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“Yes, ma’am. Shall I inform the king?”
Normally, she would say yes, but seeing as Grayson was a special guest who could make such a difference to her future, she said, “I’ll speak to my uncle. Thank you.”
Annabelle showed Grayson to the sweeping steps to the upstairs. A comfortable silence engulfed them as Grayson continued to take in his surroundings. She had to admit the palace was a lot more like a museum than a home. There were so many priceless works of art and gifts from other nations.
But more than anything, she wondered what thoughts were going through Grayson’s mind. There was so much she wanted to know about him. As her uncle said often, knowledge was power. And she needed the power to push through this business deal.
She tried to tell herself that was the only reason she wanted to know more about Grayson. After all, it had nothing to do with his good looks or the way he was able to connect with her back at the piazza.
No. It was none of those things. It was purely business.
CHAPTER FOUR
OKAY. SO MAYBE this isn’t so bad.
A vacation in a Mediterranean palace.
In fact, the palace is the perfect inspiration for a new game for Fo Shizzle.
Grayson sat in the formal dining room at a very large table. Did they really eat here every day? He might be rich, but he’d come from a humble beginning. He didn’t stand on airs and most of the time his dinner was eaten alone in front of his desktop computer.
Meeting the king had been a great honor. Thankfully Annabelle had instructed him on the proper protocol while they were in the car. He wondered how he should have greeted her considering she was the daughter of a duke. He’d hazard a guess it wasn’t to argue about what to do with her purse after the theft.
And try as he might, he couldn’t help but like Annabelle. Not that he would let her sunny smiles get to him. He’d learned his lesson about love, especially about loving someone in the spotlight. And Annabelle, with her constant bodyguard, was definitely someone who was used to living in the spotlight—a place where he felt uncomfortable.
“Mr. Landers, you picked an optimal time to visit Mirraccino,” the king said as their dinner dishes were cleared from the table.
How exactly did one make small talk with a king? Grayson swallowed hard. “Please call me Grayson.” When the man nodded, Grayson continued. “If you don’t mind me asking, why is this an optimal time?”
The king turned to Annabelle. “You didn’t tell him about the heritage festival?”
“It slipped my mind.” Color rushed to her cheeks. “I mean, there was so much going on this afternoon. I apologize. You are most definitely welcome to stay and partake in the festivities.”
“No apology is necessary.” Grayson could understand that the theft had shaken her up.
“Annabelle,” the king said, “you need to slow down. I think you’re becoming a workaholic.”
Feeling bad for Annabelle, Grayson intervened. “I’d love to hear more about this heritage festival.”
The king leaned back in his chair as the wait staff supplied them with coffee and a dessert plate of finger foods. “The heritage festival is an annual event. It’s held in Portolina, which is a small village within walking distance of the palace. The villagers get together—actually people from all over the nation make the pilgrimage to Portolina for the four-day celebration.”
Grayson took a sip of his coffee and then gently set it back on the fine china saucer which had tiny blue flowers around the edge. He didn’t think he’d ever used such delicate dishes. With his big hands, he was afraid of touching such fragile items. He had no doubt that they were antiques. And he didn’t even want to imagine their value. He might be wealthy, but there was a vast difference between his wealth and that of the king.
Grayson pulled his dessert plate closer. “I actually don’t know if I’ll be here that long.”
The king picked up a mini pecan tart. “You really don’t want to miss the event. Maybe you could extend your vacation. You would be my guest, here at the palace.”
“Thank you, sir. I...I’ll see if I can adjust my schedule.”
“Good. You’ll enjoy all of the activities.” The king acted as though Grayson had said yes. The king added some sugar to his coffee and stirred. “You are here to determine if the South Shore is appropriate for your business. I hope you found it as beautiful as we do.”
“I did, sir.” That was certainly not one of the reasons he was hesitant to put in one of his cafés. But he really didn’t want to get into the details with the king. “I’d like a chance to check into a few more locations before I commit my company. And as soon as this situation with Annabelle and the police is wrapped up—”
“Police?” The king sat up straight. A distinct frown marred his face as he turned to his niece. “Why is this the first I’m hearing of an incident with the police?”
Color flooded Annabelle’s face. “It’s not a big deal.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.” The king turned back to Grayson. “What exactly happened?”
