“I’m so glad you both have decided to stay with us. I’ve taken the liberty to put you in the Royal Penthouse. Only the best for our Miss James,” he gushed.
“You always take such good care of me,” Rita praised him.
Once we were inside, Caryn joined us. We were ushered to the ‘lift,’ as he called it, up to our rooms. He opened the door for us, and Rita walked in like she owned the place. Caryn and I gave ourselves away as we gawked at the elegance of the suite.
Mr. Whatley gave us a tour. On the lower level, you entered a double door that put you in a grand vestibule. To the right was a spiral staircase that led to the second floor. In the center of the foyer hung a chandelier that reached from the ceiling of the second level almost to the slate floor of the entry. It looked like an upside-down Christmas tree made of black crystal.
Off to the left was the butler’s pantry where food would be staged and kept warm for serving. That led to a dining room that would seat ten. Next to the pantry was a door to a bedroom where Caryn would stay. Another door close to the entrance was an office that had built-in TVs on the wall tuned to different business channels with the sound off. If you walked down a short hall, it opened to the lower living room.
The suite also had an internal lift you could use to get to the second floor; Rita and Mr. Whatley chose to use it. Caryn and I walked up the staircase to find ourselves in another living area. The master suite had its own spa, complete with a massage table. The walk-in closet was spectacular. If my mom saw it, my dad would be in trouble. There were two large bedrooms off the main suite area. Each had access to a rooftop terrace with a panoramic view of the River Thames, a working gas fire pit, and a separate dining area.
The view was of historic London, and there was a fantastic view of the London Eye, the giant Ferris wheel across the river. We were within walking distance of Buckingham Palace. When Mr. Whatley left, Caryn gave me a dirty look.
“Jesus, David. How much is this costing you?”
“Normally, it’s just under $27,000 a night,” Rita said.
She suddenly got a big smile on her face when she saw I was about to have a stroke.
“They comped me,” she said, letting me off the hook.
“Still,” Caryn said, looking worried.
“Even if David paid for it, it would have been worth it. Tomorrow the
Uncle John had suggested that we get them away from the studio to give us a psychological advantage when we talked. If Rita wanted to impress them, this setting would do that nicely. For me, it was just fun to see how the über-rich lived.
◊◊◊
Caryn left to go play tourist, and Rita was talking to the staff about tomorrow’s meeting. I put on a jacket and grabbed my tablet so I could take pictures of the view. It was almost eight a.m. back home, so I sent a text to Halle, and she got on video chat with me.
“I see you and my mom are living it up.”
“I never realized what a big deal she is until I watched the Brits fall all over themselves. She’s like a rock star,” I said.
“Wait until they start making up stuff in the tabloids. They’re notorious for the junk they publish.”
“Your mom said I was your boyfriend,” I teased.
“Just great. I thought we’d snuffed out those rumors,” Halle said, referring to when we came back from LA, and the American tabloids had linked us.
It had taken a little while for our classmates to understand that we were just friends. I decided to change the subject.
Before I could say anything, I heard mewing.
“Bandit! Where are you, Buddy?” I called.
Halle reached down and held him up so I could see him. He was getting big. The Ragdoll breed could get up to twenty pounds. I liked him because, for a cat, he was pretty laid back. Of course, as a kitten, he was a rowdy boy and could challenge Duke for bounciness when he was wound up.
“He heard your voice. I think you need to come visit him.”
“Yeah, I agree. I’ve missed Mr. Tattletale.”
We chatted for a while and caught up. Rita came out when she was done making plans, and I handed her my tablet so she could talk to her daughter. I could feel the trip catching up with me, so I hit the sack for a quick nap.
◊◊◊
The price of the comped room was that Rita had to eat in the restaurant and allow guests to meet her. I was glad when she told me I wasn’t allowed to be seen with her. Turns out I should have said I didn’t want to be seen with Caryn. We went to a local place for some curry. Caryn waited until we ordered before she laid into me.
“You’ve put me in a difficult position.”
“Okay, what did I do?” I asked.
I was wise enough not to fall for this gambit.
“What am I supposed to tell your mother?” she asked.
“Nothing,” I suggested. “That should be the standard policy for most matters.”
She gave me a mock-amused look, but then her expression turned serious.
