Taming London (Warwick Dragons #1) - Milly Taiden Page 0,15

better, I would think London Warwick is American.”

“Don’t be a snob,” Bethany laughed.

Eugenie loved nothing more than to tease Bethany about her American ways. It was always in good fun. Bethany was in a particular position. She had been born in England and lived there for the first few years of her life, with a brief period in Italy, another in France, and finally, she had spent her high school and college years in New York City. She had always come back to England. It made her feel connected to her father. The man had been a creative genius. He had been a renowned British nature photographer before succumbing to prostate cancer at a shockingly young age.

Her parents had split way before his death, when Bethany had only been four, but they had always gotten along for her sake. Her summers had been spent with her father, exploring all of the United Kingdom’s most secluded yet beautiful spots.

Bethany was half Brit and half American to a tee. She loved her tea strong, but she also adored chicken wings. She could no sooner pick her favorite place than to pick a favorite movie. It was just impossible.

“What are you going to do about the brute? You’ve already told Johanna that you’ll help. Can you go back on it?”

Bethany was just about to answer the question when the doorbell rang, echoing through their small townhouse. Eugenie waved her off, stuffing more naan bread into her mouth. Bethany quickly ran to the door to answer it. A messenger was standing on the landing with a small brown box under his arms.

“Delivery for Miss Bethany Russo.”

“That’s me.” She quickly signed for the package and rushed to the living room to tear into it.

“What did you order?” Eugenie asked, sitting up on their sofa. “Have you been Amazon-ing instead of sleeping again?”

“I didn’t order anything. This is kind of a surprise.” She ripped the tape and flicked the lid open. She gasped when she spotted the contents. She pulled one card from the inside. The card stock was thick and glossy. It bore the same logo as the one she had left in London’s house, but it had been refined. The silver embossing was beautiful and delicate, with just enough glimmer to catch the eye.

“What is it? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Bethany picked up the card that read:

I apologize for my behavior. You know where to find me.

“Oh! London Warwick sent you a gift to make up for being an absolute ass? That’s something.”

“Is it?” Bethany cut in. “I bet you anything this is a pattern for him. He fucks up, then he throws money at the problem, and no one dares to say anything about it. But no. This won’t work. My own business cards were just fine. It’s kind of insulting that he thought he had to replace them with something of more quality.”

“Is it?” Eugenie shook her head. “You got a good deal on those you got online, but these are awesome.”

“I’m not using them,” Bethany said. She got to her feet and rushed to her bedroom. She stuffed the box under her bed and rubbed her hands together, satisfied with her decision.

“You’re an idiot,” Eugenie sang as Bethany took her seat back on the sofa.

“Whatever. I am not going to let a silly little gift get the better of me. He’s still an ass, and I still have to work with him. Though I have no intention of actually including him in the planning of the benefit. I’ll have enough of a hard time trying to clean up his shitty image. That’ll be sufficient torture for me, thanks.”

Eugenie was laughing at her, a bright smile on her face. “Did you say that Johanna wants you to be his date for the benefit? That she wants it to appear like you’re dating?” She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. “You better hold onto your knickers if you think you can just walk into a date with him and not be affected.”

“He’s an ass.”

“But you’ve had a crush on him for years. Can that just go away because he’s a dick?”

“Of course!” Bethany rolled her eyes. “That’s literally what getting over someone means. They’re a dick, and you swipe left and move on. That’s it.” She swiped her finger physically through the air for dramatic effect.

“Fine. I think that’s a good decision. I was just testing you, you know. After what happened with Lucas, I wasn’t sure.”

“Don’t ever speak that name to me