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“You worked as a nanny?” Even as he asked, Konstantin was texting something on his phone.
“Yes.” She saw no harm in telling Konstantin what she’d done in the past. It had no connection to her position as a bookkeeper now. “It allowed me to be with Mickey while giving me the time to take a couple online college courses every term.”
“You got your degree?”
“An associate’s rather than a bachelor’s degree like I’d meant to, but sometimes plans have to be adjusted to work in the life we live.”
“That’s a very wise attitude to take.”
“A necessary one, in my life anyway.” She was happy she’d found calm acceptance. At first, she’d resented all the losses in her life, and spent a lot of fruitless time despising the man in front of her.
“You are proud you’ve taken the upheavals with equanimity,” he realized out loud. “As you should be.”
“I’m proud of a lot of things, but that’s not what we’re here to talk about.” She cast another glance at the older man who had sat quietly while she and Konstantin talked.
“No. It is not.” Konstantin indicated the man. “Emma, this is Albert Popov. He has been on the palace’s legal team since he passed the bar.”
The lawyer who had drawn up the TRO. He had silver in his hair and the lines around his eyes indicated he was probably in his fifties. So, a long time, then.
“I won’t say it’s a pleasure to meet you, because I don’t know if it will be,” Emma said. “But I will wish you a good morning.” She didn’t know why the lawyer was there, but she suspected Konstantin wanted to hammer out a legal agreement for parental rights and visitation.
“I will try to make our meeting as pleasant as possible.” The lawyer gave Konstantin a nervous glance.
Emma didn’t trust either man, but she knew she had to hear them out. “Okay.”
Konstantin’s earlier text made sense as a server approached with assorted herbal tea sachets in a basket and another carafe, this one no doubt filled with hot water. He and Mr. Popov waited while she chose a tea and set it steeping in her cup.
Only then did Konstantin pour himself a cup of coffee, the scent nearly making Emma moan. She missed coffee.
“Albert is the lawyer who filed the restraining order.” Konstantin looked at Emma expectantly.
CHAPTER FOUR
EMMA DIDN’T SAY ANYTHING.
He could have chosen a different lawyer to bring to this meeting, but the Prince had never been what she would term sensitive.
Konstantin continued to look at Emma like he thought she might start asking questions, or something.
Emma just waited.
“He did not do it on my behest,” Konstantin said as the silence stretched.
Oh. So, they were going to discuss the TRO first. Emma did a calming count in her mind. “So you claimed yesterday, but he did do it on your behalf.”
“At my former sister-in-law’s command, not mine,” Konstantin stressed. “He did not consult me before filing the paperwork, nor did he consult me after.”
Mr. Popov cleared his throat. “I believed Prince Konstantin wanted the temporary restraining order taken out against you. What I believed to be his testimony about your stalkerish behavior was very compelling.”
“Was it?” Emma asked noncommittally. She’d thought the allegations sounded dramatic and over the top.
But then she’d known them to be the lies they were.
“I know now that Her Highness had fabricated the document, but at the time I believed the accusations to be genuine.”
“And you never even spoke once about this to Konstantin, I mean His Royal Highness?” Emma had no trouble believing the crazy Queen had instigated the TRO, though she had no clue why. But Emma found it difficult to accept that the lawyer hadn’t ever once mentioned it to Konstantin.
“You are the mother of my son.” Konstantin reached out and placed his hand over hers on the table. “You always have leave to call me by my first name.”
