Page 22 of The Princess Home for Christmas

“Look, Thomas. I can tell this makes you nervous, perhaps it sits outside of your system of morality. Well, leaving them to die in the water sat outside mine.” She shifted like she would stand, but he held a hand on her arm.

“No, no, Dahlia, it’s not that. I’m just trying to understand just what I’m getting myself into.”

She turned to him, eyes wide with surprise. “What you’re getting yourself into?”

He shrugged. “Of course. You don’t think I’d let you do this alone, now that I know?”

“But Thomas.”

He waited, eyebrows raised.

Whatever she was about to say, she gave up and closed her mouth. “Good, I could use the help. I don’t know what to do about all the press. I am deathly afraid someone will track my communication or my movement and discover these people and kick them out.”

He realized he was a real problem as far as press was concerned. “I put everyone at risk.”

She didn’t respond.

He reached for her hand and gave it a tug. “Did I?”

She turned to him. “I don’t know. I don’t know what is going to happen with all this new press attention. But we need to be careful.”

“Perhaps we should plan what to say at the press release with this in mind? Distract them from anything that might lead them down that path?”

“Good idea.” The relief on her face, the open smile, the close manner in which she sat all filled him with happiness that he thought he had lost. He didn’t care what happened. He would work to fix anything as long as he could continue to pursue Dahlia.

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