Page 37 of Royal Agenda

He paused, knowing the Hades he was about to open up with this text. It could not be helped.

Ryker: I have a date.

Sean: Dude!! Since when do you date?

Sean: Guys—someone’s kidnapped Ryker and stolen his phone.

Mack: Prank?

Ryker: Truth.

Mack: Grace?

He squeezed his eyes tightly.

Ryker: Si.

Liam: Man! She is tight!

Ryker: I am shutting off my phone.

He did, just as it snored two more times. The guys would have a great time teasing him even if he was not watching the screen.

He also knew that turning off the ringer would not affect the tracking device Liam implanted on the phone. He could drop it in the middle of the ocean, and it would send a signal. It was that device that allowed him the freedom to roam Diamond Cove without a bodyguard. It was a tracking device he wished he’d had access to when he’d tagged the jewels, but, alas, he’d been in a hurry, and one such as that could not be located at the last minute. But there was nothing to be done about the past.

Today, he was extremely grateful for the opportunity to meet a beautiful woman at sunset on the beach. Today, he was not a prince nor a fugitive. He was just a man whose heart was lighter because of magnolias.

And he liked the feeling—liked it very much.

Thirteen

Nancy had watched Grace and Ryker the whole time they whispered during genealogy class. It wasn’t difficult because they had no idea anyone else was within twenty feet of them. Her heart lifted at the chemistry that obviously zoomed around the two of them like electrons. Sigh–she loved a science experiment gone right.

When Ryker kissed Grace’s hand, she’d swooned on her granddaughter’s behalf. The man was all sorts of good moves. The Secret Seven should hire him to give other men lessons. Or The Palms could start a new class for the kids that served in the dining room. Some of those teenage boys could use a role model, and Ryker was all that and a side of toast.

She leaned over to Polly. “If I had any reservations about him, that kiss wiped them away.”

Polly swiped her forehead. “He’s hotter than one of Rosa’s tamales on the fourth of July!”

Nancy’s stomach gurgled at the memory. “They’re hotter,” she corrected. Her lips burned for weeks after, and she’d chased her tamale with a half-gallon of milk.

Harry leaned in, looking like a cat that stole the cream. “We are on a roll! This is going to work.”

Polly scooted closer. “Did you talk to her about what’s holding her back?”

“Sort of.” Nancy shook her head, her chin-length hair brushing her cheeks. She loved the new A-line cut. It felt young and healthy with a hefty dose of sass. Paired with the dress she’d not yet dared to wear, she was practically a new woman.

She hadn’t had sass in decades, and it terrified her.

“With the sizzle on those two, you may not have to say anything more.” Polly lifted one eyebrow.

Nancy breathed a silent sigh of relief. Talking to Grace amped up her stress levels. She wasn’t sure if she was stepping on wires that would explode hidden land mines or not. They had such different mindsets and beliefs about how the world worked that the conversation constantly shifted under her feet. Although, the talk about her husband had paid off. Since then, they’d gotten along quite well.

Thank goodness Ryker was smitten just as Rosa said—and there was no doubt about that with the way his eyes smoldered at Grace. He was already gone.

But she hadn’t seen Grace’s face because her back was to Nancy. Grace was always a wild card. “I’m not ready to order a victory cake from Cocoa just yet,” she said.

Grace stood up from where she’d been leaning over to see Carlie’s screen. Polly and Harry jerked away like kids in class. Nancy smiled. She’d never gotten in trouble with the teacher before.

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