Lilly:It’s totally okay. He’s hot. There’s no denying it.
Marit:Have you seen him with his shirt off?
Isabella:Oh my GOD! She hasn’t even kissed the man, so do you really think she saw him with his shirt off?
Marit:She could have. Maybe he was sweaty and lifted his shirt up to wipe his brow, and she caught sight of his abdomen. Did that happen?
Isabella:It’s the middle of winter.
Marit:People still sweat in winter.
Lilly:I haven’t seen him with his shirt off, but I could only imagine the abs on the man.
Marit:See . . . Lilly gets it.
Isabella:I think you need to go to bed, you’re getting out of control.
Marit:Possibly, but at least one of us has a little bit of male attention. If things don’t start becoming more active over here, I’m going to scream. Not even one date after the Winter Flurries, what the hell?
Isabella:Yeah, that was weird. We’re good people. Attractive, have kind hearts.
Marit:And willing to perform sexual favors.
Lilly:HA! I was too, and look where that got me, on my wedding day without a groom. Trust me, be patient. The right guy will come along.
Marit:He better, because I’m not getting any younger.
Isabella:We’re twenty-four! We have plenty of time.
There’s a knock on my door and then Runa comes in. “Princess Lilly, do you need anything before bed?”
I shake my head. “I think I’m good.”
“Did you do your skincare routine?”
I chuckle. “Yes, and thank you for always making sure to keep me away from those mean old wrinkles.”
“Tis my duty.” Runa smiles, then comes farther into the room. “Shall I turn your sheets down?”
“You realize you don’t have to do that, right?”
“And you know it’s my job, so do we really have to go over this again?”
“No,” I answer.
She plucks my phone from my hand and plugs it into the charger on my nightstand. Runa hates that I’m usually on my phone before bed. She always tries to get me to read. I haven’t caught the reading bug just yet, but I’m working on it.
She adjusts my pillows as I lie down on top of them, then she brings my blankets up to my chest. “There,” she says. “Comfortable?”
“Always,” I answer, and before she leaves, I say, “Hey, Runa.”
“Yes?”
“I don’t know if I ever told you how appreciative I am for you and everything you did for me after the ruined wedding. If it wasn’t for you, I don’t think I’d have gotten through that first month.”
“No need to thank me. Like I said, it’s my job.”
“You went above and beyond,” I say in all seriousness. “And I’m indebted to you. Thank you.”
