I wanted to warn them about Lucas’ plans. They looked at him like he was some sort of savior, but what they didn’t know was that he was planning to rip their burgeoning business out by the roots so his family’s business could once more take ownership of the distillery. But I said nothing, and I didn’t know why. I suppose it was because I still couldn’t reconcile those actions with the Lucas I knew. But I couldn’t deny he was working on something with the king, something that would boost Kalopsia’s economy, and the only thing Lucas really knew was his family’s business. I put the two together and came up with four and even though math wasn’t my strong suit, even I could see the writing on the wall. Still, I didn’t say anything. If Lucas was going to destroy the one good thing these people had going, then he could be the one to break the news to them.
I was exhausted by the time Deacon drove me back to the palace and I practically crawled my way up the stairs and into my room. I didn’t have any intention of going down to dinner and I had no compunction about lying and telling everyone I wasn’t feeling well. It wasn’t exactly a lie. I didn’t feel great, but it was more to do with being heartbroken than any kind of virus.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to put my dastardly plan into action. The queen and Sophia were waiting for me when I finally entered my suite. I glared at Selena over the queen’s shoulder, but she ignored me.
“You weren’t at lunch,” Meredith said. “In fact, I haven’t seen you all day. What’s going on?”
Looking at Meredith dressed in jeans and a simple cotton shirt, sitting with one leg tucked up under her, and her curly, red hair loose and soft around her face, it was easy to forget she was a queen. She had become a friend over the two weeks I’d been here and if I was honest with myself, I would miss her when I went home. I didn’t have a lot of female friends and it had never bothered me before, but now, after spending time with both Meredith and Sophia, I wasn’t looking forward to going back to Boston and not seeing them anymore.
“I think she and Lucas had a fight,” Sophia said.
I glared at her and she just raised her eyebrows. I sighed and flopped onto a chair, closing my eyes and tipping my head back. “We might have had a little tiff,” I said. There was no way I would go into specifics, but it wouldn’t be bad to seed some discontent. I mean, we had to stage a breakup after all and if everyone thought we were blissfully happy then it would come as a bit of a shock and might not ring true.
“He looked like a little lost puppy at lunch,” Meredith said, watching me carefully. “What did you fight about?”
I gasped. “You can’t really expect me to tell you that,” I said.
Meredith smiled. “Do you know what my good friend Queen Alyssa would say to something like that?”
I shook my head. “No idea.”
Meredith grinned and her eyes sparkled. “Alyssa would say, ‘I’m the queen so you have to tell me.’”
I smiled at that. I didn’t know Alyssa, but from what Meredith told me, I think I’d like her.
“So?” Meredith said.
“What?”
Meredith rolled her eyes. “You have to tell me because I’m the queen.”
I could see Meredith would not let me off without me saying something about what went down between Lucas and me.
I sighed dramatically. “Fine. I’ll tell you. It’s about his idea for the distillery,” I said, pulling on the one string that annoyed me but wouldn’t unravel the whole secret fiancée thing.
Meredith’s eyebrows popped up in surprise. “Really? I thought you’d be all for it,” she said.
“I get that Kalopsia needs industry. I get that the economy is struggling, but I just think there is a better way. I know Lucas has an obligation to his parents and to their family company but, I don’t know, I just thought…” I shrugged. “I thought maybe he would do something that didn’t involve them.”
Meredith frowned at me.
“What?” I asked.
“Have you and Lucas actually talked about his idea? Fully, I mean?”
“Sure, why?”
Meredith and Sophia exchanged a look before Meredith spoke again. “Unless I’m mistaken, I think you might have misunderstood what Lucas wants to do.”
“Heh?”
“Lucas isn’t planning on involving Andino Raïda, apart from securing the distillery from them. As far as I know, they’re happy to get rid of it.”
“What?” I said, sitting forward in my chair.
Meredith looked at me for a moment before speaking. “Talk to Lucas,” she said. “Listen to what he has to say. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”
Meredith stood and Sophia along with her. “We’ll see you at dinner,” Meredith said before sweeping out of the room and leaving me to stare after her.
Lucas wasn’t setting up another Andino Raïda company on the island? Then what was he doing?
Chapter 18
Lucas
“Ms. Davenport is here to see you,” Maddox intoned.
“Frankie,” I said, looking up from the documents spread out in front of me. I should have been getting ready for dinner, but the thought of spending another meal across from Frankie while she ignored me was not very appetizing. I’d sooner stay in my room and work.
“Hi,” Frankie said, pink tinging her cheeks in a rare blush. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I liked it.
“Hi,” I said, leaning back in my chair and crossing an ankle over my knee.
Maddox disappeared, and I looked Frankie over. She was dressed for dinner in a pretty summer dress that left her shoulders bare and her hair cascaded around her face in soft curls. I liked the way Frankie used to dress back in Boston—the ripped jeans and funny t-shirts and the scuffed boots—but I also liked this new look. Every day Frankie seemed to adjust to her new wardrobe, like she was growing into someone different. I really wasn’t sure how I felt about that metamorphosis. The very last thing I wanted to do was change Frankie, but…there was something very appealing about the woman standing before me now.
“I was wondering if you wanted to go down to dinner with me,” she said, fiddling with the skirt of her dress.
I raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Are you talking to me now?” I asked.
Frankie rolled her eyes. “I wasn’t ever not talking to you,” she said.
“No, but you were avoiding me,” I replied.
“Okay fine,” she said with a huff. “I was avoiding you. I was upset.”
I frowned. “What were you upset about and why didn’t you just talk to me about it? We talk about everything, Frankie. BFF code of conduct, rule two; we agree to tell each other everything.”
She groaned and stalked over to a chair to throw herself down into it. There was the Frankie I knew and loved.
“Okay, listen,” she said, looking me in the eye with her no-nonsense gaze. “You’ve changed so much since coming here—”
I opened my mouth to dispute it, but she held up her hand to shush me and went on before I could say anything.