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“It’s my job, ma’am.” He smiled.
“Where is my mom?”
“Packing in her room.”
I didn’t run, but I didn’t walk slowly, either. There was a huge load on my shoulders, a heaviness on my chest, and the only person I felt like I could turn to right now was her.
Wolfgang knocked for me, and the moment she said, “Come in,” I dashed through the door.
She was sitting on the ottoman in front of her bed, a suitcase packed to the side, dabbing under her eyelids with cream. “Sweetheart?”
Running to her, I hugged her as tightly as I could. “You are not allowed to leave! You have to stay here with me. I can’t. I really can’t.”
“You are choking me and, more importantly, ruining my outfit!” she yelled, smacking my back.
“Mom,” I gasped, sitting beside her, shaking my head, “I can’t.”
“Didn’t we already have this talk? It hasn’t even been two hours, Odette!”
“I know, but then all of a sudden I was in front of lawyers, publicists, and the queens, talking about hot tubs and ex-girlfriends/lovers of Gale because God forbid there was a noblewoman in this country he didn’t screw! And then the death penalty. And I don’t know anyone’s names! It was just a crooked-nose guy, and hunched-over guy and, a glasses guy! Some many people work here… work for me. I thought I was getting a handle on everyone, but I don’t know them. Then they want to add a camera to our honeymoon… You cannot leave me here!”
She stared at me, her brown eyes wide before she just started to laugh.
“Mom!”
“Sorry, it reminds me of when you first went to the university! You called me, freaking out, just like this, upset over everything, saying you couldn’t do it.”
I frowned…because one would think I’d grown up by now. I still felt like a kid, sometimes. Sighing, I fell back onto her bed.
“How is the fairy tale over; it’s only been two days?”
“The problem is with people thinking any moment is a fairy tale,” she said, lying beside me, and I rolled over to face her. “This is life. Real-life.”
“Wasn’t I living before?”
“No, you were hiding,” she replied, brushing my curls off my face. “The great thing about being rich is you don’t have to deal with people if you don’t want to. You are sweet and kind, but you weren’t the best people person. You always stayed on your own…or with me. And I loved it. It was just you and me against the world. We only had to deal with each other and the messes we made. Now you are in a big, public family. And you have to deal with all of their messes—the public messes—as well as your own.”
“How do I do it?”
“You stick at it. Just like you did in college.”
“Mom, the difference is no one is asking me to make such big choices for everyone else. You were right, I’m getting steamrolled, but I don’t know how to exert myself because I don’t know what to do. Queen Elspeth told me to forget about me. That I should be the rock that sharpens the sword for Gale. I’m trying, but if I’m freaking out this badly already…”
“You will get the hang of it,” she said with such ease and confidence. “You have no other choice now.”
“Hmm.” I kicked my legs, and she laughed at me. “Mom, stop being practical. Just stay. There are still days before I leave. You and I can spend more time together.”
“I have something important I need to do back in Seattle.”
I frowned. The way she said that didn’t sit right with me. “What do you have to do?”
“Again, don’t you have enough on your plate?”
“I always make room to stress over you, Mom.” I grinned, and she rolled her eyes.
“Don’t stress over me. I’m perfectly fine.”
“Do you have enough money?” I asked.
