Read Online Boot Camp Bride by Lizzie Lamb - Free Book Online

extended his right hand. Charlee looked at him, at it, suspiciously. Was this a trap? Surely, he hadn’t gone to all this trouble to organise a reunion because he wanted a return match of rock, paper, scissors.
    ‘My name,’ she hissed through clenched teeth, ‘is Charlee.’
    ‘Your name is anything Mr Fonseca-Ffinch wants it to be, Montague,’ Vanessa snapped. She gave Charlee a little shove in the back and pushed her closer to Fonseca-Ffinch. ‘Manners, Montague.’ Forced into a corner, Charlie extended her hand and shook fingers with him. A full hand clasp was out of the question, if, as she suspected, he was responsible for her losing her job. She also remembered the shock of electricity which had passed between them on Friday night and didn’t want to experience it again.
    ‘Mr Fonseca-Ffinch,’ Charlee greeted him. With her back turned towards Vanessa and Sam she was able to glare at him as much as she dared.
     ‘Young people, Rafa, honestly …’ Vanessa simpered, coming round to his side of the desk. Then, as if realising she’d made herself sound like some ancient maiden aunt she hastily smoothed down her business suit - this season’s Burberry Prorsum - and gave a seductive little wriggle.
    Then she was at Fonseca-Ffinch’s side - noiselessly, like a shape shifter. But he neatly sidestepped her, offered her his vacant chair and then he and Charlee were standing in front of Chief’s desk.
    ‘I want to speak to you,’ he began, and then glanced between Vanessa and Sam Walker. Clearly, what he had to say was for her ears only.
    ‘Look. I’m sorry about the other night. I didn’t know you were someone important.’ Even as she said it, Charlee couldn’t help her lip curling slightly, which gave lie to her words. ‘I thought you were …’
    ‘Never mind all that, now, Montague. Ffinch wants someone to help him out on an assignment and - Gawd help us - has asked for you. Specifically.’
    ‘Me?’ Charlee gave him a suspicious look. Chief pulled a wry face.
    ‘My feelings exactly, Montague, but he says it has to be you. When he could have Vanessa, Sally or any of our more experienced members of staff.’ Chief shook his head and Vanessa - who hadn’t ventured further than the few yards from a taxi to the front door of the Ivy or Quag’s in years - gave a little moue of regret.
    ‘What’s the assignment?’ Charlee could smell freshly cooked rat and wanted more details before she was dispatched to fetch the barbeque sauce. Her less than gracious acceptance speech earned her a severe look from Chief.
    ‘What Montague means, Rafa, is - yes; she’ll be delighted to help in any way she can. That’s right, isn’t it, Charlotte?’ Sam used her given name with an expression close to pain. Surnames were de rigueur at What’cha! if you were one of the lesser beings - aka, staff. Only Vanessa and her team of harpies were referred to by their first name.
    ‘Of course.’ Charlee gave Ffinch a bright smile, though her narrowed eyes told him to take a running jump if he thought she would be willing to spend Christmas Eve translating back copies of Pravda into flawless English for him. The other afternoon in the photo archive and a whole weekend spent stressing over what Chief was going to say to her had awoken her inner rebel. Now, despite Ffinch’s snarky observation at the book award, this rebel had a cause. She’d had enough of being patronised and given the worst jobs on the magazine. She wasn’t prepared to go down without a fight, even if that meant leaving What’cha! and hunting for another internship.
    Ffinch looked at Sam and then back at Vanessa, making it plain that he wanted to talk to Charlee alone. Sam shook his head at what he obviously perceived to be Ffinch’s folly and escorted Vanessa towards the office door.
    ‘Five minutes, Montague, and then I’ll return to flesh out the details. Right?’ he growled.
    ‘Yes, Chief,’ Charlee replied smartly. Ffinch waited until