“Sometime this week, before Valor and Antonella return, is the most important part.” Dad censors himself as Kerrianne comes in from the living room.
“Are pancakes ready yet?” She twirls the skirt of her dress around her, spinning in a tight circle, and then frolics over to the table. “I bet I can eat as many as Royal.”
“Oh yeah?” I narrow my eyes across the table. “Little thing like you going to eat more than a big thing like me?”
“My stomach is bigger. I’m still growing. Dad says you’re not growing.” She nods exuberantly and pulls out her chair to sit down at the table.
“You’re on, pup-squeak.” I smile at her and try to just be present in the moment for her like Valor would want me to be.
25
LETICIA
RETURN OF THE POLTERGEIST
It’s beentwo days since I last talked to Royal. I check my phone again. Forty-nine hours, thirty minutes, and some seconds.
I open the messages and look at the last one I sent him, asking him to not be dead, and wait in the lobby of the Fine Arts building, where my final was. My driver isn’t here yet, and I’m getting a little worried that something happened, but I also finished my final twenty-five minutes earlier than expected. So, he’s really not even late yet. I’m just on edge.
“Leticia.” My name is said from behind me.
I know that voice.I turn around and see Royal standing there with a coffee carrier and a bouquet of flowers. “Royal?”
He’s taller than I expected. Under his jacket, he’s wearing a teal shirt that highlights his eyes. The jacket he’s wearing isn’t all that thick, but it looks warm. The dark wash denim of his jeans is wrapped around his thighs, but I draw my eyes back up his body.
“Surprise?” He offers the bouquet out toward me. “I’m sure it’s not customary to give someone flowers after taking a final exam because no one ever brought me flowers after a final. But I figured it’s pretty much standard if you stand somebody up.”
I cross the ten feet between us as quickly as I can, bypassing the flowers and drink carrier, and wrap my arms around him. I draw in a deep breath to exhale a sigh, but I get caught up in the scent of warm chocolate and something else I can’t quite put a finger on.
But a second into the hug, I realize what I’ve done and backpedal or... try to... Royal holds me to him, wrapping his arm with the bouquet around me.
“I’m sorry. I missed you. I’m alive. I would never intentionally stand you up,” he says softly and mostly to the top of my head.
When I push against him a little harder, he lets me go, and I step back. Suspiciously, I eye him. “What are you doing here? I thought you didn’t cross the territory lines like that?”
“We’re in a truce, territory lines are just guidelines for business. We’re able to move freely through them now.” He shrugs and gives an almost carefree smile. “I was wondering if you wanted to come out to our territory, get lunch, and see the countryside?”
“That sounds like something right out of a regency romance.” I laugh and shake my head. “And it’s crazy, there is no way my family will just let me go galivanting around the countryside.”
“I mean, they did say you could come for Christmas, so think of it as a pre-Christmas luncheon.” He offers the drink carrier out to me, where two cups are nestled. “I even brought peppermint hot cocoa for the occasion.”
It should be a harder decision. I should be angrier with him. Shouldn’t it? Shouldn’t I?
But the way he’s smiling, the way he showed up, with flowers of all things. I may not be dating Royal, and nothing could even come of this, but it’s all swoon worthy, and I’d be a fool not to embrace it. At least for a little bit.
“Alright, I’ll see if I can get it past my security.” Guilt tingles in my stomach all the way through to my spine. If Dad told my security about how I’m supposed to be spying on the Cavanaghs, then they’ll absolutely allow it.
I try to push it aside and act normal, pulling the cocoas off the tray one at a time. Royal strides over to the trash to dispose of the carrier before coming back to collect a cup from me. In exchange, I take the flowers. They’re a beautiful mix of roses, lilies, pine boughs, and berry sprigs.
Royal leads the way over to a bench where we can watch the doors and the driving lane for my security to arrive.
“So, are we going to talk about why you just ghosted me?” I take a sip of my cocoa, giving him time to answer my question.
“We are, but not here. Thus, the lunch.” Royal’s stiff and rigid. Nothing like his easygoing nature over the phone.
“Ahhh. Well, if it’s the usual, ‘It’s not a woman’s place to know’ speech, you can just give it to me here. I’ve heard it enough times.” I slump a little bit, feeling defeated but also relieved that there will be nothing to report back to Dad.
Royal looks at me and shakes his head. “If I was going to tell you that you didn’t need to know, then this meeting would have been a text message. I’m very efficient.”
