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“Columbus, Ohio. Opposite side of the country.”
“Is your family still there?”
Her gut twisted at that question, and both brothers looked at her expectantly. Was this really necessary? “My brother is retired CIA and currently in Texas with his girlfriend. My mom’s still in Ohio.” She thought so, at least. Her latest texts and emails had gone unanswered. She hadn’t dredged up the energy yet to track her mom down and see if she’d stopped paying the cell phone and internet bills or if something worse had happened to her.
Please let them leave it at that. Please don’t ask more about her mom or where her dad was.
She had no idea who her dad was. She doubted her mom did, either.
“Did you focus on … computers in school?” Tristan asked.
Ray leaned back and crossed his ankle over his knee. He seemed content to let Tristan grill her. Not that this was some grilling. She could sense they were both genuinely interested, and they seemed like nice men. It was easy to assume that handsome princes would be pompous and self-centered. These two didn’t appear to be either. Macey would’ve been comfortable around them, similar to all of her buddies who rotated through Sutton’s command center, if she wasn’t drawn to Ray and trying to hide it.
She tried to push her glasses on tighter. Dang, they weren’t there.
The door opened, and the king leaned in. “Tristan. We’ve got a Zoom meeting with transportation.”
Tristan stood, and Macey and Ray followed suit.
The king waved to Macey and Ray. “You two can get Macey set up in Ray’s office. It’s next door to mine, and Philippe is monitoring the castle.”
“The lieutenant general?” she asked.
“Yes,” Ray told her.
“No prison guards or police?”
“Ray’s military took over the protection of the castle and the royal family after Mum’s death.” Tristan was as serious as he’d been. “He doesn’t sleep, but we’re safe.” He pushed at his brother’s shoulder and finally smiled. “The wheels of Augustine don’t rotate without Ray’s permission.”
Macey had no response for that. They were serious about keeping Tristan safe. The lieutenant general on guard duty? Ray’s military and Ray’s permission … what if she had blinders on because of how attractive this man was to her? She glanced at him. No way could Ray hurt his brother or his mother. He was solid and good to the core.
“Don’t tease your brother,” the king said mildly.
Tristan only smiled.
They all walked to the door and followed the king down the hall back toward the stairs. Tristan explained as they climbed to the third floor, “The two lower levels are kitchens, utility, laundry, garage, and rooms for any of the workers who need or want to stay. The two main levels are gathering areas, dining, ballroom, entertaining, etc. Each room is two stories high, so they take up the two levels. Third level is offices. Fourth level is suites for guests. Fifth and sixth levels are also two stories high and are suites for the family. Seventh and eighth levels are superfluous rooms—an art studio, a ballet and yoga studio, a spa, gym, solarium and such.”
They stopped outside a door, and Macey couldn’t resist glancing at Ray. Solarium. That kiss. She swallowed and managed, “Superfluous?”
“Yeah. The only practical room is the gym.” Ray grinned at his brother.
“A spa sounds very practical to me.” She was teasing. She’d never been to a spa in her life. “What exactly does a spa entail?”
Tristan smirked. “Nothing too crazy. A steam room, cold plunge, a hot bath with massage jets, heated Olympic pool, massage chairs, and tile beds.”
“Nothing too crazy?” She quirked an eyebrow at Ray.
“Forgive him. He’s a spoiled crown prince,” Ray teased.
Tristan jabbed his elbow into his brother’s gut. Ray barely flinched.
“Boys,” the king warned, but he was smiling too. He opened the door and lifted a hand to Macey. “Wonderful to have you here, Miss Clifton.”
“If I’m going to call you Nolan, call me Macey.” As soon as the words were out, her face flamed red. Bold and brave for sure, but the right words for a king?
All three men grinned broadly at that. “You’re going to do just fine here, Macey,” the king said, then walked into the room, a large office with huge windows showcasing the valley below.
“Yes, you will.” Tristan grinned, took her hand, lifted it to his lips, and kissed the back of it.
