My main duty was looking out for Elen if she had to go anywhere. If she was in the castle, like she was this morning, I was free to do other things, but we’d be leaving in a couple of hours. Which meant a long afternoon of being her verbal punching bag.
The conversation about potential new members to the Royal Protectors went on around me, but I mostly tuned it out. We talked about this regularly, and other than the addition of Marcus, nothing had changed. It was frustrating, but since I loved the job in general, I wasn’t going to make a big deal out of it.
“With the wedding coming up,” Sandor spoke up, getting my attention, “there will be a lot more travel going on, and Lennox will be less available. I want her to be able to enjoy the process of planning it and—”
“You know I hate every single thing about the idea of planning a big-ass wedding like ours, right?” Lennox leaned back and folded her arms across her chest.
Sandor laughed. “I think you’re excited about certain aspects of it, and with Casey, Elen and Edita helping you plan it, you hate it a lot less than you thought you would.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “Yeah, okay. Says the man who literally hasn’t done a single thing to help.”
“I’m paying for it,” he pointed out.
“Technically,” Erik spoke drolly, “I’m paying for it.”
Several of us started to laugh, and though I enjoyed the banter, my thoughts wandered again. I was restless, anxious to do something other than work out and deal with a cranky princess on a regular basis. I just didn’t know how to tell my boss I was bored.
4
Elen
After a few days, I was better, but the cough had lingered and I definitely didn’t have my strength back yet. Pneumonia had kicked my ass and was a huge reminder that I needed to take better care of myself. I was trying, but I also understood Erik’s need to get the country back on its feet. He’d accomplished a lot in the fifteen months since he’d taken over, but it was slow going. Some members of Parliament didn’t like the direction he wanted to take the country, which was essentially the twenty-first century, and others simply didn’t trust women. It took a lot out of me and mostly I wanted to hit people.
Not today, though. I was finally getting to meet Shannon, Ace’s fiancée. They were staying here at the castle, but I’d been quarantined in my room because even though I’d started on antibiotics, I’d been contagious for a while and hadn’t wanted to get anyone sick. Today I was finally meeting her to verify that we were on the same page for the job at the school. Casey had done an initial interview and she seemed interested, so we were going to the site today. Construction was going on to finish the interior renovations we’d chosen, but if we were going to open in the fall, we needed someone running the show. Especially considering I might be leaving.
The offer from the Sorbonne wasn’t actually something I wanted. I didn’t love academia and would probably be bored to tears, but anything was better than what I’d been dealing with here every day. The idea of being in Parliament had been exciting, but the reality was a lot of paperwork and red tape. Mostly, I came up with good ideas and the other members shot them down without even listening to my proposals. It was condescending bullshit, and I didn’t have the patience for it. Academia wouldn’t be much better, but at least I’d be respected for my knowledge and experience.
I walked into the small private office I used when I needed to meet with people, and a pretty blonde stood up to greet me. She looked about my age and had a firm handshake.
“Hi. I’m Shannon Barrow. It’s really nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.” I couldn’t help but smile back. “I hope you’ve been enjoying your stay here.”
“It’s been wonderful. Ace has been showing me around and we’ve had some fun outings with Erik and Casey.”
“I’m glad you’re enjoying Limaj. Now that the country is open to tourism again, there’s so much to see and do, though I prefer it in the summer.”
“I’m looking forward to seeing the sea when we come back this summer.”
“Are you definitely coming back?”
“Well, we’ll come for the wedding, regardless of whether or not I have a job here.”
“And if the job doesn’t work out? What plans do the two of you have?”
Shannon blushed. “We’re getting married and then working on having babies. So we’re going to settle down somewhere. I think Ace would like it to be here, but it’s harder for me. I’d be starting over, with no friends or family, and hopefully with a new baby; I don’t know how I feel about being in a new country.”
Elen nodded. “That makes sense. I was born and raised here and after being gone for so many years, it’s a little strange to me as well.”
“It really boils down to what Ace decides,” she said softly. “He’ll be bored just sitting around all day, but at the same time, if we’re going to spend the next few years starting a family, I don’t want to do that alone. I think he’d like to join the Royal Protectors, but nothing will be decided until we know all the details of both of our potential jobs.”
“Well, let’s get to it then.” I pulled a pad out of my bag and set it on the desk. “When we talked via email, I gave you an overview of our plans, but here’s what’s been finalized so far. The school will be called the International School of Hiskale, since it will be located here in the capital city. I’ve already received two dozen applications from teachers all over the world who’d like to work for us, and you would be the one to interview and hire them all.”
“So my job would be what, exactly?”
“Headmistress or principal. The choice of title would be yours.”
“Wow. That’s quite an honor. To be fair, I’ve only been a teacher for six years, and have a master’s degree in education, not administration.”
“What we’re starting here is different than if you were going to an already-established school to take the position. You have life experience, as well as an excellent background and education. You’re going to build this school from the ground up, so an administrative background isn’t necessary because we can make it whatever we want within the confines of an international baccalaureate program.”
“I just want to make sure we’re on the same page with everything.”
I smiled. “We are. Do you have questions for me?”
“Will I be able to choose my own team? I’m going to need help. An international baccalaureate program is going to be more complicated than just hiring a few teachers.”
“Absolutely. Anything you need. And if you need to do interviews remotely, while you’re finishing your job for the current school year, you can do that as well.”
“It sounds like you’ve already made up your mind about hiring me.”
“This school has been Erik’s priority since day one, so yes, if you want the job, it’s yours.”
“Are you going to be helping me?” Shannon obviously had no idea what a loaded question that was, and I momentarily paused, unsure how to answer.