Her discomfort wasn’t easy to swallow, but she allowed herself to be pulled over to the table by an overzealous Mike. “Hey, fellas. This is Miss Ava Harper.” He gestured to a man with rosy cheeks and chestnut-colored hair carefully combed to one side. “That’s Theo.”
Theo nodded, his brown eyes keen but affable as he assessed her in the benign way one would a building.
“And that’s Alfie.” Mike pointed to a red-haired young man with a smattering of freckles that dotted his fair skin like stars. A flush blossomed under the constellation as he ducked his head.
“And James.” The Englishman slid into the space beside her and flashed a grin. “To whom you’ve already had the pleasure of being introduced.”
It wasn’t much of a pleasure, but Ava didn’t say as much aloud. He pulled the seat out for her, which she sank into with a nod of thanks. Then, to her chagrin, he occupied the chair directly beside her, near enough that she detected the light, clean scent of whatever soap he used.
“We’ve been anticipating your arrival,” Alfie said in a soft, shy voice.
“You should have seen Sims’s face when he came back from the airport after learning A. Harper was a woman.” Mike slapped his knee with a laugh and pulled a chair over to add to the end of the table. “Just like Peggy said.”
“Are you librarians as well?” Ava asked the other two, pointedly ignoring James.
“We are,” Theo replied. “I’ve been with the London Library for nearly a decade now, and Alfie started this past fall. From what I hear, your research skills and ability to unearth difficult information will be integral to our success.”
Ava fingered the menu, both proud and slightly vexed that she had a reputation preceding her—especially when such a thing would lead to expectation. “So long as I can figure out exactly what I’m doing.”
They all laughed.
Irritation prickled at the back of her neck despite her forced smile. She’d had way too much coffee and not nearly enough food to be dealing with yet another joke whose punch line she didn’t get.
Alfie regarded her with an observant sympathy and his mirth swiftly faded. “Unfortunately, your country has a habit of sending your people over quite woefully unprepared.”
“I can show you around, if you like,” James offered. “Where to go to find what, which contacts are necessary to obtain certain information.”
Ava glanced back toward the empty counter of the restaurant. Surely the waiter should be approaching them now. When she returned her attention to the table, she found everyone watching her expectantly, waiting for her answer.
She waved her hand dismissively. “You don’t need to take time from your day on my account. I’m sure you have plenty more to do than show me around Lisbon. And Mike can assist with whatever I need…？” She tried to keep the desperation from her face as she looked to her coworker.
“Actually, that would be a great help, James.” Mike tugged at his tie, so it hung slack from his collar. “I’ve been swamped.”
“Smashing.” James cast a victorious grin in her direction. “We can start tomorrow morning at nine.”
Before she could put up any sort of protest, the waiter miraculously appeared. James held up a finger to command his attention. “Super Bocks all the way around.”
Once the man disappeared to fulfill the order, James turned to Ava. “You do like beer, don’t you?”
True to his word, James was outside Ava’s apartment at exactly nine in the morning the following day, making her almost regret providing him with her address the previous evening.
“We can’t start a day in Lisbon without bica and pastéis de nata.” He extended his arm toward her in a gallant show of chivalry.