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Would she keep traveling with Franz after this fiasco or would she have to find a new buddy? She used to like huge groups, but she’d cut it down to one or two she trusted—or somewhat trusted.
Why hadn’t Franz found her? How hard would it have been for him to call the hospitals near where they’d paraglided and ask about her? Even if they didn’t have her name, he could’ve asked for a woman brought in from a paragliding accident.
She hoped he was all right. Why did everything feel so uncertain? Her future had felt hollow for a while now, but she didn’t know how to change it.
She was out of Augustine. Everything would be fine now. She’d go back to traveling and exploring. But she didn’t want to say goodbye to Steffan so soon.
“What do you do to stay busy?” Steffan asked.
Was the impressive prince simply making conversation, or was he as interested in her as she was in him? Would he think her lifestyle was empty and meaningless as some did? She didn’t know why she cared.
“Traveling, adventuring, having experiences.” She liked spending her money spoiling her friends wherever she went, assisting strangers when she saw a need. She loved meeting and helping locals. Though she always told them if they shared with anyone who had donated to their cause, she wouldn’t be back. It usually worked to dissuade them from posting about her generosity on social media or bragging to their friends. She preferred people thinking she was all about the good times and not trying to dive too deep into her messed-up mind.
The road was straight. Too straight. Steffan studied her as the car basically drove itself.
“What is it you do, Hattie?”
She narrowed her eyes and folded her arms across her chest. “Travel, adventure, have experiences,” she repeated.
He focused on the road again. She knew what he was wondering but was too classy to ask. How did she afford to travel like she did? Hadn’t Jensen said she was a billionaire? Most people their age were busy and focused on securing a future, a career, a family, a life. She could lie and say she was a social media influencer. She had enough followers that she could make money there, but she didn’t need to, or care to.
“My parents were very successful with their disaster recovery company,” she admitted to him. “I’m what some call a billionaire heiress.”
They were climbing out of the valley and cruising through another mountain pass.
“Interesting,” was all he said.
Hattie didn’t like the brevity or ambiguity of that response. Was he judging her, or did he actually find her interesting? She angled her body toward him and asked, “What’s interesting?”
“I’m sure you have a very interesting life.”
“I do. I’ve been to every corner of our beautiful world. I’ve climbed the Himalayan mountains and been on a scuba dive trip with whale sharks. I meet fabulous people everywhere I go. I travel with fun friends and make more friends along the way.”
Where were all her friends now? Most were busy with ‘real life’ stuff, like jobs, family, homes, futures. There were some she could call at any time and they’d meet her for a trip, but most of her favorite friends had moved on from the nomad life. “I’m not tied to some … office or life.” She angled away from him and looked out the window.
“It sounds great,” he said. His voice didn’t sound like he thought it sounded great. No, maybe he meant it sounds great, but in reality it would be completely unfulfilling. He was right. She’d loved her travels and her friends for the first couple years, but since Jane’s death and then losing her parents … nothing fulfilled her now. She was Barbosa from Pirates of the Caribbean, drinking and never feeling satiated, eating and never feeling full.
Gah! Why had she even thought that? That wasn’t true. She loved her life. Besides, what else was she supposed to do? Waste her life away on a job she wasn’t passionate about? Settle down and have babies with a man she didn’t love? Live in remote villages with Sadie and Wolf?
“But …?”
“But nothing. It sounds great.”
“The way you say ‘sounds’ is like it sounds great but isn’t actually in reality great.”
“You’re putting words in my mouth.” His tone was teasing.
She smiled. “But I’d like to hear what you think of my wandering life. You spend all your time stuck in that hospital?”
“I spend a lot of hours there,” he admitted. “I love it. It’s fulfilling, challenging, and I’m helping people. I care deeply for the patients I treat.”
Hattie’s breath shortened as she pondered what he’d said. She was jealous of that—being fulfilled, helping, and having a challenge. Did he care deeply for all the people he helped? Particularly her?
She saw a sign stating they were fifteen kilometers from Bad Ragaz. Almost there. Her stomach twisted, wondering what excuse Franz might have for not looking for her. What if he’d been hurt badly and she had to go find him in some hospital?
“So you don’t do it just because it’s expected that you work as a doctor now?” she asked, though she knew the answer.
“Definitely not. My dad’s supportive of me, but I don’t need to work, and he’d prefer I perform surgeries or advise other physicians or something else that takes me out of the public access. After my mum was killed, the security got so tight in my emergency room, thanks to my brother General Ray trying to protect all of us, that I could barely help anyone until they’d been sedated or restrained and my security guards declared it safe. I hated that.”
