Page 55 of Coffee Break with the Billionaire

Either way, someone is going to get hurt. The smart thing would be to keep my distance; stop working at the coffee shop. Stop drinking coffee altogether. Forget about star gazing and late nights out in the cold and the look in Silas’s green eyes when he said good night.

But I’ve never been that smart when it comes to men.

I wake up with a surge of excitement that I’ll see Silas today.

I meet Edie in Battle Harbour before I go to work, and we run through the stores in record time because she has to be at the pub by noon.

I have to go to work too. I hug that to myself because it feels strange that I’m eager to be at the coffee shop, making lattes and talking with Leodie and catching Silas looking at me out of the corner of my eye, when it’s clear from the passive-aggressive comments Edie makes that she clearly wants to do other things than inventory at The King’s Hat.

I don’t say a word about Silas even when Edie moans about how she didn’t take the time to grab a coffee before we met. Even without the caffeine, she flashes through Sara’s Sport and Arnold’s Attire like she’s on a royal mission.

In a way, she is. Edie will be queen one day and she needs to start dressing like it.

I help her with that—making suggestions on colours and styles and what works with her body type and what clearly doesn’t. I pick out a week’s worth of wardrobe for her, everyday outfits that areher, but elevated just a little more. I find four dresses suitable for special occasions and promise to take her to New York to look for more when my exile is over.

I buy a much warmer coat for myself, gloves and a selection of hats. Even if I stay for just one more week, who knows how cold it will get?

“How long are you staying for?” Edie asks as one of the security guards assigned to Prince Kalle takes an armload of bags from her.

Only in Laandia can the future queen spend a morning shopping without an entourage. I take more people to the shops, and I’m just me.

“I’m not sure.” The pictures I posted of the sky didn’t go viral but they’ve been shared far and wide with the caption, “Where is heartbroken Fenella hiding out?”

I’m very glad I didn’t include any of Silas or Wyatt. The texts I got from my father’s assistant were bad enough, asking if I knew the meaning ofunder the radarandlow profileand overtcomments about how the board of Carrington was not pleased with my continual attempts for attention.

I’ve never liked Assistant Peter.

“I have a favour to ask,” Edie says hesitantly as we pause outside Helen’s Hunt.

“If it involves shopping, I’m all in.”

“A little different, but I think it might helpyouout as well. I know you have your car to make it easier to get into town,” she begins, “but what do you think of actually staying in town?”

“Is there a castle around that I haven’t noticed?”

“Not a royal place. Mine. How would you feel about house-sitting for me? Cat-sitting, actually.”

“You have a cat?”

All I can think of is how Silas thinks he’d be more interesting with a cat. And then the idea ofhaving my own placehits me like I’ve slammed into a tree while speeding along in my car, and I hop with excitement. “You have a house?”

“An apartment. And I have Ernie. Kalle has Bertie, and they do not get along, which is why we haven’t integrated them. Bertie won’t let Kalle out of her sight, so she’s at the castle with us. I had to leave Ernie behind at my place, but he’s not handling being alone very well.”

“Why do you still have your own place when you’re living with Kalle at the castle?” I wonder.

“I haven’t figured out who to rent it out to,” she admits. “And because there’s not a lot of interest in living right beside the pub. It can get kind of loud at night.”

“Fair,” I say. “I’m loud at night. I mean… that wouldn’t bother me.”

“It’s not the castle,” Edie continues, sounding like she’s doing her best to dissuade me. “There’s no Mrs. Theissen to look after things—”

“Mrs. Theissen terrifies me,” I confess.

“Join the club. If you’re looking for a change, I’d love if you stayed at my place while you’re here to look after my cat.” She smiles hopefully.

My eagerness bubbles as much as the steamer at Coffee for the Sole. “I’d love to.”

We have just enough time to run over to Edie’s apartment. I know even before I step foot inside that I’m going to love staying there. Gunnar is leaving in the next few days for his trip with Stella, and while I’ve never felt anything but welcome at the castle, it might be strange if he’s not there.

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