Alice and the Billionaire Boss: The Wellington Billionaires (A Boss in a Billion Book 5) by Serenity Woods
Author:Serenity Woods [Woods, Serenity]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-07-14T23:00:00+00:00
Chapter Seventeen
Alice
I can see how much the altercation with Craig has upset Kip, but he obviously wants to move on, so I start telling him about tomorrowâs podcast which is already set up for release, and which looks at a TV series thatâs just come out based on a well-known fantasy novel.
He spreads some butter on a piece of sourdough, then holds it out to me. Smiling, I take it from him and nibble it while he butters himself another.
He talks about some of the other podcasts Iâve done, and itâs obvious from what he says that heâs really listened to them. Iâm incredibly touched. Itâs one thing to be aware of Wonderland; itâs another to have listened from beginning to end to more than one episode.
âOh shit,â he says suddenly. âI forgot! I got you a birthday present.â He lifts his briefcase onto his lap, opens it, takes out a gift bag, and hands it to me, replacing his briefcase on the floor.
âHmm,â I say, shaking it and recognizing the shape of a book, âI wonder what this is? A watch?â I place it on my wrist. âA hat?â I put it on my head.
He just grins and munches on his bread.
Smiling, I unwrap it carefully. Itâs actually two books, housed in a red slipcase. The books are bound in what I think is red Morocco leather. The spines have raised bands and are lettered in gilt. One is Aliceâs Adventures in Wonderland, the other is Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There. Both the copies bear a dedication: âMargaret Evelyn Hardy from the Author, Christmas 1871.â One of them contains a piece of paper that explains their origin.
Without lifting my head, I look up at Kip. He gives me an impish smile.
I look back at the paper. It explains that Margaret Evelyn Hardy is the daughter of the first Earl of Cranbrook, and Lewis Carroll sent copies of his books to Margaret at the earlâs request.
âThese are first editions?â
He nods.
âSigned by Lewis Carroll himself?â
He nods again.
âButâ¦â I go to brush my fingers across one of the books and stop, afraid to touch it. âThese must have cost you a fortune.â
He shrugs. âYouâre worth it.â He smiles.
Itâs a lovely thing to say, but it doesnât come anywhere near to explaining why he would have spent what has to be serious money on these. I donât know a huge amount about first editions, but Iâm pretty sure that these signed copies would have cost him upwards of a hundred thousand dollars.
âI donât know what to say,â I whisper.
âThank you is customary.â
I look up at him. âWhy would you buy me something like this?â
He butters himself another chunk of sourdough. âBecause you were named after Carrollâs Alice. Because youâve done so amazingly well with Wonderland.â He puts down his knife. âAnd because I want to get in your knickers.â He takes a bite of the bread, his eyes gleaming.
âYou didnât need to spend money on me to do that,â I point out.
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