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“Nah. I took the company chopper.”
Of course he did. Men like Rafe—and his assistant, for that matter—didn’t drive almost four hours to Key West like other mere mortals.
“Safe travels,” she said, turning around to go back inside.
What had he sent her?
“Ms. Fielding?”
She glanced over her shoulder at Jose. “He’s hoping to be back next week but that all depends on the people in Alma.”
She smiled at him. “Thank you.”
“Don’t rat me out,” he said with a wink, and then left.
His assistant was nice. She wondered if that was a reflection of Rafe as a boss, but she knew no matter who worked for him he might still be a jerk at work. “Jose!”
“Yes.”
“What kind of man is Rafe to work for?”
“Demanding. He won’t settle for a job half done. But he’s also very generous when a project is over. He’s a good man,” he said.
“Thanks,” she said.
He walked away and she thought about it. A good man. Was she a good woman? Hell, yes, she was. She sat down on what she was now calling the Rafe chair and opened the package. When she pulled back the sides of the cardboard box there was a pretty paper inside with the words Handcrafted in Alma printed on it in scrolling letters.
She carefully pulled the sides of the paper back to reveal something in Bubble Wrap. Lifting it from the box, she carefully removed the Bubble Wrap and caught her breath as she saw that it contained a stained glass mermaid that looked a lot like her.
She traced her finger over the details and tried to downplay the importance of the gift. But she couldn’t avoid the fact that he’d taken her childhood dream and given it to her.
She took a picture and then attached it to the text message.
She’s even prettier than I imagined a mermaid could be. Thank you for this wonderful gift.
The response was almost instantaneous.
I’m glad you like it. I’m just coming out of a meeting. Do you have time to chat with me?
She thought about the paddleboarding she’d planned for the day, but as her mom always said, the ocean wasn’t going anywhere. Plus a part of her realized she’d been running away from her house and her situation so she didn’t have to deal with it on her own. Talking to Rafe was a solution. She didn’t want it to be, because she’d always prided herself on being independent and handling anything life threw at her. But she knew she wanted him by her side.
Yes. I can talk.
Good. I’ll call in a few minutes.
She paced around her living room and ended up back in the kitchen. She took the stained glass mermaid and held her up to the back window, where she got the light from the morning sun, and realized she’d fit perfectly there.
She jotted down the supplies she’d need and then made herself a mango and passion fruit smoothie. By the time she was finished with it, he still hadn’t called.
He was a man who would be king, she thought. Obviously his time wasn’t his own. She waited another thirty minutes before she turned the ringer off on her phone, got into her car and drove to Geiger Key.
She tried to shake it off. She’d known that the only one she could count on was herself, but it stung just the tiniest bit that he hadn’t messaged her back to say he’d been delayed.
* * *
Rafe was in a bad mood by the time he escaped the royal palace in Del Sol and drove down the winding coastal road to his family’s beach compound in Playa del Onda. He’d spent the entire day either in meetings or being cornered by Dita Gomez.
Dita was the oldest daughter of one of the best families in Alma. Her parents were part of the newly forming royal court and they were hoping for a royal match. Dita was a lovely lady, no doubt, but as his man Kanye might say, she was a gold digger. Rafe wasn’t entirely sure how she had access to his schedule but everywhere he went, she was there.
He’d been so busy dealing with getting rid of Dita that he hadn’t been able to call Emily. And he knew her well enough to know that giving the excuse that he’d been dodging the advances of a beautiful blonde wasn’t going to go over well.
Wanting to punch something, he shoved his hands in his hair. This was too restricting. He hadn’t felt a connection to Alma or to the people the way that Bella seemed to. While he was busy plotting ways to get back to Miami early, she was happy to stay for a little while longer.
He wondered if something had happened to make Bella so happy with the land that time forgot. He made a mental note to talk to her, but he had no idea when he’d get a chance. His schedule was grueling.
He glanced at his watch; it had been seven hours since he said he’d call Emily. That meant it was probably midafternoon in Key West. He dialed her number and waited. It rang twice before he got a text message that had obviously been tailored for him saying she didn’t want to talk to His Majesty.
