“I will, but as Minister of Education, my duties have me going in a lot of different directions. I’ll do my best, though, especially as you’re getting comfortable with everything. I thought we could do a little brainstorming this morning, and then after lunch we’d head up to the school so you can take a look around and let me know if you want anything specific with regard to classrooms and such.”
“Sounds overwhelming, but wonderful.” Shannon smiled. “I’m excited. I still need to talk to Ace, but I know he wants to live here even though he hasn’t said it in so many words.”
“I’m excited to have you on board.” I couldn’t even express how relieved I was she wanted the job. I’d had a feeling she would, since I already knew Ace wanted to be one of the Royal Protectors, but it was good to have verbal verification. It was one less thing I had to worry about.
We got a lot accomplished over the next couple of hours, and by the time we finished lunch, I was ready to get out to the school. It had been days since I’d left the castle at all, much less breathed any fresh air, and I was looking forward to it despite how tired I was.
“Are you all right?” Shannon asked me as we got ready to go. “Pneumonia takes a while to recuperate from—are you sure you want to do this today? I can wait.”
“You’re going back to Germany in two days, so I don’t have a choice.” I smiled at her thoughtfulness. “But as soon as we’re finished, I’ll probably be in bed and out for the night.”
“I understand.”
Xander met us at one of the private exits that led to one of the many garages, and we got into one of the SUVs. Ace was apparently joining us, so he sat in the back with Shannon while I sat up front with Xander.
“You look tired, Princess,” he said as he pulled out of the garage.
“I’m fine,” I murmured. It wasn’t true, because I was dragging, but I wasn’t going to admit that to the person who drove me crazy on a regular basis. I didn’t know what it was about him, but it was like he pushed all my buttons, all the time. From the moment we’d met, he’d rubbed me the wrong way and I didn’t understand it. I’d never had such a negative reaction to a man before, so my goal had been to avoid him at all costs, but my brother and cousin seemed to find it amusing that we continued to butt heads like we did. I’d asked Sandor to assign Ace to me, but then Ace had left and Casey had requested Lennox, so there wasn’t anyone else to be my bodyguard.
We drove in silence to the school, which was just ten minutes from the castle. It was a beautiful new building on twenty acres, although it was still inside the Hiskale city limits. There was room for expansion and new buildings, though we weren’t ready for that yet. My goal was to get grades six through twelve up and running, and add the lower grades within two years. It was a lot to think about, so I tended to break it down into smaller pieces, but there was no escaping the monumental task before us when we drove up to the front.
“Oh, it’s beautiful,” Shannon said, getting out of the car. Ace slid an arm around her and the four of us walked inside. The construction crews were here during the day and they were making loads of progress, which was one of the reasons I needed Shannon to see it. I’d attended many years of school, of course, but I wanted her input as an educator, in the setup of the classrooms, the library, and other important aspects of a school.
“Will there be accommodations for kids with handicaps?” Xander asked as we strolled through the dusty hallways.
I glanced at him in surprise. “We haven’t thought about that yet, though of course everything will be wheelchair accessible. Why?”
He shrugged. “Just curious.”
I wanted to press him a little more but opted not to since it would make me sound insensitive. Xander was always a surprise. He was so damn good-looking, I often wondered how he’d become a Marine and a bodyguard. He was seriously cover model handsome, with light brown hair and gorgeous, long-lashed hazel eyes. His cheekbones probably made women around the world jealous, and his lips looked like they were painted on, they were so perfect.
I was in mixed company, so there was no way I’d let my thoughts wander to that smokin’ hot body of his. I’d seen him around the palace playing soccer with some of the other guys and he was absolutely breathtaking without a shirt. Guys with good bodies were common at different gyms I’d been to over the years, but Xander, well, he made the rest of the male race look bad.
I shook off my lusty thoughts and focused on Shannon as we came to what would be the administrative offices.
“This is the front office,” I told her. “A reception desk, of sorts. Once we go through the glass doors that haven’t been installed yet, we’ll get to your office and those of the rest of the administrative staff.”
“What about security?” Ace asked. “Will there be a security office? With both the royal children and hopefully the children of many more of Europe’s elite in attendance, that has to be a concern.”
“Absolutely.” I nodded.
We walked around for the next hour, but I was beginning to drag. When I started coughing, Xander handed me a bottle of water and said, “Why don’t you sit down for a few? Erik told me not to let you get overtired.”
I scowled up at him. “I’m fine. But thank you for the water.”
Why was my knee-jerk reaction to him always to be a bitch? I couldn’t figure it out, and it was one of many reasons I’d begun to suspect I needed a break.
Shannon sank down beside me. We’d stopped at a bench out back, where there was a courtyard that would allow students to get some fresh air between classes.
“It looks amazing,” she told me. “I’m really excited to come on board.”
“I’m glad.” I glanced over at Ace. “When are you guys getting married?”
“I don’t know.” She shook her head. “We knew each other years ago but didn’t see each other for more than a decade. We unexpectedly ran into each other back in December and everything happened really fast, so we’re trying to get settled first. We’re torn between wanting a quickie elopement in Vegas or having a full-on wedding. I’ve been married before and I don’t want all the pomp and circumstance, but I think he does, even though he won’t admit it. I do know he doesn’t want to upstage Sandor and Lennox.”
“You should do what you want to do and not worry about them, or anyone else. Maybe compromise with a destination wedding on a beach or in a mountain cabin, whatever strikes your fancy, with a handful of close friends and immediate family. That way, it’s not a big ordeal but it’s not just eloping either.”
“That’s a good idea. We’ll talk about all that when we get back to Germany. I love my kids and didn’t want to abandon them midyear, especially my seniors, but I’m getting antsy, ready to move on to this new adventure in my life.”
“That’s how I’m feeling too,” I murmured. “I just don’t know what that new adventure will be.”
“Make sure you’re doing whatever you’re doing for the right reasons,” Shannon said softly.
“I don’t know what those are yet,” I admitted, “but I’m working on it.”