Flying Colors by Clare London

Author:Clare London [London, Clare]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Twelve

RED met his parents a week later in one of the more discreet new restaurants in central London, on a side street around the back of Knightsbridge. The entrance was no more than a domestic front door, and the dining room held only a dozen tables for evening dinner. But the decor was rich and the service extravagant. Red imagined that the bill would be too.

Alexander De Vere held out his hand to his son, and they shook. “Richard.”

“Father.”

Ellen De Vere pushed past her husband and caught Red in an expansive hug. “Red, my darlin’ boy.” She had the height and bearing of an ex-model, but he still topped her by a few inches. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Mother.” She chuckled, a loud, throaty, sexy sound that turned more than a few curious heads.

Alexander cleared his throat. “Ellen, we’re in the middle of a restaurant. And I believe Richard is trying for a less public profile nowadays?”

Ellen dismissed the rebuke, albeit made in a fond tone, with a shrug. “Sit here beside me, Red. Tell me how your new project is goin’.”

They all sat down. Most of the other tables were occupied, and Red recognized almost all the patrons. He thought, with wry amusement, it was a microcosm of the ambassador’s dinner the other month, a mix of celebrities, politicians, and minor royals. There was sufficient space between all the tables for private business to be conducted, or personal news to be exchanged. Turning back to their own table, he noticed the additional two places laid, and wondered who was going to join them. His father was infamous for mixing pleasure with business—never one to miss an opportunity to make the most of his crowded diary—so maybe he was combining this with a business meeting. Though family meals were usually sacrosanct. Ellen insisted on it, as they were all so rarely together.

He glanced at his father then back to Ellen. “There isn’t very much to tell.” Didn’t he hate to hear that self-deprecating tone to his voice? He was here to prove to his father what he could do with his life, on his own—and to ask for financial support for the center. This was no way to begin. “Well, that’s not exactly true, considerin’ how busy they all are at the center. I’ve only been there a few times, and I’m helpin’ in its refurbishment.”

“The staff?” asked his father. Red never minded his mother’s questions because he knew they were asked from genuine interest, and for his benefit too. His father’s… he wasn’t as sure.

“It’s council-run, with a variable budget. There is a full-time staff, and I’m obviously not on the books, merely a volunteer at the moment. I was introduced by Carter Davison, who works part-time there.”

“Carter?” Ellen murmured the name, and when Red glanced at her, she was smiling at him.

He frowned at her, knowing she wouldn’t take any notice of his disapproval, anyway. “Yes, Carter. He’s shown me around the place. They offer meetin’ and sports facilities for the young people.

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