Page 369 of Double or Nothing

I put down my coffee. Hearing about her art tightens the steel even harder.

“His bragging will be his downfall,” I say. “Stupid cunt.”

“What do you mean?”

“The wedding. His blasé attitude to the details.”

Bryce gives me the careful look he uses when he thinks I’m about to announce something reckless.

Fair.

Historically speaking, it is a reliable assumption.

I rise and grab my laptop from the lounge.

“What are you doing?” he asks.

“I’m going to identify the venue, for definite.”

“How?”

“People love talking about weddings, especially people paid to talk about them. Venue managers, florists, caterers, planners. Somebody will give us the information we need.”

“They won’t give private information to a stranger. Not on the Parker Otley scale.”

“I’m not a stranger. I’m about to become a trusted representative of the Parker family.”

“Jack, come on. Be realistic.”

I give him a smirk. “The joker still has his uses, BT. I’ll be a damn sight better than you were as Harry from Rouletto Lighting.”

He closes his eyes.

“Oh God. That was embarrassing. How did you find out?”

“I checked the call logs. I didn’t think you’d just turn up and hope to find me back at work somehow. Not your style.”

Bryce goes quiet.

“I’ll be a bit better in my efforts.” I laugh. “Let’s check out my success rate. I’m ready to rumble.” I grab a pad and pen. “Give me those venues again.”

Bryce rattles them off and I scribble them down.

I search for the venues Christopher mentioned, opening each one in a separate tab.

Westbridge Hall. Dunbar House. Willstone Castle. A few more appear among London’s luxury wedding venues, and I add them to the list.

Bryce looks unconvinced by my strategy, and I don’t blame him. Not many people will go blabbing details of the Parkers’ wedding venue to someone without guaranteed credentials.

“What are you going to say?” he asks.

“Whatever gets me the answer I need.”

“Harry from Rouletto may be a better actor than you.”

“Nah. Harry from Rouletto doesn’t stand a chance against Julian from the Parker Otley Wedding Team.”

Bryce shakes his head, but his smile warms me.