Page 133 of Never Tell Secrets

With a grim expression he nodded at the window. I peeked out to see a bunch of reporters waiting outside. My stomach turned over at the sight of them.

“Alfie thought you might want a lift to work. It’s not mandatory.”

For a moment, I contemplated turning him down but in truth, I would much rather have some back up when dealing with those people. “Thank you, a lift would be nice. Coffee?”

“No, thank you, Miss.”

I headed into the kitchen and set about making up a thermos of coffee and my lunch for the day.

“So, who are their sources?” I asked over my shoulder, catching Elliot’s eye. “I read one of the articles this morning, apparently they have ‘sources’. I’m putting my money on that owl-faced receptionist from the hotel.”

Elliot cleared his throat. “Actually, it’s us.”

“What? But some of the stuff they said wasn’t even true!”

“I’m aware of that, Miss.”

I blinked, unable to understand the motivation for this. Alfie said we were supposed to ignore it, now he was cooperating? “You fed journalists bogus information?”

“They were going to get it from somewhere,” Elliot gave a slight lift of his shoulders. “Alfie prefers to control the narrative.”

I sighed and leaned against the counter. “Of course he does.” He’d fed them a seed of truth gift-wrapped in bullshit and they’d eaten it for breakfast, just like I had done so many times in the past.

“How was Greece?” Imani sat back in her seat, sipping chamomile tea as I looked through her latest designs for a new exhibition at Kew Gardens.

“Perfect, just like these. I can’t remember that there has ever been a Japanese exhibit here?” I smiled down at her plans for a guided tour of art, culture and of course plants that ran in half of her blood. It was fresh and diverse, an exciting change.

“There hasn’t and I don’t pay you for perfect, Lola. Tell me something is wrong with it.”

I laughed, studying them once again, searching for any flaw no matter how tiny. Her plans were made up of two gardens, one a peaceful space reminiscent of a traditional Japanese tea garden, the other, more vibrant, employing slopes to represent mountains and the ocean, with raked gravel and large rocks depicting the tumbling and flowing of water. Inviting visitors into the garden was an exquisitely designed gateway, embellished with flowers and animals.

“There’s nothing wrong with it but do you have space for a third garden?”

Her brows raised slightly. “Yes, you think it needs it?”

“Maybe.” I pulled her sketch pad toward me, picked up a pencil and turned to a blank page. “You need a third space to tie the first two together,” I said as I began drawing. “Perhaps depict the mountain regions in Japan? You could use stones and rock outcrops, and low lying hedges could be used to—” Mywords trailed off as she pushed another piece of paper towards me. A third design for a third garden that she had already planned out. She was way ahead of me.

“My thoughts exactly.” She smiled and I arched a brow at the genius designer who was all things I wanted to be.

“Are you ever going to stop testing me?”

“What else is a mentor for?” She gave an innocent shrug and sipped her tea. “Speaking of testing you, how are your plans for the Chelsea project coming along?”

“Not at all. I do have a research trip planned though.” I filled her in on my trip to Dubai, hoping she would approve of me taking a few days off even though I had only just returned from Greece.

“Absolutely, you must go. The Miracle Garden is stunning and perfect inspiration for your own floral sculpture.”

“I hope so.”

She was silent for a moment, a thoughtful expression on her face. “Do you have any thoughts as to what you’ll do after the show?” she asked, her keen gaze pouring over me. “You only have another six months, Lola, then your position here will be over too.”

“I know.” The thought had my stomach churning. I had no plans yet but soon I would have to start job hunting again. Hopefully, with qualifications under my belt, as well as a mentorship under a renowned designer and the opportunity to design for a prestigious event, my chances of landing a good position somewhere would be high.

“I wonder if you would consider working with me on another project? It’s a little unorthodox…”

Yes! Absolutely yes!That’s what I wanted to say but I hesitated. “Care to elaborate?”

“Not at this time. I’d like to see how your project turns out first.”