by Emma Lea
Chapter 26
Lucas
“No,” I said.
The room went quiet. I hadn’t yelled or raged or anything of the sort, I simply said no and it was enough of a shock to everyone that it shut them all up.
Effie smirked. “No?”
“No,” I repeated, and then sighed. “The distillery and the compound have sat abandoned for twelve years. If I hadn’t gone back there, they would have continued to sit there abandoned.”
“But—”
“No,” I said yet again. Who knew it was this easy—or fun—to say no to people? Not that my anxiety wasn’t rioting through my body. It was, I was just ignoring it for now.
Effie huffed, but she was smiling too and that was something I didn’t get to see very often.
“The compound has been in the family for generations and the distillery is company property,” Father said. “You can’t expect me to just give them up.”
I sat forward in my chair and directed my gaze at him. He looked old, older than I’d ever noticed before.
“Here’s the thing, Father. You already gave them up. The moment you fled the country and left them to their fate—and I’m not just talking about the buildings, but the staff as well—the moment you did that, you gave up all rights to them. Besides, where the compound is concerned, that is actually the property of the crown and has always been so. The crown gifted it to the markissios—the title, not the man. Whoever holds the title, gets the estate.”
“This is an outrage—”
“Stop, Father,” Effie said, barely even looking at him. No, she was looking at me and there was something in her eyes I’d never seen before. Respect. “I knew going to Kalopsia would be good for you,” she said. “You’ve changed, Lucas. And I like it. A lot.”
“Euphemia,” Mother said, “don’t encourage him. He can’t just take it all away from us.”
Effie sighed. “He’s not taking anything away from us. Lucas is right. We abandoned everything back in Kalopsia and before he received the summons from the king, neither one of you had given Kalopsia another thought. We had no plans to go back there, and the company had no plans of resurrecting the distillery. Besides, Andino Raïda does not need another production plant and we don’t have the time or the resources to waste trying to rebuild the old one.”
“So you’re just going to give it to him?” Father yelled.
“I’m not giving him anything. Lucas earned this. He claimed it for himself and he is including us in this new venture. We have the international distribution rights and that’s all we need. We are getting the benefits of the new business with none of the cost outlay. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a good business decision.”
I smiled at Effie and mouthed ‘thank you’ while our father continued to complain and bluster. She winked in return. The two of us had already met and discussed all of this prior to informing Mother and Father. I was just going to let her handle breaking the news, but she insisted I be there and I’m glad I was. This was a cathartic experience for me and a way to test my new and improved self in one of the most stressful situations I could find. Look at me, facing my fears and standing my ground! Frankie wouldn’t believe it even if she was witnessing it in person.
Ugh. Frankie. I’d determined not to think about her today—or at all—but I couldn’t help it. She was always there in the back of my mind. I glanced at the screen of my phone, but there was no notification, just as there hadn’t been all day. In my heart of hearts I didn’t believe she would call me, but there was always hope…at least until I left tomorrow. Once I flew out of Boston, I knew there was no hope left of Frankie ever being mine. It was tempting to prolong my time here, but I couldn’t. I had a lot of people waiting for me back home—
Home.
When had that happened? When had Kalopsia suddenly become home?
I thought about the island and the village and all the people I’d met and the friends I’d made. It felt more like home than Boston ever had. I’d already started renovations on the compound and as soon as they were finished I would move out of the palace and into the estate. I’d hoped to bring Frankie with me, but with or without her, my future was on Kalopsia and I was looking forward to it.
“Lucas are you even listening to me?” my father asked with a growl.
“Actually, no,” I said, pushing up from the conference table. “There is nothing for you to say. The compound is entailed to the person holding the title—which is now me—and Effie has already signed the distillery over to the co-op. There is nothing you can say to change any of it and I refuse to be cowed by you and Mother for a moment longer. This is happening and there’s nothing you can do to change it. Now, if you don’t mind, I need to pack. I have an early flight in the morning.”
I walked out of the conference room without looking back. I was getting good at that. I shook my hands out to rid myself of the excess adrenaline that buzzed through my body. That had gone surprisingly well. Now I just needed Frankie and my life would be complete.
It was a long flight home, and I hadn’t heard from Frankie. That meant it was over, I supposed, even if my stubborn heart still clung to the hope of a Hail Mary pass.
Frankie and I had been together for so long and through so much that I didn’t have a single adult memory that didn’t have her in it. Our lives and been entwined for years and I had no desire to unravel them. If I had my way, I would have kept her in my life, but that was now in the hands of Frankie. I needed to let her go…wasn’t there an old saying about that?
Ugh, I’d become a cliché.
I’d let the memories of us run through my head like an old movie reel for the entire flight and my heart ached. I missed my friend. I missed my person—the one person who just seems to get me. I knew I was awkward and weird and shy, but none of that bothered Frankie. She’d liked me just as I was and there was something liberating about being around someone who saw through all the mess to the person I was beneath.
I owed Frankie a lot. I owed her so much I didn’t think I could ever repay her, even if I spent the rest of my life trying. And I would, I would absolutely spend the rest of my life trying to show her how much her friendship meant to me if only she’d give me a chance.
But I’d messed everything up. Now we would live out the rest of our lives in two different countries and I probably wouldn’t ever see her again. I doubted she would take Jamie’s offer of a job, not if she knew I would still be around. Frankie may have been the bold and brash one of our relationship, but she was also an avoider. She avoided things that cut too close to the bone. That loud and spontaneous persona was just a tactic she used in her avoidance arsenal. I knew this about her and I knew she would avoid me like the plague for the rest of our lives.
One day I would be able to breathe again. One day it wouldn’t hurt so much. One day I would wake up and my first thought wouldn’t be of her. It wouldn’t be any time soon, but one day the hurt would fade to a dull ache rather than the sharp stabbing pain that currently afflicted my chest.
“We’ll be landing soon,” the flight attendant said bringing me out of my reverie. “Is there anything I can get you?”
I shook my head. “No, thank you.”
She nodded once and then walked to the back of the plane. I huffed out a rough sigh and leaned back in the seat. Once I had my feet back on Kalopsian soil, I would attempt to push Frankie from my mind. I couldn’t continue to walk around like a zombie. I had a lot of work to do and people were counting on me. The king was counting on me. Getting lost in my work would be good, it would distract me from the absence of Frankie in my life.
The plane landed, and I was ushered to the helicopter. I didn’t take any notice of the cerulean water beneath us as we flew across the Aegean Sea to Kalopsia. Even that reminded me of Frankie. The way she’d been so enamored with the color of the water the first time we choppered across it.
It didn’t matter where I went; Boston or Kalopsia, the palace or the compound or the disti
llery, there were memories of Frankie everywhere. Her fingerprints were all over my life and on every aspect of my life and I knew her ghost would be my constant companion for a while yet.
We touched down on the helipad and I crossed to the waiting car. Deacon opened the door and nodded at me. I smiled in return. I wondered if Deacon was disappointed Frankie hadn’t made the trip back with me. I knew the two of them had become friends as he’d chauffeured her around for her research. His face gave nothing away, and I slid into the car and rubbed my chest. If I thought coming back here would make it easier to get over Frankie, then I was wrong.
I didn’t take any notice of the scenery as we wound our way up to the palace. I would see the beauty again, one day, when everything stopped being so gray and lifeless.
My door opened, startling me out of the fugue I’d fallen into. I slid out of the car and thanked Deacon before turning toward the stairs. I took them slowly, the jet lag catching up with me—well, the jet lag and probably the after effects of standing up to my parents. Being brave took a lot of energy, besides which, I hadn’t been sleeping very well since Frankie left. I felt like I could sleep for a week now, if given the chance.
The door opened before I got to it and I looked up. It wasn’t the regular doorman who opened the door.
“Frankie?” I asked stupidly, not quite sure I wasn’t hallucinating.
“Hey Lucas,” she said with a grin.
My eyes ate her up greedily. I wanted to pull her into my arms and kiss her, but I knew I couldn’t. Not yet, maybe not ever, but she was here, and that had to mean something…right?
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“I came here for you,” she said before throwing herself into my arms and sealing her lips over mine.
I held her tight and kissed her back and couldn’t quite believe this was happening.
Francesca
I went to Kalopsia.
I wanted to get there before Lucas did and surprise him. He came all the way to Boston and faced his fears for me, so I wanted to make sure he knew I was serious. I thought it only fair that I meet him in Kalopsia to prove that I was all in.
“What are you doing here?”
“I came here for you,” I replied before throwing myself into his arms and kissing him like I’d been dreaming about for weeks…possibly years.
He didn’t shove me away—that was a good sign—but wrapped me in his arms and kissed me back.
“I don’t understand,” he said when he lifted his head. His glasses were slightly askew, and they were a little fogged up from our kiss.
“You were right,” I replied.
“And as much as I enjoy hearing those words coming out of your mouth, you’re going to have to elaborate a little bit for me.”
I grinned at him.
“I am in love with you, Lucas, but I was scared. You were right about that. You are the best thing in my life and I was scared you would get sick of me and I couldn’t conceive of a world where you weren’t in my life, so I tried to deny my feelings. I thought if I kept you in my life as my friend, then at least I would have you in my life, but then I realized how stupid I was being. Having you as a friend and never having all of you was a false economy. So I left, because I couldn’t bear to see you happy without me.”
He frowned at me.
“Oh, I know how selfish that makes me, and my mom was not backward in telling me just how idiotic she thought I was.”
“And now? What changed?”
I shrugged. “I did, I suppose. I realized what an idiot I was being. I was in love with you and you were telling me you were in love with me and yet my brain kept telling me it couldn’t possibly be true. But the moment I gave myself permission to believe you, I realized there was no question about where I needed to be and that’s here, with you, if you still want me.”
I knew there was every chance Lucas would turn me away. I’d been so hot and cold with him and I’d turned him down multiple times. He had every right to say he’d had enough of the games and to send me packing.
I held my breath as he continued to look at me. We were still standing on the front portico of the palace and I didn’t doubt we had an audience, but I didn’t care.
Lucas lifted a hand to tuck a curl behind my ear and his hand lingered on the soft skin of my neck as his thumb caressed the apple of my cheek. His eyes were soft and so dark I felt like I was falling into them.
“I will always want you, Frankie,” he said and then pulled me back into his arms and buried his face in my hair as he held me. “You have no idea how happy this makes me.”
“It’s about time,” a voice said and we broke apart, embarrassed.
“Your highness,” Lucas said as he bowed to Meredith.
She waved his formality away. “It’s okay, Lord Lucas, you can dispense with the formalities. You are now back in my good graces.”
“Does that mean there’ll be no more torture?” Lucas asked.
Meredith grinned. “There may be a little bit of torture,” she replied.
“Should we perhaps take this inside now?” Dorian asked. “The neighbors are staring.”
We all looked around, but of course there were no neighbors. The palace sat on top of the hill, surrounded by expansive grounds and high walls.
“Are all these public displays of affection embarrassing you?” I asked, and Dorian rolled his eyes at me.
“Of course not, but you are now a part of the royal court and protocols must be remembered.”
I shook my head as Meredith rolled her eyes.
“Come on,” she said. “Everyone else is inside and there is food.”
“I’m starving,” Lucas said. “I feel like I haven’t eaten in a month.”
“Me too,” I replied, “which is probably because I’ve barely eaten in a month.” I turned to look up at Lucas. “I really missed you.”
“I missed you too,” he said, his smile soft.
I popped up onto my toes and kissed him once more. Now that I could do it whenever I wanted, I wanted to do it all the time.
He took my hand and wove our fingers together and we followed the others into the palace. We would talk more, I knew that, and I would have to go back to Boston and finish my Ph.D., but for now I was here and he was here and we were together and that was enough.
“I love you, Lucas,” I said as we stepped into the cool foyer.
He stopped and tugged me into his chest again. “I love you too, Francesca Davenport.”
I didn’t think my name sounded so awful when he said it, and then he kissed me and I stopped thinking altogether. I could barely believe this was my life now. I had my best friend in my life and I could kiss him whenever I wanted to.
Epilogue
Francesca
I smoothed my hand over the dress I wore and took a deep breath. This was it. This was the moment. I was finally graduating.
It had been a hard slog, but I was done and my dissertation was finished—orally defended, praised, submitted, and approved. Not to mention I even had a job to go to. Few graduates could say they were walking out of university and right into a high-level job. But I could. And it wasn’t just a job, it was an entirely new life in an entirely new country…okay; it wasn’t an entirely new country. I’d been there before, spent some of the best—and worst—weeks of my life there, and I couldn’t wait to go back.
“Are you ready to go?” Mom asked, looking over my shoulder to the reflection in the mirror.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I replied.
I turned and hugged my mother. She squeezed me tight and I may or may not have teared up just a little.
“Come on, Dad wants to take photos and Lucas is downstairs too.”
I followed Mom down the stairs and felt a little melancholy. In a few days I would move out and not just move out of the house but move to a new country and that was a little scary. I’d grown up in this house and I loved every inch of it. But I also loved Kalopsia, and I couldn’t
wait to start my new life over there.
Dad sniffed as I came into view and I went to hug him first. I breathed in the familiar and comforting scent of my dad and tried to imprint it on my memory. Yes, I would see them again, but this was a significant and poignant moment and I wanted to remember it.
Next I hugged Lucas, and it was a different feeling altogether. Lucas was my past, but he was also my future and there was an anticipation zinging through both of us. He’d already made the move to Kalopsia permanent and now it was my turn, or at least it would be once we got through the graduation ceremony and the after party.
Of course there was an after party and of course I was going…we were going. I convinced Lucas to come too, even if he hadn’t gone to his own graduation after party.
“Photo time!” Dad said.
Dad took a photo of me by myself and then one with Lucas before handing over the camera to Lucas who took a couple of me with my mom and dad.
“Okay, selfie time!” I cried, holding up my phone.
We all gathered together, and I snapped the photo and then immediately set it as my phone wallpaper.
“Ugh, I’m nervous. I shouldn’t be nervous, should I?” I asked Lucas as we left the house and climbed into the limo Lucas had hired for all of us.
“You’ve got nothing to be nervous about,” he said, pressing a soft kiss on my cheek. “But there is champagne in the limo if you need a little something to calm your nerves.”
I laughed and climbed into the back of the car, sitting in between Mom and Dad. Lucas poured us all a glass of champagne and then held it up for a toast.
“To Frankie and to the amazing future she has in front of her.”
“To Frankie,” Mom and Dad repeated, and we all clinked glasses.
“You only said that because my future is with you,” I said to Lucas with a wink.
He grinned. “Yes, yes, I did.”