“So why won’t you take the job? It would mean enough money for you and your grandmother so you wouldn’t need to keep working constantly doing all the hundred things you do.”
Callie shrugged. “I enjoy doing little things for people. It helps me remember that even though my grandmother and I are doing it tough, there are people who are a lot worse off than us. I like to help where I can and make their lives a little easier.”
“Maybe you could enlist the help of some of the people you know to help you with the job at the palace and then split the money with them?”
She turned her large brown eyes on me and I saw the moment the idea took root. “I never thought of that,” she said.
“So you’ll do it?” I asked.
“I’ll think about it,” she replied.
“Come back to the palace with me this afternoon and meet Meredith—”
“Meet the queen?” Callie asked askance. “No, I don’t think so.”
“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of meeting the queen,” I said with a smirk.
“It’s easy for you. You’re engaged to a markissios. Mixing with royalty is an everyday occurrence for you.”
“It’s really not,” I replied, feeling a heavy weight press down on me.
“You have been living in the palace for the last few weeks,” Callie said. “Living in the palace and eating meals with the king and queen. That’s not normal.”
“No, it’s not, and it’s not my normal life either.”
“You and the markissios have been friends for a long time, this can’t be all that unusual for you.”
“The markissios and I, that sounds like the title of a romcom.” I shook my head and smiled sadly. “Back home in Boston, he wasn’t a markissios, he was just Lucas, and while the brownstone I live in with my parents is kind of amazing, a palace it is not. This was just as intimidating for me as it is for you and believe me when I say, you have nothing to worry about. Meredith is lovely and down to earth and I think the two of you would get on like a house on fire.”
“That doesn’t sound like a good thing,” Callie said.
I laughed. “It’s just an expression, and it means you would be friends, probably best friends.”
“You’re not going to give up until I agree, are you?” Callie asked with a gusty sigh.
“Nope,” I replied. “I think this would be good for you, but not just you. Think of all the people in the village you could help.”
“That was a low blow,” Callie said. “But okay, you’ve convinced me. I’ll come to the palace and meet with the queen—” she shivered as she said the words and then took a deep breath. “And then I will decide whether or not I will do it.”
“Perfect,” I said.
Callie had gone home to change and now sat stiffly beside me in the car as it wound its way up to the palace.
“Relax,” I said, nudging her shoulder. “You look like you’re going to the guillotine.”
“They don’t still execute people do they?” Callie asked, and I didn’t know if she was joking or not. Then she smiled, and I nudged her with my elbow and rolled my eyes.
Deacon opened the door for us when we arrived at the palace steps, and I winked at him as I got out. He’d been my faithful driver, and I had a soft spot for him. He reminded me of my dad and I loved hearing about his son, Griffin, who was now traveling all over the world interning as a photographic assistant as part of his degree.
Callie climbed out of the car and stared up at the structure before her. It wasn’t as if she had never seen the palace before; it was visible from almost every part of the village below, but I didn’t think she’d ever been this close to it before. It was a little intimidating.
“Come on,” I said, tugging her arm and pulling her up the stairs. “Meredith should have a few free moments to see you.”
The front doors opened before we got to them—which wasn’t unusual—but seeing Dorian step out of them was.
“Well hello,” he said, his eyes scanning over Callie as we came to a stop in front of him. “Who is your friend, Francesca?”
“This is Callie,” I said. “We have a meeting with the queen.”
“Callie,” he drawled. “Is that short for Calista?”
“No,” Callie said, folding her arms and glaring at Dorian.
He smirked in return. “Calliope, then?”
“I’m sorry, who are you?” Callie asked, and I had to bite my tongue to stop myself laughing.
Dorian straightened to his full height and tugged at the cuffs of his suit coat. “I am Lord Dorian Stamos, Ducas of Paralia,” he said in his haughtiest voice.
Callie looked at me and raised her eyebrows. “The king and queen have a ducas acting as a doorman these days?” she asked.
“Excuse me?” Dorian growled, his voice low and dangerous.
Callie turned to him and assessed him coolly. “Oh, my mistake, you’re not the doorman?”
“No,” Dorian snapped before turning to me and dismissing Callie, who rolled her eyes at him behind his back.
“What are you doing here on the front steps, Dorian?” I asked.
Dorian stretched his neck to either side and seemed to settle back into himself before answering. “We had an unexpected visitor while you were out,” he said.
“Oh?” I asked. “What does that have to do with me?”
“She is here to see Lucas,” he said, staring at me intently.
Hmm, she…the only two people it could possibly be were Effie or Maya and of the two women in Lucas’ life, only his mother could cause Dorian to come and intercept me.
“Maya is here?” I asked.
Dorian shook his head. “No, not Maya.”
“Effie?” I asked, something nasty clenching in my gut because I knew it wasn’t Effie. “Is Effie here to negotiate the distillery?”
Dorian shook his head slowly, and his eyes looked at me with pity.
“Who—” I licked my suddenly dry lips and cleared my throat. “Who is here?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Clarissa—”
“Oh hell no,” I said, barging past Dorian and into the palace. I looked around, not sure where I would find her but knowing I wanted to scratch the woman’s eyes out.
“They’re on the terrace,” Dorian said, coming up behind me. “But I wouldn’t—”
I didn’t stop to listen to whatever warning he was going to give me. I marched through the palace, completely forgetting that I’d brought Callie here to meet with the queen. I couldn’t think about anything past that miserable woman coming to Kalopsia to steal my fiancée. She’d had her chance with him and she blew it and I would not stand back and let her ruin Lucas’ life. I might not be the woman he needed in his life, but I was still his friend and there was no way I would let that woman back into his life after she turned him down.
I burst through the doors and out onto the terrace and skidded to a stop as I saw the two of them wrapped in an embrace. My breath was sucked from my lungs and I must have made a sound because Lucas looked up and our eyes caught. He stepped back, breaking the embrace, his eyes not leaving mine, and Clarissa turned to look over her shoulder at me and smirked. Yeah, she smirked at me and I knew, I just knew, she had come here to blow up everything Lucas and I had been building.