Page 22 of Royal Pain
Chapter 8
Belinda
The last of the candles on the Morgan’s dining room table cast a golden glow. And the soft music in the background soothes the savage beast in me. I’m in the zone. A little wine and a lot of good conversations are a few reasons I’m in such a happy space. Well, almost. There’s no forgetting he’s about to go back home. Seven thousand miles away from me. But for tonight I’m going to try to appreciate every moment together we have left. There’s going to be plenty of time to hate my life later.
Graham’s taste in music is as sophisticated as I’d expect. Soraya’s dinner invitation was inspired, and I was pleasantly surprised when Zan was so open to meeting my best friend and her husband. Especially when time grows short. Tomorrow night is his last one here.
“Soraya and Graham have two children,” I say to Zan. “Chloe and Lorenzo.”
“That’s great.”
“Do you have any children, Zan?” Graham says.
I’m not sure why my stomach just flipped, but it’s probably because I never thought of asking the question.
“No. I’ve never been married.”
Whew.
Laughter rises from our hosts, and I know why.
“Well, neither were we, until after the fact,” Soraya shares.
Zan starts laughing too. “Well, that’s very modern of you.”
“It’s more innocent than it sounds. I found out about Chloe years after the fact, and this one…” he pitches a thumb at Soraya, “she played hard to get. Wouldn’t marry me till she was good and ready. That was seven months after Lorenzo was born.”
“But you have to admit I looked damned good in my wedding dress. Baby weight wasn’t going to ruin my fantasy of how I’d look on my wedding day.”
“I liked how you looked pregnant.”
Watching the Morgans is a lesson in romance. They adore each other and never try to hide the fact.
This dinner, this night is one of those special moments in time where things just click. It seems like the four of us have known each other for years, and conversations flow easily from one topic to the next.
“I know your time here is limited, Zan. But we’re glad you shared a night with us,” Soraya says, pouring another glass of wine all around.
He looks at me and smiles before he answers.
“It’s my pleasure. I wanted to meet the friend who told her to wear the gold dress.”
That brings a laugh from all four of us, but especially Graham. “Listen, we are outsmarted and outplayed by these two. Sometimes all it takes is a dress.”
“Don’t undervalue our other qualities,” Soraya adds. “Neither Belinda or I are short on the more, shall we say, standard gifts. Intelligence, compassion.”
“What she said,” I add.
Graham kisses her cheek. “Sweetheart, there’s absolutely nothing standard about you.”
“See why I love him?” Soraya asks. She gets up and starts to clear the dishes. When I make an attempt to help she stops me with one palm. “No. I’ve got this. Sit.”
We exchange a look only she and I were aware of. It lasted a fraction of a second, a blink of an eye. Girlfriend shorthand. But she said one hell of a lot and I agreed. She really approves of Zan, thinks he’s great looking, I did good, and I’d better not let this slip through the cracks. Oh, also isn’t it cool the men like each other?
“Tell us about your typical duties, Zan. Did you assume certain ones when you came of age?” Graham says.
Zan’s expression changes. Whenever he speaks about Mozia I can see how deep the connection runs. I think everyone does. He leans forward and his eyes brighten.
“My official role is as an advisor to the Crown. I’m a prince in name only, but a loyal countryman in every sense of the words. I’m responsible for advising the king on the business of running our country. The king and queen provided me with an impressive education to that end.”
