Free Love in Paris (The Art Models Club Book 4) by Amanda Meadows Page A

meeting was over, Mrs. Webb escorted her through the office to introduce her to the rest of the staff.
    “ You'll just be working for me,” she explained. “But I'm sure that everyone will be helpful if you ever need anything.”
    A major surprise was meeting Kayla's father. Of course, Amber had known that he worked for the company in some capacity but had not realized that he had recently been transferred to the Paris office. Well, that certainly explained Kayla's presence here.
    However, Mr. Ross was certainly not the type of individual that Amber would have expected. He was a short, nervous man with a pallid complexion. A swath of oily hair was combed over in a sad attempt at concealing a large, glistening bald spot. His suit was also noticeably inferior and his shoes were quite shabby looking and in need of a good polishing.
    “ Mr. Ross is not much of a conversationalist,” Mrs. Webb whispered as they moved down the corridor. “We just transferred him here from the States and I'm afraid he seems to be having a hard time adjusting. You probably won't see him much because he's the head of accounting. They rarely emerge from the back offices.”
    Finally, the two women circled back and made their way back to Mrs. Webb's office.
    “Hunter told me that he's working late tonight,” she said. “Please say that you'll have dinner with Mr. Webb and me.”
    “ I don't want to be a burden,” Amber murmured, wondering if that was what Hunter was setting up before he left.
    “ Nonsense, dear! If we can't see Hunter, at least we can share your wonderful company,” Mrs. Webb said warmly.
    “ We're having dinner at home this evening. I've got a simple stew in the crock pot as we speak. Nothing fancy but we would love to share it with you.”
    “ In that case, count me in,” Amber said. “What time should I join you?”
    “ Why don't you come home with me now? These days I mostly come in just to work with the Foundation.”
    She leaned forward conspiratorially. “I don't mention it to Mr. Webb of course, but I find the details of the general business world rather tedious.”
    Amber laughed. “I won't tell anyone,” she promised. “I'm not overly fond of the business world myself.”
    “ Then we shall get along so well,” Mrs. Webb said happily, linking her arm in Amber's.
    “ Let's just grab your coat and I'll have the car meet us downstairs.
    As they continued through the corridor, Amber saw Kayla's dad sneaking a glance in her direction. What was it with that family? Amber had avoided checking her e-mail the last week or so but now wondered if there would be further postcard style pictures from Kayla. Perhaps she should check later tonight. There was definitely something weird going on there. Kayla had acted as though her dad was some big shot in the company, but he certainly didn't act like one. And Mrs. Webb certainly hadn't acted as though she was overly friendly with either him or his family. If anything, Amber was now even  more confused.
    But she put all thoughts of Kayla behind her as she slid into the private car with Mrs. Webb. She was offered a drink but only accepted a bottle of water as the car made its way through the packed streets and eventually led to a quiet tree-line avenue of beautiful homes. The driver opened the door and Amber followed Mrs. Webb into a large, spacious apartment.
    Although the Webbs were clearly wealthy, the personal touches in the home made Amber feel warm and comfortable. The walls were covered in paintings. As Mrs. Webb excused herself to check on the stew, Amber wandered around and studied them. She wasn't surprised to see several by Hunter. She was startled, though, to see several by Mrs. Webb. Had Hunter mentioned that his mother was also an artist? She couldn't remember.
    She was studying one of the paintings when Mrs. Webb returned with two glasses of wine.
    “ I know you're not a big drinker, dear, but please at least pretend to sip so I don't feel embarrassed to