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“Not really. It’s just a lucky coincidence. I mean, I can’t deny he was sexy when I saw him initially at the airport, and the accent. And as for Seattle, do you remember how long it took me to get a contract? I never thought I was even gonna make it as a professional!” Clara blushed a deep red, and she was glad Amanda wasn’t able to see her embarrassment. Clara couldn’t get her video chat to work.
“This is something out of a bad romance movie, Clara! Is he as gorgeous as the photo I texted you of the celebrity gossip magazine website?”
“Yes, but he’s so much more. His personality just shines so much. He’s kind, considerate, passionate, and a coffee lover. His cousin has a lot more going on than meets the eye.”
“Prince Edward, my celebrity crush. Wait, is that the cousin? You did not have lunch with him too! I’m going to die. My best friend had lunch with my future husband. He’s only four years younger than me you know. He would be my perfect match, not to mention…”
“Amanda. I’m already dead tired. If I let you go on about all of your favorite attributes of your ‘future husband,’ I’ll fall asleep on my phone.” Clara didn’t feel it was her place to share so many of the intimate details David imparted with her.
Amanda huffed. “You take all the fun out of this. I understand though. Anyhow, since you don’t do social media, I did an internet search on David.”
“Do I even want to know what you found?”
Amanda urged, “Yes, you need to know what’s out there, just in case.”
“It feels like an invasion of privacy if you ask me.” Clara was torn. Did she really want to know? Should she just ask David? Would he tell her?
“If it’s on the internet, it’s fair game!”
“Look, I really, really don’t want to know, but I do. Just tell me, any trophy girlfriends?”
Clara held her breath. She was afraid of what Amanda would find. She didn’t want to be compared to any of his past girlfriends. Curiosity got the better of her.
“You’re in the clear. Most of the press articles I’ve dug through call him the ‘barely there royal’, the ‘missing in action royal’ and a couple of other names, but his only fling I could find was from when he was in college.”
Clara wasn’t sure what she wanted Amanda to say. Clara had already fallen for David hard and fast. She understood David had an entire side to him he rarely let the outside world view. There was so much more to him than the ‘boring royal’ the press painted David as.
“I can tell you like him a lot. Just be yourself and take things one step at a time. Just think ‘what would Amandanotdo’ and you should be relatively safe. Now spill; how was dinner?”
“We actually didn’t have dinner. I had David drop me off at my hotel room. I was too tired. I ordered take out to my room.”
“Claaaaaaaaaaara. Noooooooooooo. Whhhhhhhhy? Youwouldsay you’re tired,” Amanda joked.
The two friends chatted for a short while longer and promised to text each other soon.
Time passed in a whirlwind.David and Clara continued to spend time together over the next couple of days. David’s idea of a homemade dinner was a burnt-to-a-crisp attempt at fish and chips. They ended up ordering take out. When David’s schedule permitted, they explored different sights together, including Windsor, the Tower of London, a Thames River Cruise, and theNational Gallery. Clara was happy to have time to venture out herself to Bath, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Natural History Museums. By the end of her first week in the U.K., Clara couldn’t believe how much ground she had covered. Her use of crutches got better, albeit at a much slower pace than what she wanted.
Jenna Evans was a true gem, as Clara discovered. Clara sincerely hoped the young ballerina would make it to the professional level. Touring the Royal Ballet School inspired Clara to consider becoming a teacher in the Royal Academy of Dance technique after her professional career was over. She loved the way the students carried themselves and seemed so happy. Clara and Jenna agreed to keep in touch.
David was free on Sunday and arranged for Clara to see the Houses of Parliament and one other surprise. Clara kept guessing, however, David would not relent or spoil the surprise.
During her regular daily pick up by Michael, Clara had gotten to know the driver well. She would miss not having to worry about driving herself places and taking public transit when she returned home to the United States.
“Did you enjoy your tour of where the MPs serve?” Michael asked. Clara was thrilled Michael was granted special permission to pick her up on the Houses of Parliament grounds.
“I did! I was certainly surprised by how small the chambers of the House of Commons were, how much gold was within the House of Lords,and by how many statues of Queen Victoria Prince Albert had placed inside! I can’t imagine fitting everyone inside for the king’s annual opening of Parliament!”
Michael chuckled. Clara’s excitement was contagious. She couldn’t believe she only had two weeks left of her time in London. Clara was intending to get as much as she could out of the experience. Clara gasped in shock as the car was waved into the visitor’s entrance of Buckingham Palace.
“What are we doing here? This is Buckingham Palace. Are we going inside? Do you realize who lives here?”
“Yes to all of the above, miss. Welcome to Leeds’s second home, BP as we have dubbed it.”
“I’m not properly dressed! Is the king home? Am I even allowed to go inside?” The questions rolled off her tongue at such a fast pace, Clara hoped Michael could keep up. Similar to Kensington Palace, Clara’s information was taken down and the car searched before they were granted access to the grounds. The drive from Parliament had been short, but with the additional security measures, it took an extra half an hour to reach the grounds. Michael assisted Clara out of the car and waited patiently until she had steadied herself on the crutches. Just when she thought she couldn’t be shocked anymore…David, you’ve one-upped me yet again.
“I figured you may like a less discreet entrance than going through the front gates of the palace.”
“Thank you, Michael. I appreciate all that you do,as always!”
