“Very much so. And no one is going to get in the way of this happening.” Sophie narrowed her gaze. “You need to come up with an excuse why you can’t go with them tomorrow. An illness or emergency at work. Something that sounds plausible.”
“Is Kat interested in Jamie?” Gill asked.
“I haven’t asked her, but Kat wants me to be happy. I want the same thing for her. Jamie would keep her laughing. He’s easy on the eyes, too.”
“Kat might want to marry someone she falls in love with.”
“She can fall in love with Jamie. They just need time. Alone.”
Nothing was going to change Sophie’s mind. Gill scratched his chin. “You’ve got this figured out.”
“Please don’t get in the way of this falling together.”
Falling was the wrong word. She was piecing this couple together like an intricate jigsaw puzzle. Only he had a feeling the pieces wouldn’t fit as well as she imagined.
“I’ll speak with Mother, but if she wants me to go sightseeing with them…”
Sophie’s shoulders sagged. “You’ll have to go. If you do, please give Jamie and Kat plenty of space and time alone.”
If Gill did that, he had no doubt Jamie would try to get Kitty Kat to purr. And succeed.
Gill’s stomach roiled.
Not happening. The man needed to be kept in line, so did Kat. “I’ll see what I can do.”
*
The next day,Kat found herself stuck between two handsome men at the National Art Museum, an older building with gargoyles on the outside and masterpieces hanging on the walls inside. She should be enjoying the artwork, but she wanted to be anywhere but here. She felt sandwiched like the peanut butter and jelly with Gill and Jamie the slices of bread.
If one was on her right, the other appeared on her left. In the limousine, up in the bell tower, and at the park where people ice skated when the temperature was cold enough. It wasn’t today, but given the chilly glances exchanged by the two men, the temperature should hit freezing by early afternoon. The only one who seemed to be enjoying himself was Claude, who was not only their driver, but also Gill’s bodyguard. The man used to be in some kind of Special Forces unit when he was younger. He’d been trying not to laugh since they left the castle, sending her sympathetic looks. Maybe she and Claude could sneak off and enjoy the artwork on another floor.
“The colors are so vibrant,” Jamie said of a modern art painting. “Alive.”
Gill nodded. “Vivid. Invocative.”
“Emotional with a hint of anger,” Jamie added.
Kat fought the urge to scream. Maximillian behaved better than these two. “You like this painting?”
Both men nodded.
She squinted and tried to see what she was missing. Nope. She had no idea what the artist’s intention was other than mimicking a preschooler’s artwork.
“What do you think?” Jamie asked.
“There’s a cat that comes to the clinic who paints,” she said. “I’d pay for one of those canvases. Not this mess.”
“It’s not that great,” Gill backtracked.
Jamie nodded. “Not at all.”
Had the two made a bet? Or was this a bizarre, oldest son territorial pissing match? Maybe a game of one-upmanship?
Kat had no idea what was going on, but she didn’t like being caught in the middle. They definitely weren’t after her because every word out of their mouths made them less attractive. She’d rather spend the day with the queen and duchess than their sons. At least Kat knew where she stood with the women.
She walked away from the painting and from them.
Gill came after her. “Where are you going?”
