Adrian was in an unusually good mood the following morning.
I noticed it the moment I walked into the breakfast room. He was already dressed, his coffee untouched beside him, a smile playing at the corner of his mouth as he looked through the messages on his phone.
“You’re up early,” he said.
“I could say the same about you.”
He put his phone down and looked at me properly. “I have something to ask you.”
That immediately made me cautious.
I poured myself some coffee and took the seat opposite him. “That sounds ominous.”
He laughed.
“There’s a council dinner on Friday.”
“I know.”
“I want you to come with me.”
I stared at him.
“You’ve avoided most council functions lately.”
“I’ve been busy.”
“With what?”
He asked it casually, but I caught the question underneath it.
I took a
