Page 109 of Kilt Trip

“I was just going to call you. Art tours? I feel like I’m living Groundhog Day over here.”

She pressed her fingertips against the cold brass upholstery tacks on the arm of the leather chair, steeling herself. It was about time for her to stick up for the things that mattered. “This company has ties to local galleries and the Dutch art community. They’re excited, and I think it’s the best solution for them—”

“You’re the consultant. You tell them the tours to run to turn a profit. I need to be able to trust you.”

Addie swallowed against the dryness in her throat, at the disappointment in Marc’s voice, but seeking his approval was no longer her highest priority.

She wanted to build this business with Marc and Devika, but she didn’t want to be like them anymore. Untethered and focused on work, on the bottom line, on the quick flip, to the detriment of everything else.

If there was no space for her here, she could find something new. They would always be in her life. She knew that now. “I’ve done the research. With the right targeted marketing, there absolutely is demand for this. Not everyone who visits Amsterdam wants to go to the Red Light District.”

Providing custom work on a short timeline wasn’t impossible. So many companies already knew exactly what would be successful and fulfilling. They just needed a little encouragement to embrace it—and a dash of Addie’s experience with market research and tour development.

“We’ve worked together for a long time, Marc. I respect you, but I need you to be on my team, too. You undercut my expertise and my client relationships when you go behind my back.”

Marc let out a thoughtful sigh. “I’m sorry I talked to Neil before you did. That wasn’t right.”

“When you hired me, you said I’d have a seat at the table. Was that lip service?”

“No, of course not. I’m honored to have you on my team. I’ve always said that.”

“Then trust me to make the right choices for our clients. If they have connections to their community and unique experiences to share, let me build out custom tours. Sometimes we won’t have a portfolio to show prospective clients the carbon copy we can build for them, but there are people out there looking for wonder, for extraordinary encounters to check off their bucket list. I want to be a part of the businesses steeped in knowledge and tradition, who invite people to explore their slice of the world and leave with their hearts changed for the better.”

She knew firsthand how profound it could be.

When Marc didn’t immediately respond, she pushed on to the thing that mattered most. “And I want to work out of Edinburgh.”

Hopefully she wasn’t too late.

47

Logan found Elyse in the kitchen while she waited for the kettle to boil. She poured hot water and splashed in enough milk for Santa to have with his cookies.

“Can you even taste the tea?” he asked.

Elyse narrowed her eyes.

It was exactly how Addie drank hers. Which was a ridiculous thought, because Elyse was the one who’d converted her. Logan dragged a hand over his face.

Elyse tossed the tea bag in the bin and made to leave when Big Mac crested the stairs.

“Bide a second,” Logan said.

She turned to see where Logan was looking, and a mischievous expression crossed her face. He couldn’t fight his answering grin.

That felt like a nice change.

Jack and Reid had always brought a lighthearted cheerfulness to the office with their jokes and pranks. But Logan and Elyse had an entire history of shenanigans at their disposal.

They could bring levity to the office, too.

And new ideas.

And success.

They stood shoulder to shoulder at the entrance of the kitchen as Big Mac deposited his grimy bag on the floor and rolled out his chair. In the middle of his movement to sit down, he braced his hands on the desk and the entire thing collapsed. The pine top took a nose dive to the ground while the legs clattered to the floor.

Pens, Rubik’s Cubes, clips, papers, and a full-size umbrella flooded into Brandon’s space but for a few papers sifting through the air, graceful counterparts to the crash.

---