Slowly setting down my fork, I picked up my coffee and took a small sip. “I’ve always preferred the countryside.”
Jesse’s reaction was so subtle, I almost missed it, but he made a face. It was barely there before he hid it behind his cup, but I’d absolutely seen it. The grimace. Perhaps even a flinch.
My eyes narrowed a tiny bit. “Indigestion?”
He swallowed and set the mug down. “No, I’m fine.”
“You just made a face.”
“No, I didn’t.”
I arched my eyebrows at him. “You did, Jesse. What is it?”
“Nothing. I just was thinking.”
“Well, in that case, has anyone ever told you that your thinking face looks suspiciously like mild distress?”
He rubbed the side of his neck, then shrugged. “No, but don’t worry about it, okay? I’ll handle it.”
That wasn’t an answer, but he seemed oddly determined about it, so I let it go. For now.
Instead of pushing, I took another bite of pancakes, chewed, and swallowed, figuring we should discuss an easier topic. Onethat had been bugging me quite a bit since we’d boarded the plane.
“Do you have any idea what exactly I’m supposed to be doing while Iacclimate?”
He raised an eyebrow at me, quiet for a beat. “You say that like it’s a ridiculous concept.”
“Itisa ridiculous concept. We’re flying back to England in three weeks anyway.”
Three weeks. That was barely enough time to figure out which cupboard the plates lived in in his brother’s kitchen, and if we weren’t going to be staying there anyway, even that seemed like a total waste of time.
“Should I be studying something?” I asked. “Perhaps learning about the customs here in Chicago? Oh, will there be a test on deep dish pizza?”
Jesse smiled, a slow, warm smile that made my heart flutter. “No. There’s no test. It’s not a bad idea, though. Maybe I’ll run it past theWhat Should Distant Royals Do to Fit in Council.”
I giggled, the sound rather foreign even to my own ears, but it had bubbled out before I’d been able to stop it. “No test, then. Alright. So what is it I’m supposed to be doing?”
“Absolutely nothing.”
I blinked hard, the humor fading out of me fast. “Nothing?”
“As long as that’s okay with you.”
I stared at him, uncertain I understood. My entire life had been structured around lists, schedules, and agendas stacked so high they made my head spin. There was always something that needed to be done and now this man—this slightly mysterious, occasionally infuriating man—was sitting across from me, telling me my job was to donothing.
I leaned back slowly in my chair. “Well, that actually sounds pretty amazing.”
Jesse laughed softly, and for the first time since we’d left the castle, I felt all those knots of tension in my chest loosen. Nothing. That was what he expected from me, and honestly, I liked the sound of it. Just for now, just for a bit of a change, I actually liked it quite a lot.
CHAPTER 23
WILL
After breakfast, I dropped Eliza back at the house. As she climbed out of the car, I swiped my tongue across my lips. Now that we were back, my mind tried to remember things were going to have to be different between us.
“You’re sure you’ll be alright?” I asked, knowing Jesse would’ve just taken her at her word earlier that she would be just fine instead of asking again. “I can?—”
“I’ll be fine,” she said, looking at me like I’d just asked her if she knew how to breathe. “I ran a whole estate on my own for years.”
