Page 16 of Royal Fling
“What about your mom? Does she love you? Is she good to you?” Fisayo asked, and I turned back to her.
I squeezed her hand in her lap and nodded.
“She did. She passed away when I was young, but she was the best mom I could have asked for,” I said.
Fisayo teared up again.
“Hey, it’s okay,” I told her. “It’s okay.”
“What happened to her?” she asked.
“Leukemia. It took her fast, and it took her suddenly.” My throat clenched at the words and the memories of her cold hand on the hospital bed that had been haunting me for years.
“I’m so sorry,” Fisayo said, rubbing my back.
She took a sip of her scotch, and so did I. And the silence in the room was back.
Then Fisayo broke it again.
“How is your life?” she asked.
I looked around the room, and my eyes fell on August’s, his gray irises scorching my face with their intensity. I swallowed. He was gorgeous even if he was so up his own ass. Fisayo said she worked for him and his family. I wondered what she did for them.
“My life is great,” I said. “I’m an elementary school teacher. I have a great bunch of friends. I still live at home.”
“Whereishome?” It was August who asked that, and I turned to look at him again, biting my cheek to center and focus myself on anything other than those gorgeous eyes.
He didn’t look half as prickly sitting there, cross-legged while balancing a glass on his knee.
“Cedarwood Beach. It’s a small town in Virginia.”
He nodded although I doubted he’d ever heard of it.
“It sounds lovely,” Fisayo said.
There was a tick in the room, and I looked up at a clock on the wall that was indicating it was now officially midnight. And the exhaustion of the day washed over me like lead.
“I… I should be going,” I said. “It’s late, and I’ve been flying all day.”
Beth nodded and set her glass down on the table.
“How long are you here for?” Fisayo asked.
“I… I’m not sure yet. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen so…”
I stood up and so did Fisayo. Her hand seemed to clench on to me unwilling to let go.
“How about dinner? Tomorrow?” August said standing up as well. “I’m sure Fisayo wants to spend more time with you, and we’d love to have you over again.”
I turned to Fisayo and watched her nod with red eyes.
“Sure. Dinner sounds good,” I said and hugged her.
I wanted to spend more time with her. Find out everything I could about where I came from. What it was she was doing. And who on earth this handsome ass she worked for was.
Six
August
