Page 43 of Play On

And whatever happens, I cannot touch my face until I do the decontamination scrub.

The rest of the hour goes by quickly, with the kids even asking if they can make more than one snail, which makes me so, so happy. Before I know it, the children are getting ready to go outside for break time, all of them giving Bella big hugs before they leave. I even get a few hugs, and of course, the biggest one is from Ava, who tells me she really likes my red hair.

Okay. The sickness risk was worth it for this sweet little girl.

The members of the Royal Rota leave, and now it’s me, Bella, and her new assistant, Carlee, in the classroom.

“That went really well,” Bella says, her blue eyes dancing. “Did you see how much they loved the book? And they were so excited to make snails afterwards!”

“The kids always get so excited to meet you,” Carlee says, her toffee-coloured eyes sparkling.

Bella laughs. “I always feel like I’m a bit of a disappointment to this age group. I’m not a Disney princess.”

“But you’re a real princess and that’s very exciting,” I say.

She blushes. “I just hope they all leave wanting to read more. It brought me so much joy when I was younger and became such an escape as I got older. If this day sparks that love within them, that’s all I could ever hope for.”

“I’m sure you’ve done that,” Carlee says. “And now your diary is officially closed of royal duties until you come back from Canada.”

I grin. Bella and Camden are leaving for Canada in a few days, and it’s her first time to meet his family in person. They’re also going to the United States to attend the wedding of Camden’s brother, Gavin, in Oregon.

“I’m so excited to go and experience Camden’s life back in Canada,” Bella says eagerly. “And meet his family and friends there, too.”

“It’s a huge step,” I say, smiling at her.

“It is. And the best part? I’m ready for it. I’m nervous, of course, because I want all of them to like me, but I’m so ready to be a part of his life in Canada like he has been a part of mine here.”

Carlee clears her throat. “I’m going to check my voicemails and meet you outside,” she says, nodding at us.

“Thank you, Carlee.” Bella smiles at the brunette.

“My pleasure,” she replies, exiting the classroom.

“I just need to pack up a few things, then I’ll be ready,” I say. As soon as Carlee shuts the door behind her, I smile at Bella. “Okay, tell me the details behind that hire. You have a twenty-three-year-old American assisting you? How did that happen?”

Carlee is brand new to the team at St. James’s Palace, and Bella brought her onboard merely two weeks ago.

“I wanted someone who didn’t have the perspective of the old guard,” Bella says. “She graduated with a degree in digital marketing and media from a small university in Vermont, but you should see her experience. Carlee has done so much! Would you believe when she was sixteen she was running her school’s social media department?”

I gather up the leftover strips of construction paper and put them back into the plastic tub I brought with my art supplies. My happy feeling over paper snails begins to sink as I think about what Carlee was doing when she was sixteen.

“Wow,” I say, trying to ignore the feeling of not being good enough that is trying to fight through the surface.

“And every summer, she was doing internships with all kinds of companies and organisations to get a broad work experience,” Bella continues. “She’s supersmart and ambitious. I technicallyhired her to be my assistant, but she’s already planning my personal social-media strategy and will soon be implementing the content there. I’m so lucky to have her. In fact, Xander wants to meet her and pick her brain on stuff. But I told him under no circumstances is he allowed to steal her from me.”

“No, people like Carlee are hard to find,” I say, moving to another table and gathering up supplies.

Bella stacks up some papers at the table she is at, oblivious to my internal torment. “I think she’s really going to help me be better at what I do. And now that I’ve discovered my true calling, that’s all I want. To be the best I can be in promoting my causes and shining a light on them.”

True calling.

As in not wandering around your family’s gift shop wondering if the tea towels should be refolded in a new way or asking for a beehive, only to be told you’re too flaky to handle the responsibility of it.

“Violet?”

I blink. “I’m sorry, did you say something?”

Bella’s blue eyes study me with concern. “Are you okay?”

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