“Mr. Landers, you picked an optimal time to visit Mirraccino,” the king said as their dinner dishes were cleared from the table.
How exactly did one make small talk with a king? Grayson swallowed hard. “Please call me Grayson.” When the man nodded, Grayson continued. “If you don’t mind me asking, why is this an optimal time?”
The king turned to Annabelle. “You didn’t tell him about the heritage festival?”
“It slipped my mind.” Color rushed to her cheeks. “I mean, there was so much going on this afternoon. I apologize. You are most definitely welcome to stay and partake in the festivities.”
“No apology is necessary.” Grayson could understand that the theft had shaken her up.
“Annabelle,” the king said, “you need to slow down. I think you’re becoming a workaholic.”
Feeling bad for Annabelle, Grayson intervened. “I’d love to hear more about this heritage festival.”
The king leaned back in his chair as the wait staff supplied them with coffee and a dessert plate of finger foods. “The heritage festival is an annual event. It’s held in Portolina, which is a small village within walking distance of the palace. The villagers get together—actually people from all over the nation make the pilgrimage to Portolina for the four-day celebration.”
Grayson took a sip of his coffee and then gently set it back on the fine china saucer which had tiny blue flowers around the edge. He didn’t think he’d ever used such delicate dishes. With his big hands, he was afraid of touching such fragile items. He had no doubt that they were antiques. And he didn’t even want to imagine their value. He might be wealthy, but there was a vast difference between his wealth and that of the king.
Grayson pulled his dessert plate closer. “I actually don’t know if I’ll be here that long.”
The king picked up a mini pecan tart. “You really don’t want to miss the event. Maybe you could extend your vacation. You would be my guest, here at the palace.”
“Thank you, sir. I...I’ll see if I can adjust my schedule.”
“Good. You’ll enjoy all of the activities.” The king acted as though Grayson had said yes. The king added some sugar to his coffee and stirred. “You are here to determine if the South Shore is appropriate for your business. I hope you found it as beautiful as we do.”
“I did, sir.” That was certainly not one of the reasons he was hesitant to put in one of his cafés. But he really didn’t want to get into the details with the king. “I’d like a chance to check into a few more locations before I commit my company. And as soon as this situation with Annabelle and the police is wrapped up—”
“Police?” The king sat up straight. A distinct frown marred his face as he turned to his niece. “Why is this the first I’m hearing of an incident with the police?”
Color flooded Annabelle’s face. “It’s not a big deal.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.” The king turned back to Grayson. “What exactly happened?”
“Uncle, I’ll explain.” Annabelle sent Grayson a warning look. “There’s no need to drag Grayson into this.”
“It appears he’s already a part of it. He at least knows what happened, which is more than I do.” The King turned back to him and gestured for Grayson to spill the details.
Grayson swallowed hard. “It really isn’t that big of a deal.”
“If it involves my niece, it’s a very big deal.”
Grayson glanced down at the small plate filled with sweets. He suddenly lost his appetite. He launched into the details of his first meeting with Annabelle. He tried to downplay the events, realizing how much the king worried about her. And Grayson knew what happened when a high-profile person didn’t heed safety protocols.
When Grayson finished reciting the events as best as he could recall them, the king gestured for the phone. He announced that he was going to speak with the police.
“Uncle, I have everything under control.”
The man sent her a pointed look. “It doesn’t sound like it. You don’t have your purse and you don’t know what’s going to happen to that thief.” He shook his head as he accepted the phone that had already been dialed for him. “What is this world coming to when you can’t even walk down the street without being accosted?”
“Uncle, it was nothing. I don’t know who is worse. You, or my father?”
“We just want you to be safe.” The king pressed the phone to his ear and began talking.
Grayson found the whole dynamic between these two quite interesting. They were comfortable enough with each other even though they were in opposition. Annabelle was noticeably seething under all of the fuss, but she restrained her emotions. And her uncle looked worried. These two obviously loved each other deeply.
The king didn’t say much during the phone conversation. It seemed as if he was getting a blow-by-blow explanation of the chain of events. Grayson glanced at Annabelle, who looked miserable. He was sorry that he’d opened his mouth. He had thought the king would have been informed. After all, Annabelle was his niece.
“There. That’s resolved,” the king said as he disconnected the call. “You and Grayson are to go to the police station tomorrow morning. They will be expecting you. Grayson needs to give his statement, as do you. As for your belongings, they should be able to give you your wallet but the rest is evidence.”
“I know,” Annabelle said.
The king’s eyes widened. “What do you mean, you know?”
“I’d already called and made arrangements to go to the station in the morning.”
For a moment her uncle didn’t say a word and neither did anyone else.
Finally, the king got to his feet. “Now, if you’ll excuse me. I am needed elsewhere.”
Grayson didn’t know whether to stand or remain seated. When Annabelle stood, he followed her lead. They didn’t sit back down until the king was out of sight. Once seated again, Grayson took a sip of coffee and waited until Annabelle was ready to speak.
“I’m sorry about that,” she said while staring at her coffee cup.
“It’s no big deal.”
“But you didn’t come here to witness some family drama.”
“It’s okay. I understand.” Grayson didn’t. Not really. His parents lived in rural Ohio and were so caught up in their own lives that they never gave him a second thought. He didn’t know what it was like to have your every move under a microscope. He imagined that it would be quite oppressive.
“No, you don’t,” Annabelle said wearily. “My life...it’s complicated.”
If he were smart, he’d get to his feet and head for his suite. They’d done enough sharing for one day, but he couldn’t turn his back on her. She obviously needed someone to lend her an ear.
He cleared his throat while searching for some words of comfort. “Everyone’s life is complicated. It’s how you get through it all that matters.”
She arched a fine brow. “Even yours?”
He nodded. “Even mine.”
“But you’re rich and you run your own company. You don’t have people telling you what to do and thinking they know better. You get to call all of the shots.”
Grayson laughed. “If that’s what you think, then you’ve got it all wrong. My name may be on the company letterhead, but I have a board and shareholders to answer to. A lot of those shareholders think they have all of the answers, even though they are far removed from our target clientele and know nothing about our product and its design.”
“Oh. I didn’t realize.” She paused as though letting this information sink in. “But you only have to deal with it as far as your business is concerned. At least, they aren’t involved in your personal life.”
Grayson rubbed the back of his neck. Now she was heading into exceedingly uncomfortable territory. Time for a change of
subjects. “Should we go to the police station together in the morning?”
“After what happened with my uncle, I didn’t think you’d want anything to do with me.”
“Seriously? That was nothing. Trust me, my father ruined more dinners than I could ever count. What your uncle did was just his way of showing that he cares about you and is worried about your safety.”
Her eyes widened with surprise. “You really believe that? Or are you just trying to make me feel better?”
He wasn’t going to feed her a line. Other people had done that to him and he knew it wasn’t helpful. “How about a little of both?”
A small smile pulled at her lips. “Thanks for being honest. I really appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome.”
She studied him for a moment, making him a little uncomfortable.
“Do I have something on my mouth?” When she shook her head, he asked, “My nose? My chin?” She continued to shake her head but a smile had started to lift her lips. “Then what is it?”
“You look tired. Is it jet lag?”
“Actually, it is. I can’t sleep on planes.” He always envied those people who could snooze after takeoff and wake up at landing.
Annabelle got to her feet. “Why don’t we call it an evening?”
“But the financials?”
“Can wait until tomorrow.” She started for the door and he followed.
It wasn’t until she paused outside his room that he realized she hadn’t answered his question. “About the police station—”
“Oh, yes. We can go together. Is first thing in the morning all right?”
“It’s fine with me. Just ignore the jet lag.”
Then hesitantly she asked, “Will it be a problem if my bodyguard accompanies us?”
“Not a problem at all.” A question came to his mind although he wasn’t sure if he should ask, but seeing as they were starting to open up to each other, he decided to go with it. “Are you always under protection?”
“Yes. Ever since my mother was murdered.”
“Murdered?”
Annabelle averted her gaze and nodded. It was obviously still painful for her. He couldn’t even imagine the pain she’d been living with.
Grayson cleared his throat. “I’m sorry.”
Her gaze finally met his. “Thank you.”
“Your father, he thinks the person is going to come after you? After all of this time?”
“I don’t know what he thinks. The official report says that she died during a mugging. My father doesn’t believe it, but he has no proof of anything to the contrary. And it isn’t just me that my father has a protective detail on. It’s my brother too. But Luca doesn’t let it bother him. He still keeps up with his globe-trotting, partying ways. Maybe that’s his way of dealing with everything. I don’t know. We’ve grown apart over the years.”
“I take it you don’t believe your father’s suspicions?”
“Quite honestly, today is the first time he’s shared this information with me. And I don’t know what to make of it.”
“So your brother doesn’t know?”
She shook her head. “I wouldn’t even know what to tell him.”
The look in her eyes told Grayson this was all very troubling for her. It was best to change the subject. “I always wanted a brother or sister, but fate had other ideas. And now looking back on things, I guess it was for the best. They were spared.”
“Your home life was that bad?” She pressed her lips together as though realizing she was being nosey. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”
“It’s okay. I started this conversation. As for my family, we saw things differently. My father grew up working with his hands, tilling the ground and planting seeds. I was never interested in that sort of life and it infuriated him. He thought I should do the same as he’d done and follow in the family tradition of farming.” Grayson shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Let’s just say those discussions became heated.”
“And your mother?”
“She always sided with my father. They were always so worried about what I should be doing with my life that they never stopped and asked what I wanted to do with it.”
“I’m sorry. That’s tough. But somehow you overcame it all and made yourself into a success.”
“Trust me. It wasn’t easy. And I wouldn’t want to do it again.”
“Do you still speak with your parents?”
“I haven’t seen them in years. When I walked out, my father told me that if I left I would never be welcome again. I guess he meant it because I’ve never heard from them.”
“That’s so sad.”
“The reason I told you that is because I don’t want to see the same thing happen with you and your family.”
“But this is different—”
“Not that much. You are struggling for your freedom and they are struggling to keep you safe. You can’t both have your own way. Someone is going to win this struggle and someone is going to lose. The key is not to destroy your relationship in the process.”
“You sound so wise for someone so young.”
“I don’t know about that. Maybe I just wish someone had given me some advice along the way instead of me always having to learn things the hard way.”
“Well, don’t worry. Things are about to change.” She pressed her lips together and glanced away as though she’d just realized she’d said too much.
“Ah, you have a plan.”
“It’s nothing. I should be going. I’ve forgotten to give the king a message from my father.” And with that she rushed off down the hallway.
Grayson watched her go. He couldn’t help but wonder about this plan of hers and if it was going to get her into trouble. It was obvious that she wasn’t ready to share the details with him. But that didn’t keep him from worrying about this plan. His mind told him it was absolutely none of his business, but his gut told him that she might get herself into trouble trying to prove a point.
And he might have just met her, but he already realized she was stubborn. Stubborn enough not to ask for help? But what was he supposed to do about any of it?
CHAPTER FIVE
ALONE AT LAST.
The next morning, Annabelle hurried to her suite of rooms as soon as she’d returned from the police station. Grayson had stayed behind in Bellacitta to meet with a business associate. They’d agreed to meet up later to go over the financial projections for the South Shore Project.
She’d been relieved to have a little time to herself. At last, she’d recovered her mother’s journal, and she had some privacy to look at it. And if she’d had any qualms about invading her mother’s privacy, the police had remedied them. They had her open the journal and read just a bit to herself to verify it belonged to her. She didn’t correct their assumption that it was her journal.
Alone in her room, Annabelle sat down at her desk in front of the window that overlooked the blue waters of the Mediterranean. And though usually she took solace in the majestic view, today her thoughts were elsewhere.
As the hours ticked by, she turned page after page. There were old snapshots stuffed between the pages. Some of her mother and father. Some of Annabelle and her brother. There was so much history crammed between the leather covers that it floored her.
And thankfully, there was nothing scandalous or cringeworthy within the pages. Not even anything blushworthy lurked in the passages, which was a gigantic relief to Annabelle. It was almost as if her mother had known that one day one of her children would be reading it.
Instead, the journal read more like the highlights of a royal’s life. There were mentions of birthday celebrations, picnics, holidays and countless other events that Annabelle had either been too young to remember or ha
dn’t bothered to really notice. But her mother had remembered and made note of colorful details that brought the passages to life. And it had been a nice life, not perfect, but the bad times were smoothed over and the good times highlighted. That’s how she remembered her mother—always trying to fix things and make people smile.
Annabelle didn’t even notice lunchtime coming or going. At some point, she moved from the desk chair to the comfort of her big canopied bed with its array of silken pillows. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d curled up in bed with a book in the middle of the day. It felt so decadent. She continued devouring word after word, feeling closer to her mother than she’d felt in a very long time.
Knock. Knock.
Annabelle’s gaze jerked to the door, expecting one of the household staff to enter with fresh flowers or clean linens. A frown pulled at her lips. She really didn’t want to be disturbed. She still had a lot of pages to read.
Knock. Knock.
“Annabelle? Is everything okay?”
It was Grayson. And something told her he wasn’t going to leave until they spoke. With a sigh, she closed the journal and set it off to the side of the bed. Hating to leave her comfy spot, she grudgingly got to her feet.
She moved to the door and then paused to run a hand over her hair. Deciding that it was good enough, she reached for the doorknob.
“Hi.” She couldn’t help but stare at his handsome face and piercing blue eyes. Now that he’d shaved, his looks were a perfect ten.
He frowned. “Why do you keep looking at me that way?”
“What way?” She averted her gaze. She was going to have to be more covert with her admiration in the future.
He sighed. “Never mind.”
She stepped back, allowing him to enter the room. “Come in.”
He stepped into her spacious suite and glanced around. She followed his gaze around the room, taking in the settee, the armchairs, a table with a bouquet of flowers and her desk. She noticed how his gaze lingered on the king-size bed.
At last, his gaze met hers. “You missed lunch?”
The Millionaire's Royal Rescue Page 5