Page 37 of Royal Icing
“In the statistically impossible situation where I fall in love with a prince, abandon my disabled mother, and move to a foreign country, you’ll be the first to know.”
“How is your mom?” the other voice asked. Her tone had lost its playfulness.
“She claims to be fine, but she totally unplugged one of the nanny cams. If it happens again?—”
“It won’t,” the caller said firmly. “And the first one wasn’t your fault either. If anything, it was Maya’s fault.”
Emma breathed a deep sigh, like something that burbled up from the depths of her toes. “I have to go. If I don’t impress the hell out of the queen tomorrow morning, I may never get the second half of the money, and I’ll be right back to square one.”
“Go do what you do best. Love you.”
“Love you,” Emma replied.
Leo paused. She seemed to be taking deep breaths on the other side of the door. He could practically feel her tension. He wanted to see her, to comfort her. But he hadn’t gleaned much from her conversation with her friend—only that she wasn’t looking to fall in love.
Which was good. Because he wasn’t either. There was no time for romance when women and children were forced to flee to ramshackle shelters with poor water pressure and half-broken furniture.
But that didn’t mean he couldn’t try to help her. Abruptly making up his mind, he pushed the door open.
Emma shrieked and grabbed the object nearest her—a baking sheet. She wielded it like a shield for a moment before recognizing him. It clattered to the island.
“Do you always greet people this way?” he asked.
“Only when they sneak up on me.”
A scatter of papers surrounded her. Hairs were escaping from her bun, and there was a frown line etched between her eyebrows.
“Is it really sneaking if I’m entering my own kitchen?”
She shot him a dirty look.
“Is everything okay?” he asked.
“What? Oh. Yes. I’m just working on something for tomorrow.”
“You sound stressed.”
“Stressed? Me? No, I’m only preparing a dessert that will decide my entire future.” The tension in her voice was palpable, and it tugged at his heart.
Coming around the island to where she stood, Leo gently took both of her arms and jostled her until she looked at him.
“Everything’s going to be fine.”
She stared at him, tears forming. He stroked her cheek, and something changed in her eyes.
“Let’s take a dinosaur breath, then you can tell me about it.”
She stopped and looked confused. “A dinosaur breath?”
Idiot.
“Sorry. That was something I used to do with Ruby when she was upset.”
The corners of her mouth twitched, and she obediently took a deep breath.
“Is this your idea or your boss’s?” he asked when she looked a little calmer.
She scoffed, then briefly clamped her mouth shut. “It’s mine.”
