the conversation and recounts a few memorable moments from her time working as a flight attendant. My favorite is probably the story of the time she tried to speak to the pilot, and instead of using the intercom to tell him to turn up the heat in the cabin, she accidentally used the PA system. We spend so much time laughing that the muscles in my face and stomach become sore.
After the washing up has been taken care of and takeaway containers safely tucked into the refrigerator, the four of us migrate into the sitting room. We have mugs of hot tea and are munching on a delicious lemon loaf cake Amanda baked for dessert. Spirits are high. Myeyes are burning, and I’m about ready to fall asleep, but that’s when Amanda decides to make her presentation to Papa.
“Reggie, if you don’t mind, there is a little something Alice and I would like to discuss with you.” She nods to me.
I down the rest of my tea and hope the sugar from the dessert will give me a second wind.
“Of course, I’m all ears,” he says.
With scary precision, Amanda whips out her iPad and turns on the screen mirroring. Her presentation appears on the telly.
“Property in London, as you may know, is among the most expensive and competitive markets in the world. As soon as a listing springs up online, it’s as good as sold.” She changes slides. “Alice told me that she’s aiming to purchase a flat in one of the neighborhoods within a five-kilometer radius of Imperial College.”
Eddie and Papa stare at the screen as a series of maps, charts, and graphs appear. Amanda walks them through the average cost of a property in each neighborhood and what my money can buy.
“Now, if we extend our search radius even two kilometers, to this zone, you’ll notice that the prices drop off more than ten percent.Andwith the added benefit of improved safety and access to green space. Now, there are three properties that Alice and I thought might be worth you having a look over...”
I cross my fingers behind my back and hope for the best. She’s doing a killer job. If she weren’t going to be the future queen, she’d make a brilliant CEO. I’m so glad she’s on my side.
“Alice, some of these are knackered.” Eddie’s eyes narrow. “Why are you only interested in places that need so much doing up?”
“Three main reasons. Number one, I’ll be able to customize the place exactly as I want it. Number two, I want a character property. And number three, doing work is the best way to get value for your money.”
The thing about this flat is that when I say I wanted a place that is solely my own, I meant it. I’m footing the purchase of it from the trust fund my grandad left me, not my parents. It’s true, there were places available in better condition than the place I bought, but they were well outside my million-and-a-half-pound budget.
“I don’t know, Alice. Your brother is right.” My father removes hisreading glasses. “What if your mum and I offered to assist you with the purchase? You’d be able to find a better building.”
