“Of course.” It was part of her job. The box waited for her on the counter. This particular yarn came from the States. Rachel had found the dyers online and loved their work. She’d just reached an agreement to carry some of it on consignment. “Is this the stuff from Kenzie’s Kreations?” she hollered. “Or Show Me Yarn?”
“Both actually. It turns out they know each other and asked if they could ship together whenever possible.”
She unpacked the different skeins and arranged them in the cubes set aside for these two vendors. If they sold well, and Anabelle was sure Rachel was right about them, they’d order more and expand their selection. Several of their other consignees hadn’t been quite the same quality the last few months, and she expected Rachel to drop them if it didn’t change soon.
As she finished organizing it, Anabelle glanced at the clock. “I’m opening the door.”
“Okay. I’m doing stupid accounting. Holler if you need me.” Rachel hated numbers, but couldn’t quite afford to pay someone to do all of it for her just yet. Her brother, an accountant, helped, but since he worked for free, Rachel did as much as she could.
Anabelle turned the lock and flipped the sign to “open,” smiling as she saw a woman walking up. She held the door wide. “Good morning, Mrs. T.” The Icelandic woman had a last name Anabelle had never been able to master.
“Good morning, dear.” She had lived in Eyjania most of her life, but still retained a moderate accent. “How are you this morning?”
“I’m fantastic. What can I help you find today? Surely you didn’t finish everything you bought last week.”
“No, but I did find out my grandson’s wife is having a girl. I must get started on a blanket.”
Anabelle smiled with her. “How wonderful!” Rachel’s brother was married to the only girl out of Mrs. Thorbjørnsdóttir’s fifteen or so descendants. A great-granddaughter would thrill them all. “We just got some wonderful yarn in from the States. The colors are gorgeous and may be just what you’re looking for.”
Mrs. Thorbjørnsdóttir stayed for half an hour, but mostly just to talk. Anabelle told her the same thing she always did. Bring her yarn with her next time and sit in one of the chairs to the side. Rachel had put them there for that very reason.
Every time, the elderly woman said she would consider it, but she never did. Another customer entered as Mrs. Thorbjørnsdóttir left and so the rest of the day went.
By the time her shift ended, Anabelle was more than ready for a hug from Gracie, a long shower, and dinner with the man who’d spent far too much time occupying her thoughts.
3
Kensington waited for the door to open. He shouldn’t be this nervous. He was a prince, for crying out loud. He spoke in front of thousands on a regular basis, was on a first name basis with multiple Heads of State, spoke four languages fluently, and understood several others.
But a first date with a beautiful brunette and an adorable toddler?
That left him tongue tied and unsure of himself.
The door opened. Anabelle smiled at him, though she seemed tired. “Hi. Come on in. Gracie doesn’t want to put her shoes on.”
That made him smile. “Maybe she’ll let me help her.”
“It’s worth a shot.” Anabelle closed the door behind him. “Nothing else is working.”
“Kenny!” Gracie ran to him, one sock on and one in her hand.
He swung her into his arms. “Hi, Gracie.” She wrapped her arms around his neck.
“I miss you.”
That made him chuckle. “I missed you, too, sweet girl. Do you want to go eat pizza?” She’d loved it at the mall, but he probably should have checked with Anabelle before suggesting it.
“Yes!”
“Then you need to put your shoes on.” He sat on the sofa. “I bet you can do it yourself.”
She nodded, very serious. “My can.” After scrambling down from his knee, she ran toward the back of the apartment.
“Thanks.” Anabelle leaned against the wall, her arms crossed loosely across her chest as she smiled at him. “I even told her you were coming, but it didn’t matter.”
“Nothing does when a toddler wants their way. Or at least that’s my experience with my niece and her mom.”
Anabelle moved to the chair near his seat. “I’m not even her mother.”
“No,” Kensington answered slowly. “But you are her primary caregiver. Have you thought about adopting her? I know it doesn’t actually make you her mother, but it could give a certain weight to your relationship.”
She shook her head. “No. Maybe someday, but not right now. There are other reasons why I can’t for the time being.”
When she didn’t elaborate, he didn’t push. Maybe she’d trust him someday, until then he wouldn’t ask.
Gracie ran back out, wearing one snow boot on the wrong foot and a sandal on the other. At least that one was on the right side.
Anabelle sighed. “Gracie, you need to wear your black boots, sweetie.”
Gracie glared at Anabelle then huffed back to her room.
“That girl...” She shook her head. “I love her, but sometimes...”
“I think that’s a toddler’s job. Frustrate you to the point you’re ready to scream then give you a big hug and an ‘I love you’ that melts your heart.”
“Sounds about right.”
A minute later, Gracie clomped down the hall with one boot on. She held a sock and her other boot in her hands. “He’p, p’ease?” she asked Kensington.
He picked her up and set her on his lap. “Of course.”
In a minute, she was all set, and Anabelle helped Gracie with her coat. When they reached the street, Kensington held the door to the back seat for Anabelle to buckle Gracie into the car seat he’d made sure was installed properly.
He closed the door when she finished, inadvertently trapping Anabelle between himself and the car.
“Thank you,” she whispered, her hand resting on his shirt.
“For what?”
“Thinking of a car seat for her. Most men wouldn’t have invited her, much less made sure she was safe.”
He wanted to kiss her. “Then most men are stupid.” Why couldn’t he? Just because it wasn’t the end of the night?
Without debating it any longer, he lowered his head until he could brush his lips against hers.
Something about the electricity that crackled between them seemed right on a level he’d never experienced before.
“Then most men are stupid. I’m glad you’re not.”
“Me, too.” He kissed her again then stepped back so he could open the passenger door for her. “You ready to get dinner?”
Rob had nearly thrown a fit about Kensington driving himself through Akushla with Anabelle and Gracie, but Kensington refused to use a driver. This was a date.
He hadn’t always felt that way. In fact, he’d been more than willing to use his royal status and the perks that came with it to attract girls in high school and even the first year or two of university.
But the realization, again, that his last girlfriend was only attracted to him because of his last name, meant he wanted to keep that information to himself as long as possible. He liked Anabelle more than he’d liked any girl in the past, and he didn’t want to find out she was the same way. If things didn’t seem to be heading somewhere, he wouldn’t tell her. Simple as that. If she seemed to like him without knowing he was third in line for the San Majorian throne, then maybe it would be time to tell her.
And tell her that he wouldn’t be able to move permanently for a number of years.
The restaurant catered to families and so wasn’t very busy on a Wednesday evening. The waiter took their order, made Gracie a balloon hat, and came back a minute later with their drinks.
Gracie colored on the brown paper table covering, jabbering about her day at school. She didn’t like one girl but did another. Kensington took her offered crayon and began to draw an island, trying to get all t
hree of them involved in something resembling a conversation.
After eating their pizza, they took Gracie to the indoor play area and let her run around.
Kensington and Anabelle sat on a bench where they could keep an eye on Gracie. He slid his arm along the back, but didn’t actually wrap it around her. His thumb brushed against her upper arm from time to time as they talked about everything - and nothing.
Strange emotions swirled inside. He’d had girlfriends, several over the years, but never anything like this.
It was the rush of new, the pit of the stomach flipping over, the breathless anticipation of what comes next.
And when she looked up at him with a twinkle in those hazel eyes, he knew.
He was falling in love.
“I want details,” Rachel yelled from the office as Anabelle walked in the back door.
“There’s not much to tell.” Not entirely accurate, but Anabelle wasn’t ready to tell even her best friend yet. Not until she had a better idea where this was going, if anywhere.
“At least tell me it was better than that Phil guy.” Rachel rolled her chair into the hallway.
“Anyone would be better than him.” She’d gone on one date since her parents died. Phil seemed like a nice guy but could barely be bothered to look at Gracie and seemed more interested in finding out the details of Anabelle’s trust fund than getting to know anything about her.
He’d called several more times, but finally got the hint when Anabelle washed her hair five days in a row.
“You took Gracie with you?”
Anabelle couldn’t hide her smile as she tied her apron on. “It was his idea. He even had a car seat in his car so I didn’t have to insist we take mine.”
“Impressive.”
“Gracie ran around the play area for over an hour. She slept well last night.” Superficial information would hopefully keep Rachel satisfied.
“That’s not what I really want to know.” Or maybe not. “Did he kiss you?”
Anabelle brushed past her friend, knowing her face was turning eighteen shades of red.
“He did!”
Yes. He’d kissed her after she’d put a sleeping Gracie to bed. Intense and overwhelming, it sent her into an emotional tidal wave she wasn’t sure how to cope with.
“I’m not ready to talk about it, Rach.” She leaned against the wall, facing the front of the store rather than Rachel. “Not after what my grandfather did.”
“Your grandfather has nothing to do with this,” Rachel reminded her. “He can’t keep you from making a future with any man you want.”
“But he can try. You and I both know he will. At least I know Kenny has money. That would help some. Grandfather is just that shallow.” She dropped her chin to her chest. “I keep waiting for him to use his connections to try to set me up with Prince Darius.”
“He’s a little young for you.”
“Like Grandfather would care.”
She could hear Rachel moving toward her. “Why not shoot for the stars and at least think he’d try to set you up with the king?”
Anabelle snorted. “I feel sorry for whoever ends up in that spider web. King Benjamin has the personality of a rock.”
Rachel wrapped an arm around “You never know. He might not be that bad.”
“He’s that bad, and you know it.”
“Probably, but your Grandfather wouldn’t go there anyway. Prince Isaiah probably has some princess from another country all picked out already. I bet he wanted Benji to marry Princess Astrid.”
“She’s already a Crown Princess. That would never work.”
“Unless Isaiah is trying to annex San Majoria. I wouldn’t put it past the guy. He’s slimy.”
Everyone knew that. No one knew why the king and Queen Mother put up with Prince Isaiah. “You shouldn’t call him Benji,” Anabelle pointed out. “You wouldn’t call Queen Elizabeth ‘Liz’, and even if you’re not crazy about him, the position he holds deserves your respect.”
“It irritates me that he’s probably the only real monarch I’ll ever have. Why couldn’t we have someone classy like Queen Elizabeth, or I’d even take King Alfred I over him.”
“King Alfred was an actual honest-to-goodness knight who did the honorable thing against great opposition.” Anabelle headed for the door where Mrs. T was waiting. “I don’t think any modern king is quite the same.”
“Probably not. I just hope they actually display his dagger next year for the millennial.” Rachel turned around. “I’m headed back to work.”
Anabelle unlocked the door and let Mrs. T in. “Good morning. Surely you’re not done with that yarn yet.”
“Oh, no, dear. But another grandson’s wife told us yesterday she’s expecting a baby as well. There’s been some complications. They said the baby is fine, but they had some testing done already and know she’s having a boy.”
“So you need some blue.”
“Perhaps. Maybe some green instead. There was a lovely green in the basket you showed me yesterday.”
Anabelle knew exactly the one she was talking about. “Right this way.” Rachel had rearranged some during the evening shift the night before.
While Mrs. T weighed her decision, the bell over the door jangled. Anabelle turned to see a young woman walk in.
“Good morning,” she called. “I’ll be with you in a moment.”
“Take your time.”
Anabelle turned her attention back to Mrs. T, but kept an eye on the other woman as she wandered around the store. She didn’t seem to be looking for anything in particular, just picking up this skein or that pattern and putting it back.
“I think this will be all, dear.” Mrs. T set her choices down on the counter. “Thank you again for your time.”
“It is truly my pleasure, ma’am.” Anabelle gave her most genuine smile.
“How many times have I told you not to call me that. I’m Mrs. T or even Amma like everyone else does.”
“But you aren’t my grandmother,” she gently reminded Mrs. T. She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “I never knew my mother’s family. I do like to think my gran would have been much like you.”
Mrs. T’s wistful smile tugged at Anabelle’s heartstrings. “And if I had another granddaughter, I would want her to be just like you.”
“And if none of your family lived nearby, I would be happy to fill that role.” Anabelle patted the wrinkled hand gently. “But I happen to know you have two dozen people over for lunch every Sunday, and you’re related to every one of them. The last thing I would want to do is make them feel like I was trying to usurp their spot in your life. I’ll settle for being your favorite yarn lady.”
Tears shimmered in Mrs. T’s eyes. “Ah, my dear, you will always be more than just my favorite yarn lady.”
4
Kensington looked around the street and didn’t see Esther. Where could she have gone? He walked down the sidewalk, peering in stores. Until he found what he was looking for.
The bell jangled as he walked in. Cubes filled with yarn covered one wall. A cozy sitting area on one side was home to a table filled with tea bags and a variety of cups on saucers. Another wall held assorted accessories. Kensington thought they were knitting needles, and crochet hooks, and other things he didn’t know what he’d do with.
“Kenny?”
He turned to see Anabelle coming out of the hallway. “Hey! I didn’t know you worked at a yarn store.”
“Yep. It’s owned by my best friend. I work here a few days a week to help her out.”
“I don’t actually need you, you know.” A blonde woman walked into the front.
“Sure you do.”
“Because I love having you around. I could do most of this by myself or with someone more part time than you are.” The woman held out a hand. “I’m Rachel. You must be Kenny.”
He grinned. “I must be. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Rachel glanced at Anabelle. “I wish I could say I’d hear
d all about you, but someone is being incredibly tight lipped about your date last night.”
“You had a date last night, Kenny?” The person he’d been looking for chimed in.
“Ladies, this is my sister, Esther. Esther, this is Anabelle and Rachel.”
Anabelle took a step around him and held out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Esther covered her shock well, shaking Anabelle’s hand. “Likewise.” She shot Kensington a look that asked why his friend wasn’t addressing her the way most people did. Your Royal Highness. Princess. A bit of a curtsy.
Kensington gave a slight shake of his head. She’d understand. They all did. Sometimes it was nice being anonymous.
They chatted about yarn. Esther had somehow learned to crochet and knit but hadn’t in a while. She wanted to make a baby blanket for a friend. Kensington suspected it was for Astrid’s baby, but didn’t ask.
She eventually decided on blues and greens that matched the ocean back home. Something still seemed off about her, but Kensington hadn’t been able to put his finger on what it was, and Esther wasn’t talking.
His sister finished shopping and went with Rachel to the counter to pay. Kensington took a step closer to Anabelle. “How did Gracie sleep last night?”
“Like a log. She’s usually awake before me, but not this morning. I need to find a way to let her run off her energy more often.”
“It’ll be warm enough to play outside before long.”
“She will love that, and so will I if it means she’ll sleep longer on a regular basis.”
“I’m leaving now, darling.”
Kensington and Anabelle both turned. How had he not noticed the elderly woman before?
Anabelle gave the woman a hug. “Have a wonderful day, Mrs. T. Pass along my congratulations to your grandchildren, okay?”
“Of course. I’ll be back soon.”
“I’ll be looking forward to it. I want to see the hats you knit for your daughters-in-law. You never did show me.’
Mrs. T hesitated. “I will bring pictures. I already gave them their hats.”
Anabelle put her arm around Mrs. T as they walked to the door. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen any of your work. Sometimes you bring pictures, but you’ve never brought it in.”
Crowns & Courtships Compilation Volume 1 Page 28