As Fran was led through the restaurant by the maître d, she grinned as she took in her surroundings. Of all the perks that came with working for Kane Holdings, accompanying Addison on business trips was at the top of Fran’s list. The hotels were always five-star. The limousines were sleek and modern, and if a restaurant didn’t have at least two Michelin stars, Addison wouldn’t walk through their doors.

Fran slipped into the chair the maître d had pulled out for her, and after thanking him for his courtesy, as he walked away, she turned to Addison. “Isn’t Millie joining us?”

“No, she was tired. Said she was planning to order room service and make it an early night. So we’re on our own.”

Fran nodded, giving the menu a half-hearted glance before looking back at Addison, only to see yet another smile on the woman’s face. “You know, you’ve been doing that a lot this trip.”

“Doing what?” Addison asked, waving off the waiter who approached. Reaching for the bottle of wine sitting on the table, she said, “It’s a 2006 Trasnocho Rioja. Care for some?”

“Of course,” Fran said, unconsciously licking her lips. “And you’ve been smiling since we left London five days ago.”

“Have I?”

“Yes. So what’s going on? And don’t say it’s business because I already know it’s not. I’ve been on enough of these trips to know your moods, and no matter how successful we are, you’re never this happy.”

“You’re right,” Addison said, taking a sip of wine. “I finally figured out why Joanna has been in such a foul mood, but by the time I get home, she’ll be back to her old self. I made sure of it.”

“Okay, I’m intrigued. What did you do?”

“I gave her permission to fix the patio.”

Fran scrunched up her face. “And that’s supposed to help how?”

“She’s bored, Fran,” Addison said, leaning in closer. “If she’s said it once, she’s said it a hundred times. She doesn’t have anything to do. A while back, Joanna got it into her head to clean up the gardens for whatever reason, but after she had fallen, I told her she wasn’t allowed on the patio because it was too dangerous. After that, things went from bad to worse between us. So, by letting her get it repaired, things will get back to normal because she’ll be able to rummage around in the dirt to her heart’s content. Problem solved.”

Fran kept her expression neutral, but on the inside, she was tickled as tickled can be. It was refreshing to know that someone as brilliant as Addison could also be seriously simpleminded at times. “Guess you figured it out.”