“You’re on.” She grinned. “But I’ll warn you, I’m getting pretty good.”
“She’ll give you a run for your money,” Meredith told him. “Mishka has been learning tennis and football too. He’s made wonderful progress.”
Spencer’s expression seemed to be appreciation mixed with suspicion, but his phone beeped, and his attention was diverted again. Meredith glanced at Kat, wondering if she was now questioning Meredith’s rule for no phones at the table, but Kat seemed focused on consuming a sausage link.
By the time they were finished with breakfast, Spencer and Kat were agreeing to meet on the tennis court at ten. Mishka asked Meredith to play some football with him. “I need the practice,” he said in a tone that suggested he wanted to appear older in front of his father. Meredith smiled at him before complimenting him on his recent progress and assuring him they would meet there at ten as well. She could tell by this brief interaction that the children’s time with their dad hadn’t been exactly abundant. Memories of her own dad came to mind, and she shot up a silent prayer for him and his buddies on their long trek on the beautiful Pacific Crest Trail.
16
For most of the day, Meredith had felt slightly off kilter. Sure, Spencer was there. But at the same time, he wasn’t. He played a tennis match with Kat, where she really did give him a run for his money, but she eventually lost to him then stormed off to the house discouraged. He came over to where Meredith and Mishka were still kicking the soccer ball, looked on for a few minutes without a word, then vanished. Meredith had hoped he’d gone in to talk to Kat, but that wasn’t the case. Plus, he remained AWOL throughout lunchtime.
For all they knew, he’d returned to Rotslavia. Or flown to the moon. Meredith wasn’t sure she cared. Later in the afternoon, when the kids were in the pool with Meredith and Mishka was eager to show off his swimming skills to his father, she noticed Spencer up near the house, looking on—although he seemed more interested in his phone. For “being there,” he sure wasn’t. And it aggravated Meredith.
As usual, she suggested the children take their quiet time before dinner. Feeling exasperated at their detached parent, she went to her own suite and pondered their disinterested father.He was an enigma. On one hand, Spencer had proven himself capable of humility that morning when he’d apologized to her, and in that moment, he’d been likable. In another world, or universe, she might have even felt an attraction to him, given his handsomeness. But on the other hand, he was mysterious…and frustrating. For someone who’d seemed so concerned and overly protective of his kids, he sure remained uninvolved.
The lyrics to a tune her dad used to love, “Cat’s in the Cradle,” played through her head, and she was tempted to sing it aloud to him but figured he wouldn’t get it.
Instead of beating her head against the wall, like she felt like she’d been doing, she took a relaxing bath. As she toweled dry after her restful soak, for all she knew, he was about to give her the boot. Other than feeling bad for the children, she told herself she didn’t care. As far as she was concerned, Prince Spencer Hawthorne was a royal pain!
As she looked at the contents of the wardrobe, it occurred to her that these were the clothes of his deceased wife. Would he even notice? Probably not. Did she care? Not much. She pulled out a periwinkle silk dress that she’d wanted to try but which had seemed a bit too special for their usual evening meal. Just the same, she decided tonight might be a good time to wear it. If Prince Spencer noticed, it might wake him up. Because in a way, he seemed asleep…out of touch…disconnected.
It was still an hour before dinner, but tired of being stuck in her suite, she decided to stroll the grounds and enjoy the late afternoon sunshine. She could hear the children in their rooms and assumed they too would be getting ready for dinner—and probably hoping their father would be more involved than she expected he would.
The air outside was refreshing, and she decided to just drink it in. For all she knew, Prince Spencer might have her on her way tomorrow. And really, it might be for the best. A few daysor longer without a nanny might force him to get involved with his children. That would be something. She paused by the pond, gazing out over the water. At least she’d enjoyed an interesting working vacation in the Alpine region of Austria. Not everyone could say that.
“Hello there.”
She turned to see Spencer, dressed neatly in a blue and white striped shirt and gray pants coming her way. His hair, as usual, looked a little mussed, but for some reason that was charming. Not that she wanted to be charmed. She did not!
“Hello, Prince Spencer,” she said in a formal tone, instantly regretting the snarky edge to it. But how was she supposed to know how to greet royalty?
“I thought we dispensed with titles.” He made a cautious looking smile, nodding toward the nearby bench. “Care to sit?”
Hesitant, she moved slowly to the bench. “Okay.”
He waited until she sat before sitting on the other end. “I thought perhaps we could talk.”
“That might be good.” She crossed her arms in front of her and waited.
“You asked why I was concerned about security.” He studied her closely.
“I understand you care about your children’s safety. And just so you know, I care too. Believe me, I wouldn’t do anything to place them into harm’s way.”
“I’m sure that’s true. But I have other reasons to be concerned. I didn’t want to mention this to the children just yet, but we have good reason to be on guard right now.”
“Really?” She uncrossed her arms and leaned forward. “Can you elaborate?”
“Without going into specifics, I can say that our country is tiny and not terribly wealthy. There are larger countries that prey upon small countries in strategic locations. Recently,Rotslavia has experienced a few terrorist threats aimed at the royal family.”
“Do you think the children are in danger?”
“I hope not. But, as you know, Katerina is in line for the throne. If anything were to happen to the queen, well, as incongruous as it may seem at her age, Princess Katerina would inherit the crown. She would be the ruler of Rotslavia.”
“I have to admit I can barely wrap my head around the idea of Kat being queen. I mean, at her age.”
He almost smiled. “To be honest, I feel the same way.”
“Do you think Queen Katerina is in any real danger?”
