“You don’t know him, Kyra.” Shelby’s voice was a mixture of defiance and sadness. “You don’t know him. He’s not that way at all. He’s brilliant and incredibly charismatic and sexy as hell—he could have any woman, but he said once he saw me, once we met, everyone else disappeared for him.”
I nodded slowly. “Well, I’m sure that it’ll work out, then. If he really does feel that way about you, and you’re in love with him, too. You’re a smart woman, Shelby. You know what you’re doing. Right?”
“I hope so,” she murmured. “I haven’t said anything about Cabe to my parents or to Vivian and Charlie. But Aunt Gail came out to visit me, and she met him.”
“Oh, did she?” Shelby’s Aunt Gail was actually her mother’s best friend, a woman who had always been very close to both Vivian and Shelby. I’d met her a few times while we lived together in Maine, and she’d always struck me as a particularly sensible woman. “And what did Gail think about Cabe?”
Shelby’s eyes shuttered. “She said I should be careful. She didn’t seem to think too highly of him.” She wilted against the arm of the love seat. “But she can’t see how much I love him, and how perfect we are together. She’ll understand, eventually. I just need to put my head and get through this last part of the internship, and then things will ease.”
“If there’s anything I can do, you know I’m always here for you, Shel.” I paused. “Even when I’m in England, I’m only a call away. Oh, and if you want to bring Cabe as your guest to the wedding, you just have to let me know, so he can be added the guest list. I think there’s still time to squeeze him in there, if you want me to do that.”
“Could I really?” Her face lit up. “That would be incredible, for the two of us to get away from New Mexico for a little while. And then you and Nicky could meet him, too.”
I regretted my offer now, because unless I was very mistaken, I didn’t think I was going to like Dr. Cabe Mallar very much. But I’d said it, and now I couldn’t take it back. “Sure. Just make sure I get all of his information, because everyone who’s coming has to be vetted by the security team.”
“Oh, right. I understand.” She grinned. “I totally get it. Don’t most brides do background checks on their guests?”
She was teasing, and I decided this was a good sign. “If they don’t, they should. Think of the problems that might prevent. Wedding crashers, last minute objections ... and those pesky people you don’t like but who your mother tells you must invite.”
“True. Though I guess for you, it’s more likely the people the groom’s grandmother insists on inviting.”
I shrugged. “The Queen doesn’t really interfere with the wedding plans. There are a few things that go through her office for approval, but by and large, it’s up to us—and the staff constantly monitoring our every move.” I wrinkled my nose. “And they are worse than ten mothers of the bride, I think. Every time I make any kind of choice, it feels as though they’re looking over my shoulder, judging.”
“Poor Ky,” teased Shelby. “It’s a tough life when you’re marrying a prince.”
“It really is,” I agreed, tongue in cheek. “Oh, but here’s something very cool. Guess who’s invited to our wedding?”
She cocked her head. “Lots of people. Uh, I don’t know. The president?”
“Oh, well, probably, but this is much more important.” I paused for dramatic effect. “Ed Sheeran. Ed freakin’ Sheeran is invited to my wedding.”
“Oh, myGod!” Shelby clapped her hand over her mouth. “Is he coming? Will he sing? Can I be seated next to him?”
I giggled. “He hasn’t responded yet, but even if he does, I doubt he’ll sing. And I don’t know about the seating. That’s handled by the Palace staff. But I’ll tell you what—if he does come, I’ll make sure you’re introduced, all right?”
“Oh, it’s so cool to have celebrity friends.” Shelby stretched out her bare foot to nudge my thigh. “Are we being disrespectful, talking about all this when we’re mourning Handsome?”
“Are you kidding? Handsome would be sitting down here, being irreverent right alongside us if he were here.” I thought about the ever-present infectious twinkle in my grandfather’s eyes. “He was a man who knew how to have a good time. He loved to enjoy himself, and he loved to laugh.”
“Do you remember when we’d first moved into the cottage up in Maine, and he decided he was going to help us replace the pipes under the sink?” Shelby’s smile was tinged with sadness. “And when he couldn’t get it fixed, he said—”
“I’m not a damned plumber, girls, I’m a businessman! A juice maker!” I mimicked my grandfather’s deep voice. “And then he called a real plumber and had it all fixed, and while the guy worked, the three of us sat outside and drank beer and watched the moose.”
“And he told us stories of when he and Honey were young hippies.” Shelby sighed. “They had some wild adventures.”
“They sure did.” We lapsed into a comfortable silence, each of us lost in our own thoughts, until I scooted over to sit closer to Shelby and lay my head on her shoulder. “I’m so glad you’re here, Shel. Thank you for coming.”
She slid her arm around me and rested her cheek on top of my hair. “As if I would’ve stayed away at a time like this.”
We sat that way for a long time, and in being together, we both found some solace.
“KYRA, WOULD YOU LIKE TOwalk on the beach with me?” Honey stepped into the kitchen, where I was drying the last dish after lunch. “It’s such a lovely afternoon. I can’t go too far or take it too fast, but I’d really like to get outside and enjoy this air and sunshine.”
“Sure.” I draped the dish towel over the handle of the oven door. We’d been jealous of our family time over this last week since Handsome had left us; with a few occasional exceptions, my parents had given the housekeeper and her helpers time off. They usually looked after Honey and Handsome, but between my mother and my sisters, Nicky and me—and Shelby, as long as she’d been here—we were more than capable of fixing meals and washing dishes. It was a relief not to have non-family folks with us in the house.
Aside from the reason we were in Florida, of course, this past week had been a balm to my soul. I hadn’t realized how much I’d needed time with my family, days away from the spotlight and the pressure from the Palace. We were flying back to London tomorrow, and I was already beginning to feel the creeping sense of real life descending upon us.
But for now, I was in the warm sunshine, my bare feet sliding through the hot sand and the frigid ocean water by turns. And my grandmother was walking alongside me. I’d never thought I’d taken my grandparents for granted, but now, each second I had with Honey was precious.
