“Caleb, take the job if you want, but only if you honestly and truly want to work with Mac Diamond.”
“Sound advice.” He hooked her to him with one arm for one last kiss. “See you tomorrow.”
“Are your clothes ready?”
He laughed. “Yes, all pressed. Bentley’s too.”
Last month, they’d searched online, at very expensive sites, for the appropriate upscale but casual wear, and learned they had very different taste.
“Light green button-down with asubtlepattern,” he said, describing the outfit on which they compromised. “A pair of cream-colored slacks and mocha-colored canvas oxfords. Did I get all the words right? What about you?”
“Still deciding among my fifteen options. Joanna sent me a dress this week. It’s at the top of the list. Which means my expensive purchases were for nothing.”
“Shopping for a grand occasion? Four thousand dollars. Shaking the hand of a royal prince and princess—”
“Priceless.”
Caleb kissed her forehead. “Get some sleep.”
“I’ll meet you at the reception. I’ve got to be at the paper early to prep for our special edition. TheSunday RoyalGazette. I’m meeting Kadasha Collier at noon, then off to Murph at Yes Hair Do for some sort of updo.”
Backing away slowly, Caleb held onto her hand until their fingers slipped apart. On his way home, he stopped at Biggs for a roasted chicken, bag of salad, and a carton of mac and cheese.
At the house, he walked through the back door, bags swinging from his hands, picturing Emery that night after her first town council meeting.“He just Mr. Pottered you.”
Was Mac still Mr. Pottering him? Was he a George Bailey—a restless soul wanting to change the world, but blind to the good in front of him?
“Bent?” He set the groceries on the counter and headed to his office, glancing twice at the fort of unpacked boxes. “I brought dinner.”
The house was too quiet. He jogged upstairs to Bentley’s room. The desk lamp was on, but his computer was gone. “Bent?”
He checked the bathroom, picked up the towel on the floor, then went back to Bentley’s room. The space felt ... abandoned. Caleb shoved open the closet. Empty. As were the dresser drawers. He checked the desk. Bentley’s math award was gone. In its place, he found a note.
Came for Bentley. We’regoing on an adventure. Xx,Cass.
24
EMERY
“Hey.” Rex peeked in her office, pointing at his watch. “You’d better go get ready. The reception is in three hours.”
“How much primping do you think I need?” After meeting with Kadasha and sitting in Murph’s chair for an updo, Emery returned to the paper, checking and double-checking the layout and banked stories, even running a test to the press to ensure the ads appeared.
“You’re starting to get worry lines.” Rex held up his hand, fingers crossed. “Everything’s going to be all right.”
“Elliot will have my job otherwise.” She’d charged premium prices for ad space in the collector’s royal edition. “The press run has to be perfect.”
“Tomorrow we’ll pick the best of Kadasha’s pictures, flow them onto the page, zip it all up, and send it to the press.” Rex gently shoved her toward the door. “Floyd will run theSundayRoyalGazetteahead of the other jobs in case of a problem.”
“And if there is, how do we fix it?”
“Prayer. Bye, go meet royal people.”
Note to self—give Rex a raise.
At Cottage 7, she tried on several dresses before going with the obvious choice: the royal-blue-and-white print Tommy Bahama tasseled maxi dress, with the white and brown leather sandals Joanna sent.
I saw this while shopping and thought of you immediately. The dress said, “Casual day with a royal couple.” No worry if you choose not to wear it. I also found these cool shoes. Love, Jo
