Into You

Chapter 18

One roll of Tubigrip, that fortunately Andrew managed to appear with when they asked; one sling, and one bit of childish complaining about being strapped up with said bandaging materials, and Miss Cabello is sat next to her mother and Lauren at a large dining table with what looked like the contents of an entire mess hall on her plate. She can eat. She saw her attack the Chinese meal at the office but she certainly seems to like her breakfasts and having one arm immobilized doesn't seem to be holding her back any.

Personally, Lauren doesn't normally do breakfast. A bowl of cereal, a nice cup of tea or a glass of orange juice normally does it for her; at least until lunchtime anyway. Here, though, despite her requests, she'd been brought a continental breakfast as well as her cereal; and despite her reservations, she's quite enjoying it. She's enjoying the conversation as well, sat next to Sinu at the end of the table. That was until...

"I heard you had a swim in our pool this morning, Lauren," Alejandro bellowed from his position at the head of the table, opposite his wife and lording it over his 'underlings'.

"You're certainly a brave girl doing that. We haven't even turned the water heaters on yet."

"I noticed," she said with a fake shiver and a fake grin. She doesn't have much respect left for Alejandro Cabello, not after what she saw and heard last night; but she still has a political game to play here.

"Sounds like you gave our Karla there a run for her money anyway, sounds like you wore her out if she couldn't face a swim. So much for taking your old man on in the Ironman stakes, mija."

"Actually, Alejandro, Miss Cabello was going easy on me. I'm still not a hundred percent fit yet, and I'm carrying a few injuries. I need to strengthen before I'll be ready to run at her true pace, if I ever make it there that is; she's a far better runner than me, she can even kick my ass with a bust wrist."

She got a grateful look from Camila as she tucked, one-handed, into her breakfast, trying to ignore her father's less than veiled jibes.

"Alejandro tells me you're traveling to New York next month, Camila," Dinah said suddenly. "You and Lauren will have to swing by the offices so I can show them off a bit."

'May all the Gods bless Dinah Jane,' She thought as the woman cleverly changed both the subject and the direction of the conversation, swinging it back to their end of the table and away from Alejandro.

"Sounds like a date, DJ," Camila replied, dabbing her mouth with her cloth napkin. "Sofi's arranged for us to have a stand at the Expo again. I believe that it's pretty local to your offices"

"Well now," Dinah drawled, sitting back in her chair with a self-satisfied look on her face, "that's just fine, isn't it? We've got a small booth there ourselves, we have done for the last couple of years; costs me a damn fortune, but it's been totally worth it in business and exposure. Anyway, if you're going to be over for the Expo anyway, I might have to sign Lauren here up for the competition."

She looked up at her, brow furrowed in suspicion, "what competition would that be, Dinah?"

"That's a great idea, DJ!" Camila exclaimed, almost dropping her fork in excitement. "Maybe, she might even get to go up against you. That I would like to see."

"Uhm, excuse me," she interjected into their private little conversation. "I hate to interrupt this little planning session, but what exactly are you two planning to set me up to do?"

"The expo always runs a shooting competition, Lauren," Camila explained,

"Dinah's the reigning champion of that competition."

"Sure is, Camila. I was last year's champion, Lauren, first time of entering as well. Got us quite a bit of business as well pulling that off. Things like that always look good for a company like mine."