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“Oh, my gosh.” Eva’s eyes widened. “You’re in love with him.”
Kristen winced. “I think. Yes.”
Eva shook her head. “Just be careful.”
Eva’s gown swished as she led Kristen from the staging area to the receiving line for the reception. Eva’s father, King Mason, a tall, fair man stood with her mother, Queen Karen, who wore a black velvet gown and a diamond necklace—her gift from her husband for being so understanding about why he’d left her out of the details of their near coup the winter before.
The king saw Kristen and Eva entering, and a smile blossomed on his face. He took both of Kristen’s hands. “I understand congratulations are in order.”
She bowed. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“The queen and I would also like to add a donation to your school project.”
Humbled, she bowed again. “Thank you, very much.”
Queen Karen hugged her. “Don’t thank us. You’re the star. Mr. Suminski using our country—even if it’s only for short-term projects—is huge for us.” She smiled. “And we have you to thank for that.”
Kristen laughed. “I just took things one step at a time.”
King Mason said, “Then that’s what you keep doing.”
They entered the reception room and took their places in the receiving line. Two butlers opened the wide double doors, offering entry to Dean first, who bowed to the king and queen, shook hands with Alex and Eva, and took a place next to King Mason, as the evening’s official guest of honor.
Then the doors were opened and Dean’s employees entered. Wide-eyed with amazement and curiosity, they glanced around the ornate reception room. Other dignitaries and guests filtered in, including the ones Princess Eva wanted Kristen to meet.
As Dean shook hands and talked of software and stock prices, Kristen spoke to the same guests, making plans to meet potential advisors and benefactors for lunch or dinner.
In what felt like a flick of a switch, her entire life changed.
Because Dean was with the king and queen, and Kristen was with the princess and Alex, their paths didn’t cross until after dinner when the king and his wife mingled and Eva and Alex danced.
Kristen saw Dean standing off to the side with Jason and she walked over.
“Hello, again.”
Jason all but bowed. “Hello, again, to you too. It’s quite a night for you.”
She laughed. “I’ve been building to this for years. I wasn’t always giving a big push for my schools, but raising money and looking for people to help find real estate, teachers, textbooks was always in the back of my mind.” She took a long satisfied breath. “Now it’s a reality.” She turned to Dean. “Would you like to dance?”
Jason laughed. “Look at her. Her first official event as a leader and she’s already bold enough to ask a guy to dance.” He turned to Dean. “This is going to sound so odd, but you know who she reminds me of? Nina. Now there was a woman who was bold.”
His comment seemed out of place to Kristen, but she knew Jason and Dean had history. What he’d said probably made sense to Dean. Even if Kristen had no clue what he meant.
* * *
Dean put his drink on the tray of a passing waiter. In her pink dress, with her hair piled high on her head, Kristen looked as regal, as elegant as Princess Eva.
But she was more than royalty. She was an honest, open, wonderful person. Someone who liked him. Someone he liked—and trusted. She was nothing like Nina.
He smiled. “I’d love to dance.”
They walked out onto the dance floor and he smoothly took Kristen into his arms. As always, she felt like an equal. In a weird kind of way, she’d always been his equal.
No, if he remembered correctly, the night of their first Christmas party, in New York, he’d realized she was the woman of his dreams. The woman who could be his partner. Smart and sassy enough to keep him on his toes and beautiful enough to hold him spellbound, Kristen Anderson was everything he wanted.
And this was his moment.
“So how was your day?”
He laughed because her question, everything about the night felt right. Actually, a part of him was a little giddy.
“I snowboarded.”
