But then I got the sense that he wasn’t as powerful and successful as he was by accident.
It was another great reminder that my bride was his heir apparent and wielded a hefty amount of magic herself, even if it wasn’t on such obvious display.
“Hi, Dad,” Jayne said. “You wanted to see us?”
He looked up from some paperwork as we came in. Thankfully, he smiled. “That was fast. I just sent the note.”
Jayne laughed as she went over to the conference table across from his desk and took a scone from the plate there. “You said at our earliest convenience. So here we are.” She looked at me. “Sin, you want a scone?”
“No, thanks.” My appetite was on hold until I knew more. Jayne’s appetite rarely took such a break, which was just another one of her superpowers.
“True,” Jack said. “I did say your earliest. I just didn’t think you’d come until your closet was finished. Thanks for coming so quickly. Have a seat.”
We sat. Jayne bit the corner off her scone.
“How is the closet coming?”
Jayne shrugged. “It’s coming.” She slouched a little, concentrating on the pastry in her hand and clearly pretending she wasn’t anxious to know why we’d been summoned. “You could have called if that’s all you wanted to know.”
He smiled at her, then looked at me. “Just like her mother. You have your hands full with this one.”
“Yes, sir,” I answered. “I’m aware.”
Jack interlaced his fingers on top of the paperwork he’d just been reading. “I’m sure you’re wondering what’s going on.”
I nodded. “Yes, sir.”
Jayne snorted. “Dad, why else do you think we’re here? Spill it.”
Jack hesitated as if he was choosing his words. Or perhaps deciding where to start. “Your wedding was arguably the biggest event we’ve had in the North Pole in some time. The turnout was staggering. People are still talking about it. All of that got Kris and I to thinking.”
Santa had been thinking about us. I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad.
“We’ve decided to send you out on a tour of the stores. Strictly as a morale booster. A meet and greet opportunity. Initially only the highest-grossing stores will make the short list for a visit, however, we’re giving the rest of the stores the chance to bring their sales up to qualify. We think it could increase sales by as much as twenty percent in some regions. And as we’re on the downside of Christmas, that could be something.”
I almost exhaled in relief. Visiting stores wasn’t something I’d considered, but it also wasn’t something terrible. Actually, it might be interesting. I’d only ever seen the one in Nocturne Falls where Jayne was working when we met.
Jayne sat up straight, gesturing with the remaining scone. “Hold on. You want us to kiss hands and shake babies, all in the name of sales?”
I leaned over. “It’s shake hands and kiss babies.”
She shot me a look. “You do things your way. I’ll do things mine.” Her gaze returned to her father. “Dad, seriously?”
“Jayne, this is a royal obligation. You’re the Princess and Prince Consort. You’re beloved figures who represent the North Pole. It’s time to put that popularity to good use.”
She frowned. “For real?”
I was already warming to the idea. For one thing, I liked travel. For another, none of the toy stores the company owned were in the North Pole. It would be a real break from royal life. “I think it sounds interesting.”
Jack smiled at me. “It should be. We have stores all over the world. Although at first we’ll concentrate on those in the continental US.”
Jayne looked at me. “You think it sounds interesting?”
“Sure. Seeing new places. Meeting new people. Putting my royal title to good use.” I wasn’t so convinced about the royal part yet, because the fact that people might want to meet me simply for the reason that I’d married into the royal family seemed crazy, but I knew royalty could have that effect on some. “What’s not to like about those things?”
She stared at me a second longer, a happy gleam coming into her eyes. Then she looked at her dad. “Tell us more. How long would we be gone? Do we get a sleigh for travel? I’m not going without Spider or Sugar. Which store would we start with? When would we have to leave?”
Jack laughed and held up his hands. “One question at a time. Here’s what your uncle and I have been thinking…”
Chapter Four
Jayne
My dad took a breath. “We know Sinclair’s parents are launching their new finale trick in two weeks, so we thought we’d start with the Las Vegas location. It’s not our top-grossing store, but it does do very well, and that would allow you both a chance to see Sinclair’s parents and have another visit with them while also being there in time to see the new illusion. So long as that would work for them.”
“I’m sure they’d make it work.” Sin smiled for the first time since we’d entered my dad’s office. “That’s very kind of you to think of them.”
My dad shrugged, looking pleased with himself. “To be honest, we all talked about coming down.”
“All?” I asked.
“Your mom and me, plus your aunt and uncle.” He smiled at Sin. “We really enjoyed getting to know your parents while they were here, and we’d love to see their show. Unfortunately, it’s just not going to work with our schedules.”
Sin nodded. “They would love to have you any time you can make it.” His smile faded a touch. “Two weeks. That means we’d be leaving soon then.”
My dad nodded. “Yes. The plan would be for you to leave in the next few days. To answer Jayne’s question of how you’d travel, we’ve arranged an RV for you. Ezreal assures me it’s the nicest one money can buy. Say, Sinclair, can you drive a vehicle that large? I hope you can because the coach was custom-fitted.”
“I can. Wait, do I need a CDL?”
“No, no special license. But if you’re not comfortable with being behind the wheel of something that size, we can hire a driver for you. We just thought the RV would allow you to bring the cats and travel in more comfort since it wouldn’t require you to move in and out of hotels.”
“I love it,” Sin said. “And I have no problem driving a big vehicle like that. How long is it?”
“Forty-five feet.”
Sin’s brows shot up. “Wow.”
“Hold up.” I brushed scone crumbs off my lap. “An RV?”
“I promise it’s nice,” my dad said. “Do you think your uncle and I would set you up in anything less than the best? And do you think, with the unlimited budget we gave Ezreal, that he’d arrange for anything that wasn’t top-notch?”
“No, but it’s still a camper, right?” The images in my mind were taking me to some very cramped quarters. Could you even stand upright in a camper? And wasn’t the shower like a twelve by twelve square that required you to stand on the toilet? I was starting to have minor palpitations. I didn’t think of myself as spoiled, but I wasn’t exactly the kind of girl who like the simplicity of camping either.