Page 29 of Royal Caleva: Luis

“You have had a great deal to absorb, hija mía.” Luis’s tone was soft with concern. “Perhaps we should talk of happier things. Why don’t I tell you about your family in Caleva? You have your half brother, Raul; your uncle, Lorenzo, and his wife, Hélène; their son and Raul’s first cousin, Gabriel, who is about to marry one of your countrymen. I think you’ll like his fiancée, Quinn, very much.”

“I saw Gabriel announce his engagement at DragonFest. It was very romantic,” Grace said.

Luis’s face lit up with pleasure. “You watched DragonFest? We had hoped it would find its way all over the world.”

“I’m a big fan of Kyran Redda,” Grace confessed. “And now of Gabriel. His guitar-playing is fantastic.”

“He is brilliantly talented,” Luis agreed.

“Tell me about Raul. What does a prince do?” Grace asked.

“Since Raul will be king someday, he is involved with governing our country. Fortunately, he has a passion for it. And if you ever heard him sing, you would find out that Gabriel got all the musical talent in the family,” Luis said with a sly smile.

He was a charmer, that Luis. Eve found herself leaning in to bask in the glow of his charisma as Grace peppered him with questions about her royal relatives. It was hard to tell if her daughter was just curious about her new family members or if she was trying to figure out how she would fit into her new role. Perhaps both.

Having an extended family would be a new experience for Grace. Eve was the only child of an only child, so Grace had no close cousins. After the divorce, Ben had quickly remarried. Once his new wife had a baby, he’d made it clear that his new family was no longer Eve’s…or Grace’s.

The cruelty of her ex-husband’s actions still twisted a knife between her ribs. Even if he hadn’t been able to face her, he should have continued to include Grace in his life. But Grace reminded him of his failure to have a baby with Eve, and that struck at Ben’s manhood.

The welcome music of Grace’s laughter pulled her out of her ugly memories.

“Try an Iowa ham ball,” Grace said, holding out the plate. “Mom’s always get eaten first at potlucks.”

Her daughter’s compliment made her chest swell a little. Maybe Luis wouldn’t be too disappointed by his dinner.

“Potlucks?” Luis asked as he jabbed a toothpick into a miniature ham ball.

“Those are meals where a whole bunch of people get together and bring whatever food they make really well,” Grace explained. “Mom’s specialties are Iowa ham balls and Scotcheroos. We’re having those for dessert tonight.”

With a flash of white teeth, Luis bit the ham ball off the toothpick and chewed. “Superb. I cannot wait to taste the Scotcheroos.” He nodded at Eve with a warm glint of appreciation in his eyes.

His enthusiasm for her food sent pleasure shimmering through her. Although she wondered—did he really enjoy her basic cooking, or was he being nice to ingratiate himself with Grace?

As he began to ask Grace questions about her studies, Eve stood. “I’m going to get dinner going now.”

“May I help in any way?” Luis asked.

Eve almost laughed as she tried to picture him with his elegant hands encased in her ratty quilted hot gloves while he bent to pull a pan of rolls out of the oven. “No, you two keep chatting.”

She listened to the give-and-take of the conversation while she seared the filets, nearly scorching the butter when she got distracted by Luis’s velvety baritone. As she ladled out bowls of sweet corn soup, she splashed a few drops onto her dress and bit back a curse. Of course, the wet splotches stood out on the blue silk. All she could do was blot at them with a clean dish towel and hope Luis didn’t notice.

Although he seemed to notice everything, his gaze intense to the point of an almost physical touch.

She had to stop thinking about him that way.

Giving herself a mental shake, she shifted the steaks to the warming oven and returned to the living room.

“Dinner is served,” she said, not letting her gaze rest on the too-attractive man sitting in her ugly corduroy chair.

“The aroma is delicious,” Luis said as he gestured for Grace to precede him into the dining room.

“It’s a classic Iowan menu,” Eve said. She had decided not to try to compete with all the gourmet meals a king must eat. “Corn, meat, and salad.”

“And Scotcheroos,” Luis added, his faint accent making the funny word sound exotic.

“You were paying attention,” Eve said, her eyes inexorably drawn to him.

His blue eyes locked on her. “Always.”

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