Page 28 of Daniil
I scoop some stroganoff on my plate and take a bite.It’s not a meal I eat often but it’s delicious, and I make a mental note to ask the palace chef to put it on the menu once in a while.
“This is wonderful,” I say.“Thank you for cooking.”
“You’re welcome.”She toys with the food on her plate and it’s apparent she’s nervous.
“Look, can we not talk about…serious stuff tonight?”I ask after a moment.“Can we just be two old friends reconnecting?Get to know each other again.No matter what we decide, I feel like there’s no universe where I never see you again.”
Her eyes snap to mine, surprise flickering in the green depths.“I… I don’t know how to do that, Daniil.”
“Come on, it’s just us here.Let’s talk.Tell me about your work.”
“Oh.”She looks down at her plate, playing with the food some more.“Well, when I retired from the military, I had to find a job, and Landon suggested talking to Chains.He said he’d be happy to hire me but I had to get my PI license first, so I did that while I was pregnant.Money wasn’t an issue, I was pretty frugal while I was in the military, so I used that time to get my license.Then Chains started me out working in the office, for clients that have twenty-four-hour surveillance.It was a good way to ease into a new career but boring as fuck.”She smiles.“I’m not the sit-behind-a-desk type.”
“What type are you?”I ask.“I mean, professionally.”
“Well, I like being in the action, although it’s different now that I have Micah.I’m also exploring working for one of those travel excursion companies, flying helicopters.But I haven’t done any flying since I left the military, so I’d need to shore up my skills first.”
“You must miss that part?”
“Somuch.But not as much as I love my son.He’s worth the sacrifice.”
“What do you do for fun?”
“Fun?”She looks at me and laughs.“Obviously, you’ve forgotten what it’s like during the infant phase.There’s no time for fun.I work, take care of the baby and the house, and sleep whenever I get the chance.There won’t be much fun in my life until he’s old enough for preschool.”
“I guess it’s different when you have…a partner,” I say quietly.“Jesper and I still made time for fun when we had Charlie and Briony.”
“Landon helps out when he can, but he lives in L.A., so I don’t see him as much as I’d like.My next-door neighbor, Adele, helps with babysitting when I need her, and won’t take money from me, so I take her to the doctor sometimes, grocery shopping, whatever she needs.She’s still spry but lost the vision in one eye so she stopped driving.”
Her life sounds like complete drudgery—and I fucking hate it for her.
“What about you?”she asks.“How are things at the palace?”
“Busy,” I admit.“Always.Lennox and Elen are both pregnant again, so we’re gearing up for the palace to be overrun with rug rats.Ace and Shannon just had a baby.Marcus and Harlow have this on again-off again thing going on.And the Protectors have started a pool league—you know, billiards.”Harlow is Lennox’s half-sister, so they all know each other.
“Really?Who’s the champion?”
“Well, it’s interesting… we’re all in pairs.Lennox and Sandor, Joe and Jesper, Erik and Casey, etcetera.”
“Who’s your partner?”she asks curiously.
“Do you remember Casey’s assistant, Edita?She and I paired up because we tried to keep the teams all boy-girl.Joe and Jesper are the exception, but Jesper literally never played pool in his life, so he’s a beginner.Anyway, the best player out of all of us is Casey.She and Erik win a lot.We’re in negotiations to split them up so someone else has at least a tiny chance of winning once in a while.”
She smiles.“It sounds fun.”
“It is.I’m not sure what’s going to happen with Marcus and Harlow because they’re in an off-again phase, not even speaking at the moment.”
“I imagine it’s difficult to meet people when you have a job like Marcus’s, and perhaps they’re trying too hard to make it work since it’s convenient?She still lives at the palace, right?”
“Yes.”I nod.“I don’t know.I think Marcus is gun-shy.He’s watching everyone around him settle down and feels like he needs to hold down the single-guy fort or something.”
“What about you?”she asks.“You’re still single, right?”
“I am.”I casually cut my gaze to her face, but she’s not looking at me.
Is she happy or upset about the news that I’m single?I honestly can’t tell.
“Like you said, it’s hard to meet women with jobs like ours, and adding the royal element to my situation, it’s even more difficult.”
