Page 59 of Royally Rivalled

“Go on, Asti.”

“I just… look, I went to these awards. And, yes, I got one. However, this dude I hooked up with?—”

“You hooked up with someone? Define it.”

“We… had sex,” I said with trepidation.

“Oh, really?” She wasn’t cross. She was curious.

“Yes,” I sighed. “Like real sex. Good sex.”

“And? What’s the issue?”

“Well, we’re working on this project. And I thought we were good, but we’re not. I cannot read him.”

“Did anything happen?”

“Imean, I may have flirted a little with someone, but… that shouldn’t matter. The problem is we work together and have a deadline. I must go to a meeting to deal with this project, and Iknowhis smug ass will show up.”

“You flirted with another guy, and he saw it?”

“Yes,” I winced.

“Astrid, men are dogs! Ofcourse,he’s offended.”

“We said we weren’t anything!”

“Yes, well, you know how that worked out with me. Rick loathes men flirting with me. It makes him all aggro. I like to torture him because it leads to horniness and?—”

“Nope, nope. I’m good, thanks,” I said.

Linnea screamed, her protests too on the nose.

“Give me a second.”

Alexandra set the phone down. She spoke to one of her lady’s maids and handed the baby off. Linnea was going to get a bottle from someone else. When you were a queen, you could do that.

“Yes, sweetheart. I only meant that I think you might need to talk to him. Maybe he wants to have a relationship? If so, you need to figure out howyoufeel.”

“What if he’s just being a dick?”

“You won’t know if you don’t engage, right?”

I groaned.

“Asti, youknowI’m right!”

“Yes, yes. Oh, well, I must go. Tell the girls thanks for the happy birthday song and the gift.”

“I will. They’ll ring you tomorrow, okay?”

This morning, I woke to a happy birthday voicemail. I was officially twenty-two. Held up at a horse show in France, Odette and Ingrid couldn’t communicate with me in real-time.

“Sure. I am homesick, Alex.”

“I know. But you’ll be home for Christmas, and we will all spoil you. We’ll annoy you with too much attention!”

I doubted it. I missed them. I wanted to curl up in bed with Alexandraand watch movies. I wanted to play piano with Odette and read books by the fire with Ingrid. I liked all that. If I thought about it too much, I’d cry. This was my first birthday apart from my sisters. That wasn’t lost on me.

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