"Now that's a plan I can work with."
We walked out of the study together, leaving the war room behind.Somewhere, Viktor was being loaded into a transport vehicle, his fifteen-year deception finally unraveled.Somewhere, my mother was probably already drafting statements and managing the diplomatic fallout.
But for now, in this moment, there was only Betty's hand in mine and the promise of coffee and a wedding and a bright future.
CHAPTER 25
Betty
The sign arrived atthree in the morning, the installers working by floodlight to replace the old café logo with elegant gold script: The Latte Princess.I had made the calls myself, invoking my new title with a shamelessness that would have made me cringe six months ago."This is Princess Bettina of Solmarina, and I need a rush order.Yes, I'm serious.Yes, that Princess Bettina."
Turns out royal clout could accomplish in a few weeks what normal people planned a year or more for.The roses climbing the brick walls, the candles on every surface, the complete transformation of my former workplace into a wedding venue, all of it conjured from nothing by people who were suddenly very eager to help when they realized actual royalty was asking.
I stood behind the counter I'd worked at for three years, watching Petra arrange the last of the flowers while Captain Steiner conducted yet another security sweep of the parking lot.Through the window, I could see Roberto stationed near the door, looking deeply uncomfortable in civilian clothes.Even the head of security had to blend in when the venue was a coffee shop in suburban Oregon.
"You're sure you're ready?"Mom asked, appearing at my elbow with a cup of something that smelled like chamomile.My mother was wearing a lavender dress she'd bought specifically for the occasion, and her eyes were suspiciously bright."Not nervous?"
"Nervous, yes.Unsure, no."I took the cup and let the heat settle my nerves."There's a difference."
"There is."My mother touched my cheek."I'm proud of you, sweetheart.For knowing what you want and going after it.Even when it's scary."
"You're the one who told me the best things usually are."
"I give excellent advice."Mom's voice wobbled slightly.
Through the window, I watched a black SUV pull into the parking lot.My grandmother's transport.They'd arranged for a medical team to accompany her, oxygen tanks and medications and everything else a dying woman needed to watch her granddaughter get married in an American coffee shop.
"She came," I said.
"Of course she came."Mom's voice was soft."She's your grandmother."
"She lied to me about the marriage."
"She did."Mom set down her cup."And I understand why you're angry.But I also remember how worried I was when you were sixteen and wanted to drive to Portland with your friends.I barely slept until you came home.I can't imagine what it would be like to lose a child completely, to spend twenty years not knowing if she was alive or dead."She watched as Roberto helped the Grand Duchess into a wheelchair."It doesn't make what she did right.But I understand the kind of fear that makes people do desperate things to keep the people they love safe."
The door opened, and the Grand Duchess was wheeled inside.She looked worse than she had three weeks ago in Valdoria, her face drawn and pale, her hands trembling where they rested on the wheelchair's arms.But her eyes were sharp as ever, taking in the coffee shop with an expression that was half curiosity and half royal assessment.
