Though a few guards notice us and take a step toward me, I hold them back with a raised hand. As before, I wish Elliot were here. This is not a conversation I would like him to hear, but I could use his support.
Honestly, I think I might crave his support in everything I do at this point.
“I need a moment alone,” I tell Hex.
He narrows his eyes. “Why?”
“Because I want to speak to my friends, and you do not need to be part of that conversation.”
Mumbling under his breath, Hex moves several meters away and folds his arms, telling me that he will not go any farther. It will have to do.
Pulling my phone from my clutch, I open the group I have with my friends and start a video call, hardly caring who answers. I need advice, and I will take it from any of them.
The call connects, and I wait to see which of my friends picks up first.
To my surprise, it is Hank, a man I have not had much of a chance to talk to since he and Bonnie started dating six months ago. I have only met him a few times, but I have always liked him.
“Freya!” he says, his smile warm and bright. His gentle personality is a complete antithesis to the murder mysteries he writes, and I love the contradiction he presents. “How’s the campaign going?”
Relaxing a bit, I return his smile with one of my own. Over the last few days, I have spoken with my friends more than I usually do, but Hank has only been on a call once, as he is on a deadline. I am grateful for his question and the fact that he cares, even if we have not known each other long. “Better than I expected, after the way it started.”
“That’s good to hear. Bonnie has been keeping up on all theHot Scoopstories, and they don’t seem to be causing any real problems for you. Hopefully things stay that way.”
It is notHot Scoopcausing the problems, no. It is the tension that built so quickly between Elliot and me once we became friends. Tension that people have started to notice and is a large part of why it is so difficult to make my decision about Markham. I have known Elliot for only a couple of weeks longer than I have known Markham, but Markham does not make me feel what I feel with Elliot.
“No,” I mutter, reminding myself of why I made this call. It was not to think about my bodyguard. “I supposeHot Scoopdoes not have much power this far from its origin.”
No one else has joined the call, and I wonder what the others are doing right now. It is the middle of the day in California, so they must all be busy. Derek isalwaysbusy, but I cannot always expect the others to answer spontaneous calls.
“So,” Hank says, and his eyebrows lift enough to tell me he has realized I had a reason for calling.
I sigh and look behind me to make sure all of the guards except Hex are out of earshot. “So,” I repeat. “I received a proposal recently.”
“What kind of proposal?”
“The literal kind.” A surprising smile lifts the corners of my mouth as I use Markham’s own words. If it were not me in the situation, I might find it all rather humorous.
Hank’s eyebrows rise higher. “Like, someone asked you to marry them?”
I twist my lips to the side. “Yes.”
Eyes going wide, he sits up straighter. It looks like he is in the house he bought in Los Angeles a few months ago, and I wonder if I interrupted a writing session with this call. I am grateful he answered, if that is the case. “Wait, you’re serious?”
I nod gravely. “Entirely.”
“Who asked you? A crazy fan? Because that happens to Bonnie all the time, and they’re never serious. Well, theyareserious, but it’s not like she would ever—”
“It was Markham Grimstad.”
Hank blinks. “The man who’s running against you?”
“The very one.”
“Is he really that desperate to be king?”
I suppose that is a logical conclusion, if Hank and Elliot thought the same thing. “No, I think he is determined to bring balance to the Candoran people, and adding someone of his background and perspective to the monarchy could do that in a way no one has before. No ruler has married outside nobility since the beginning of Candora.”
“Ah, got to love tradition.”
