“I’m sorry, what was that, Miss?” Bellford asks.
“Nothing, just… being immature.”
“Ah, yes, of course.”
As soon as I step into my empty apartment, I’m overcome by loneliness and a horrible restlessness. It’s suddenly too quiet in here. And too… sterile. I long to be back in the jungle or swimming in the warm Caribbean with Will, even if he is a total date-breaker.
I glance at my desk, seeing the folder of Equal Everywhere notes waiting for me. Nope. There’s no way I can go from the tingly anticipation of an incredibly romantic evening tothat. I walk over to the window and stare out at the meadow behind the palace and the forest in the back. The autumn sun is setting behind the forest, and I spot Tessa jogging whilst the twins ride tricycles in front of her. Her musclebound manny/trainer, Xavier, is strolling along beside her while she huffs and puffs along the pea gravel path.
Tessa—that’s who I need right now. I quickly hurry to my room to get changed.
* * *
“What are you still doing here?” Tessa asks, panting between words. “Shouldn’t you be on your date by now?”
“I got stood up, so I thought I would join you for a little fresh air,” I say, falling into step with her.
Flora and James both turn their heads to see who’s behind them, still furiously pumping their short, chubby legs. Their little faces squeeze my heart, suddenly making me feel slightly better about being thrown over for a business opportunity.
“Hi, Auntie!” James shouts. “Me gots a Tyronnanon.” He holds up a tiny dinosaur, causing his trike to make a sharp turn. He quickly puts his hand back on the handlebar and corrects himself while his sister, Flora, an extremely early talker, corrects him. “Tynannosaurus Rex.”
I grin at their little exchange.
James ignores his sister and says, “He be named Rex.”
“Lovely to meet you, Rex,” I say, nodding at the small plastic toy now gripped between his fingers and the handlebar.
“Princess Tessa, you’re going to need to bring your pace up a bit,” Xavier says to her. “Your heart rate is falling under one hundred.”
Tessa turns to me and rolls her eyes. “Okay, thanks, Xavier.” Covering her mouth with one hand, she mutters, “I actually think I’d prefer the Shock Jogger at this point.”
“I heard that,” Xavier says with a little grin. “Don’t get discouraged now, Your Highness. It’s only two more weeks until the big trip. Youwilllose the rest of that baby weight!”
“Yes, you’ve already told me that,” Tessa says. Lowering her voice again, she pants out, “Good God, my legs are like jelly.”
“That’s why you better keep running,” Xavier says. “Faster, kids! Don’t let Mummy catch you!”
“This is slightly humiliating, no?” I ask her, feeling my heartbeat pick up. “We’re being outpaced by preschoolers.”
“Those tricycles have special wheels or something…” Pant, pant. “…that make them unbelievably fast. Now, back things up to the moment before James interrupted you.” Pant, pant. “The bit about how you got stood up.”
“Yes, Will got a better offer,” I say, then quickly realize how bad that sounds. “He has a chance to rep some company that makes mountain climbing equipment. He’s flying to London as we speak to meet up with the CEO.”
“Ah, his star is on the rise,” Tessa says with a firm nod.
“So it would seem,” I say, starting to pant. I hate running. “I’m happy for him, I really am.”
“But?”
“But we needed to have an evening together alone.”
“I take it things ended on a sour note last night?” Tessa asks as we make a left turn and follow the path toward the river.
“Time!” Xavier shouts suddenly, causing both Tessa and me to jump.
I stop running thinking that he means her workout is over. Tessa stops running as well, but she quickly hops over to the grass and starts doing burpees while her kids skid to a halt and count them out with Xavier’s help. I stand there, slack-jawed, as I watch her jump in the air, then crouch down, plant her hands on the ground, flailing her legs out behind her into a plank position, then jump back up. When she gets to ten, her kids cheer for her and she nods at them, giving them an exhausted-looking thumbs-up before getting back on the path. “We get to walk for thirty seconds now,” she says with a tired smile.
“Thank God,” I answer. “Where were we?”
