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“Uncle, I’ll explain.” Annabelle sent Grayson a warning look. “There’s no need to drag Grayson into this.”
“It appears he’s already a part of it. He at least knows what happened, which is more than I do.” The King turned back to him and gestured for Grayson to spill the details.
Grayson swallowed hard. “It really isn’t that big of a deal.”
“If it involves my niece, it’s a very big deal.”
Grayson glanced down at the small plate filled with sweets. He suddenly lost his appetite. He launched into the details of his first meeting with Annabelle. He tried to downplay the events, realizing how much the king worried about her. And Grayson knew what happened when a high-profile person didn’t heed safety protocols.
When Grayson finished reciting the events as best as he could recall them, the king gestured for the phone. He announced that he was going to speak with the police.
“Uncle, I have everything under control.”
The man sent her a pointed look. “It doesn’t sound like it. You don’t have your purse and you don’t know what’s going to happen to that thief.” He shook his head as he accepted the phone that had already been dialed for him. “What is this world coming to when you can’t even walk down the street without being accosted?”
“Uncle, it was nothing. I don’t know who is worse. You, or my father?”
“We just want you to be safe.” The king pressed the phone to his ear and began talking.
Grayson found the whole dynamic between these two quite interesting. They were comfortable enough with each other even though they were in opposition. Annabelle was noticeably seething under all of the fuss, but she restrained her emotions. And her uncle looked worried. These two obviously loved each other deeply.
The king didn’t say much during the phone conversation. It seemed as if he was getting a blow-by-blow explanation of the chain of events. Grayson glanced at Annabelle, who looked miserable. He was sorry that he’d opened his mouth. He had thought the king would have been informed. After all, Annabelle was his niece.
“There. That’s resolved,” the king said as he disconnected the call. “You and Grayson are to go to the police station tomorrow morning. They will be expecting you. Grayson needs to give his statement, as do you. As for your belongings, they should be able to give you your wallet but the rest is evidence.”
“I know,” Annabelle said.
The king’s eyes widened. “What do you mean, you know?”
“I’d already called and made arrangements to go to the station in the morning.”
For a moment her uncle didn’t say a word and neither did anyone else.
Finally, the king got to his feet. “Now, if you’ll excuse me. I am needed elsewhere.”
Grayson didn’t know whether to stand or remain seated. When Annabelle stood, he followed her lead. They didn’t sit back down until the king was out of sight. Once seated again, Grayson took a sip of coffee and waited until Annabelle was ready to speak.
“I’m sorry about that,” she said while staring at her coffee cup.
“It’s no big deal.”
“But you didn’t come here to witness some family drama.”
“It’s okay. I understand.” Grayson didn’t. Not really. His parents lived in rural Ohio and were so caught up in their own lives that they never gave him a second thought. He didn’t know what it was like to have your every move under a microscope. He imagined that it would be quite oppressive.
“No, you don’t,” Annabelle said wearily. “My life...it’s complicated.”
If he were smart, he’d get to his feet and head for his suite. They’d done enough sharing for one day, but he couldn’t turn his back on her. She obviously needed someone to lend her an ear.
He cleared his throat while searching for some words of comfort. “Everyone’s life is complicated. It’s how you get through it all that matters.”
She arched a fine brow. “Even yours?”
He nodded. “Even mine.”
“But you’re rich and you run your own company. You don’t have people telling you what to do and thinking they know better. You get to call all of the shots.”
Grayson laughed. “If that’s what you think, then you’ve got it all wrong. My name may be on the company letterhead, but I have a board and shareholders to answer to. A lot of those shareholders think they have all of the answers, even though they are far removed from our target clientele and know nothing about our product and its design.”
