“So you could make sure Gracie and I have reservations? I’m not asking for a discount, but a reservation.”
He grinned at her. “I’m sure something could be arranged.” He’d make certain they had a place to stay even if he had to subsidize it himself.
Anabelle leaned forward to whisper to him. “I don’t want to alarm you, but there’s a guy staring at you. Has been the whole time we’ve been here.”
He leaned closer to her. “Dark hair, blue suit, dark tie, perpetual frown?”
“Yeah.”
“My family insists we all need security with us. The odds of anything happening are slim, but sometimes, you have to go along with what your mum tells you, even as a grown-up.”
“Especially working for the family business.”
“Exactly.”
“So are they doing a background check on me yet?”
“Probably not.” He winked at her. “I don’t know your last name.”
She grinned at him, a smile he quickly found himself loving. “Then maybe I won’t tell you just yet. Not that there’s anything awful to find,” she quickly added.
“That’s good.”
“What about Gracie?” He could feel the twinkle in his own eyes. “Does she have something nefarious in her past?”
Anabelle hesitated longer than he would have expected. “Not really. She’s my little sister. Midlife adoption. Then our parents died in a car accident.” Anabelle smiled softly at her sister. “Now she’s my responsibility. I want to take her to the Games this year. My parents had been saving for years so we could all go, because it’s just not the same as going when it’s here. But...” She ducked her head for a minute. When she looked back up, her eyes glistened with unshed tears but were backed by steely determination. “They won’t be there, but we will.”
Kensington reached over and took her hand in his. “Then I’ll make sure you have a place to stay and tickets to any event you want to attend.”
“Any event we want? Even the ones that have been sold out for months already?” Anabelle couldn't hide her skepticism.
He chuckled, a sound that warmed her through. It wasn’t condescending or annoyed, just amused. “I have connections. I can get tickets to anything you want to attend, as long as you let me know. Promise.”
“I’ll need your contact information.” He’d probably give her a generic email, not his personal information, but as long as it worked, she didn’t care.
He pulled a card out of his wallet and wrote on the back of it. “The number on the front is my office. This is my personal number. Call or text anytime.”
She took the card and wondered at the lack of information on it. In fact, it just had one line and a phone number.
Kensington
Was that his last name? His office location? A random palace in Great Britain?
“Thanks.” Anabelle had never been so comfortable with someone she just met, but it was time to change the subject to something with far less potential for crying. “What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?”
“You won’t think I’m boring?” Kenny grimaced as he looked at her.
“Never.” He was far too interesting to be boring. He’d traveled as part of his work for his family. And he had a card with a single word and an office number on it.
“Vanilla.”
Okay. So he might have caught her off-guard with that. “Vanilla? Really?”
“Because you can make it into anything you want. Add whatever sauces you like. Sprinkles. Cherries. Syrup. Nuts. All those things. With something like Rocky Road, you’re mostly stuck with what’s in it.”
He had a point. “But you can put syrup and whipped cream on any of them.”
“Yes, but if you can only have one kind at home, vanilla is by far the most versatile.”
She conceded the point with a nod.
Kenny leaned forward then pointed at another vendor. “Want some now? My treat.”
Anabelle considered it, then nodded. She didn’t need the calories - her grandfather made sure she knew that - but it sounded good, and Gracie would love it. “That would be great.”
He asked what she and Gracie wanted then went to get it for them, but as he walked back, he glanced at his watch. Setting the tray down with one hand, he reached into his pocket with the other.
“Sorry. I’ve got to take this.” He pulled his phone out and swiped across it. “Hey.” Kenny walked a few feet away, and Anabelle couldn’t hear what he was saying.
A minute later, he returned and sat at the table, though his demeanor seemed different. “My sister,” he explained.
“How many siblings do you have?”
“Four. An older sister, two younger sisters, and a brother.” He took a bite of his ice cream. “Question for you, though. If Gracie is your sister, why did you say she was calling you auntie?”
Anabelle poked her spoon at her ice cream. “I took her with me somewhere a year or so ago. When I said she wasn’t my daughter, this new friend assumed she was my niece. It kind of stuck. It’s easier than explaining she’s my adopted sister.”
“Even if you don’t have any other siblings?”
She shrugged, not wanting to get into the particulars with a guy she barely knew, even if he did seem fantastic.
“So I know what kind of ice cream you picked out today, but what’s your favorite?”
He would scoff at her after her reaction to his choice, but truth won out. “Chocolate.”
Kenny grinned. “Vanilla may be my favorite, but that’s a close second.”
They continued talking, but something had changed. Anabelle didn’t know what to make of the shift in conversation.
“Is your sister okay?” Something his sister said had to be responsible.
Kenny shrugged. “She’s fine. She’s on her way here from San Majoria.”
“Is she bringing your niece?”
He shook his head. “Wrong sister. This is Esther, my youngest sister.”
“The baby of the family then.”
“My brother holds that position.”
She tried to put his family together in her head. “Your brother is youngest. Your older sister is married and has a little girl. Then you. Then two other sisters.”
“You got it.” He took a deep breath. “What about you? Gracie is your only sibling, but what about aunts and uncles?”
“No. My parents were both only children. My mother’s parents died before I was born. My father’s father is living. He controls the trust fund money Gracie and I use to live on.”
“Annie, my done.”
Anabelle turned her attention to Gracie and dug a wet wipe out of her bag. “Come here, Miss Gracie.” After wiping Gracie’s hands and face, Anabelle took her bags and ice cream and motioned for Kenny to join her. They walked to the play area nearby.
“I’m afraid I have to go. My sister waited until the last minute to let me know she was on her way. Her flight lands in a few minutes. I need to meet her at the airport.”
And there came the brush off. So much for those Games tickets. He talked a good game but... “It was nice to meet you. Thank you for lunch and the ice cream. Gracie and I appreciate it.”
He turned on what had to be his best smile. “Can I have your number? I’d love to take you to dinner sometime soon.”
“You don’t need to spend the time with your sister?”
“Not all of it. Some,” he admitted as he leaned down. “But I’d rather spend more time getting to know you.”
Anabelle felt her face color. “I’d like that.” She took his card out of her pocket and sent a text to the number on it. “There.”
“Perfect.”
They walked closer to the play area.
“I hope you have a great day.” Kenny hesitated, then caught her off-guard.
He kissed her.
A brief fleeting touch of his lips to hers.
Then he was gone.
2
“Thank you for picking me
up.” Esther didn’t look at him. “It wasn’t necessary.”
“You called out of nowhere. Of course I had to come pick you up. What’s going on?” Kensington stared at his little sister.
“Nothing.”
“I don’t buy that.”
“Well, it’s the only answer you’re going to get. Everything’s fine.”
He dropped it. She would tell him when she was ready. Maybe. He had a great relationship with Jacqueline Grace, but he’d never been as close to Esther. Astrid had always been something of a mystery - at least once her first husband came into her life. That seemed to be changing now that she had Jordan. His older sister was finally truly happy.
Jacqueline Grace seemed to be sort of floating through the moment. Harrison was finishing school and loved life. For the moment. As the youngest, very little of the family responsibility would ever fall on his shoulders.
But Esther... Something had seemed off with her for a while.
“So where were you today? You weren’t at the house.”
“I went to the mall to look for something for Mother.” He didn’t want to tell her about Anabelle or Gracie. His time with the two of them hadn’t been anything special, but that, in and of itself, made it all the more so. The two of them had no idea of his real identity, and Kensington found he liked the anonymity.
If he saw her again, and this turned into something more than just a few dates, he’d have to tell her the truth and hope it didn’t bother her that he’d withheld something so important from her.
Esther didn’t answer but stared out the window. Okay then. Whatever was bothering her went deeper than he would have guessed.
“What would you like to do for dinner?”
She turned from the window. “What?”
“Dinner. Would you like to go out? Eat in? Order take out and send Rob for it?”
“I don’t care. Take out is fine. Maybe there’s a good Italian restaurant around.”
“I’m sure Rob can find something.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket. The text from Anabelle made him smile. He needed to call her later. He sent a message to Rob who replied that he’d take care of it.
The rest of the ride passed in complete silence. The driver pulled through the gates of Aberswythe Hall, the family’s Eyjanian home. Once in the house, Esther disappeared upstairs, likely to the room she normally used while in the country.
He went to the office he and his siblings used when they were in town. Closing the door behind him, he sat behind the desk and called Astrid.
After a few pleasantries, he cut to the chase. “Do you know what’s going on with Esther?”
Astrid’s deep sigh came across the line. “No. No one does. Something happened last week, but she hasn’t opened up to any of us about it. I went to Papa to see if he knew anything, but he didn’t and wasn’t quite ready to invade her privacy by checking her phone or anything yet, but she didn’t meet with anyone as far as Papa knew.”
“Is she seeing anyone?”
“If she is, none of us know about it.”
Kensington pinched the bridge of his nose. “Okay. If you hear anything, let me know? I want to help, since we’re both here, but I can’t if she won’t talk to me, and no one else knows anything.”
“You’ll know when I do.”
“Thanks.” He leaned back and propped his feet up on the desk. “And you’re feeling better?”
“Some. The morning sickness isn’t quite as bad as it was with Sofia, and it’s better than it was a couple weeks ago. I think. Mostly.”
“I’m glad. I haven’t had a chance to talk to Jordan recently. How’s he doing with it?”
“He’s ecstatic. He’s more worried about Sofia not taking it well, but we haven’t told her yet.”
Kensington grinned at the thought of his niece as a big sister. “I think she’ll be as excited as both of you are. Have you decided when you’re going to make the public announcement?”
“Probably not for a few more weeks. Finish the first trimester, at least. As long as I don’t need to wear maternity clothes for a while yet, it should be all good.”
“Stay home a lot then. Otherwise, you’ll be on all the news sites asking ‘burrito or baby’.”
“I’ve been getting those since the week after I married Jordan. There may have been one before that, even, wondering if that’s why we were getting married, but I was too upset to notice.”
Kensington remembered barely seeing his sister during the three weeks between the announcement and the wedding. “I know, but Jordan is perfect for you. I think I’m going to spend some time at the ice rink while I’m here. Maybe I can give him a run for his money when I get back.”
Astrid laughed. “Good luck with that. He’s been skating since before he could walk. He’s on the fake ice downstairs almost every day with Sofia. He won’t let me out there right now, though. Says I don’t fall well enough yet. After the baby’s born, I’ll be back to learning. Sofia, apparently, is on the late end for that. The baby will probably be on skates before he or she is six months old.”
He chuckled. “So I won’t give him a run for his money. Maybe I can at least give him someone remotely competent to skate with.”
“His security team is learning.”
Of course they were. The security personnel were just that wonderful. After another minute of conversation, they hung up.
Kensington pulled his cell phone back out of his pocket. He stared at the text from Anabelle before deciding to take the bull by the horns. A couple of taps later and ringing started on the other end.
“Hello?”
His smile came back. “Anabelle? It’s Kenny. Can I take you out to dinner tomorrow night?”
“You are expected for dinner this evening.”
Anabelle closed her eyes and prayed for patience. “I have plans, Grandfather. Gracie and I both do.”
“And those plans are...?” He left the question hanging in the air.
“We have plans with a friend.” A friend she hoped would kiss her again, but he didn’t need to know that.
“They must be canceled. You will be having dinner here. Grace will not be required to attend.”
Lovely. He didn’t want to see his youngest granddaughter. She’d long suspected he didn’t really consider Gracie family because of her adoption. More implication it was true. “It would be quite rude for me to cancel at this late hour.” Meaning anytime the day of the engagement. Her grandfather had ground that into her mother after the wedding, and her mother, in turn, impressed it upon her. It simply wouldn’t do to leave someone in the lurch.
“Very well. Then lunch tomorrow.”
“I’ll be working. Gracie will be at school.” Her grandfather insisted Gracie attend the most prestigious preschool in Akushla. Anabelle had managed to limit it to three days a week while she worked.
There was a noise on the other end of the phone. “My assistant will call you and make arrangements this week. I have something very important to tell you.”
Before she could tell him not to hold his breath, he hung up. “Love you, too, Gramps.” Sarcasm she normally tried to keep hidden seeped out.
Gracie had been dropped off at preschool first thing that morning, but Anabelle didn’t have to go to work until nine. She finished getting ready, then walked to her car in the parking garage. The drive only took a few minutes. She parked behind the building and used her key to unlock the back door.
“Morning!” Rachel’s voice came from the office. “You’re late.”
“Thirty seconds,” Anabelle called back as she took her coat off. “You were probably later than that.”
She could hear the chair rolling across the tile floor. Rachel’s head poked out the office door. “Maybe. But I’m the owner.”
Anabelle tried to give her best friend the witty banter that usually characterized their morning’s together, but she just couldn’t.
“Talk to your grandfather this morning?” Rachel asked.
“He tried to insist I come for dinner this evening and when I said no, lunch tomorrow.” She pulled her gloves off and shoved them in the pocket of her coat where it hung on the hook. “But Gracie didn’t need to be there. Because of course she didn’t.”
“The guy’s a loser, Annie.” Rachel was the only one besides Gracie who got away with calling her that. “I know he’s your grandfather and you love him, but he is.”
“I know, but I have to keep him happy until I’m thirty.” Then she could get control of the small inheritance left behind. It wasn’t a lot, but enough that she wouldn’t have to work, and Gracie would be able to attend university without worrying about money.
“Or you get married,” Rachel pointed out. “He’s supposed to give it to you then.”
He wouldn’t if he thought he could get away with keeping it.
“Think you could find a guy anytime soon?”
Anabelle studied the wall above Rachel’s head, but knew her face was turning six shades of red.
Rachel gasped and jumped up, sending the chair careening into the wall behind her. “There already is one! Who?”
Anabelle reached for the apron hanging on the other wall. “His name is Kenny. He found Gracie when she wandered away yesterday. We had lunch. He asked me out. We’re having dinner tonight.”
“Do you need me to watch Gracie?” Rachel was practically vibrating with excitement. “She could even spend the night.”
“He wants her to come too. He’s already wrapped around her little finger. Claims he’s the favorite uncle to his niece, too. I believe him.”
Rachel calmed down a bit. “That’s fantastic, Annie. I hope it goes well.”
“I have no doubt it will. I think you’d like him.”
“Bring him by.”
Anabelle let out her first real laugh of the day. “I don’t think Rachel’s Raveling Repository is his kind of store.” She started for the front. “I don’t see him as the knitting type.”
“You never know.” Rachel went back to her office. “That shipment finally showed up this morning. Would you get it stocked before we open?”
Crowns & Courtships Compilation Volume 1 Page 27