by Leanne Banks
“Whoa,” Max said.
“Exactly,” she retorted as she headed for the door. “Whoa.”
Sophie slammed the door behind her and headed for her teeny, tiny car. She started the car, put it in gear and took the winding road down the mountain. Despite her impatience with Max, she appreciated the challenge of their project. Once they fixed these roads, everyone in Chantaine could enjoy the north end of the island where the vegetation and birds flourished.
This area almost resembled the jungle while most of the rest of the island featured rocky beaches and green parks. Every day during the last thirty-one days, Sophie had wondered if she should have refused Max’s invitation to join him in Chantaine. She had wanted one last chance with Max, but now she was feeling regrets. Every day of being with him was driving her crazy.
Sophie sucked in a deep breath of the clean island air and sped down the winding road toward town. The drive took nearly an hour, but she was glad to be in the center of Chantaine with its variety of restaurants, entertainment and shopping, even though she rarely took part in what it had to offer.
In contrast, shopping was definitely in her future today. She could not think of one thing in her wardrobe appropriate for a tea. She grabbed a bite to eat then focused on finding a new dress and planned to charge Max for the purchase. He should have given her more notice, the jerk.
After zipping through several stores, she found a blue dress that fit and flattered. The price tag made her wince, but was soon forgotten as she headed to a hair salon. It had been over a month since her curly hair had been shaped.
After her hair appointment, Sophie was exhausted and dragged herself back to her apartment. Washing her face and brushing her teeth, she pulled on a nightgown, cursing Max until she fell asleep.
Sophie slept in the next morning, but when she awakened, she immediately felt panicky. She showered and fussed with her hair and makeup. Too soon, however, her cell rang with the news that a driver would pick her up to bring her to the palace.
Sophie’s stomach dipped again. She tried to recall everything Max had said about his half sisters, the princesses, but it all jumbled with her facts and figures about the road project. She leaned her head against the seat back and tried to relax as the driver took her inside the palace gates.
Seconds later, however, the driver let her out at the palace entrance. A man met her and guided her inside. “Miss Taylor?”
“Yes, thank you,” she said. “It’s beautiful.”
“Thank you,” he said. “We think so, too. I’ll take you to the room where you will share tea with the princesses of Devereaux.”
“Thank you,” she said, but wasn’t so sure about all this. “So, how do you like living in Chantaine?” she asked nervously.
The man glanced at her. “I like it very much,” he said.
Of course, she thought. What else was he going to say? It sucks dirtwater? She nodded, trying to calm her nerves.
He led her into a beautifully decorated parlor with a table readied for formal tea.
“Ma’am, are you all right?” a man asked from behind her.
Sophie whipped around to face the man at the door. “Yes, of course,” she said. “I’m Sophie. And you are?”
“Walter Deneuve,” the man said. “You looked a bit pale.”
Sophie bit her lip. “I’m a little nervous. I’ve never had tea with a bunch of royals.”
Walter smiled. “The Devereauxes are quite welcoming. I think you’ll enjoy them.”
“Thank you,” she said, but still wasn’t sure. “The pastries look delicious,” she said and wandered around the table.
A half moment later Walter stood at attention, the door opened, and three women entered the room, two of which were waddling in late pregnancy.
“Her Highness, Princess Eve, wife of Crown Prince Stefan,” Walter announced.
Sophie dipped her head.
“Her Highnesses Bridget and Phillipa,” he continued.
“Yes, yes, enough of that,” Eve said in a Texas drawl as she extended her hand. “I’m Eve and at least thirteen months pregnant. Very pleased to meet you. I’m sorry Maxwell didn’t bring you around sooner.”
Sophie smiled and shook Eve’s hand. “Thank you. And I hope your delivery is quick and smooth.”
“Me, too,” Eve said in a grumbly voice.
“I’m Bridget and I’m not pregnant,” the dark-haired woman wearing high heels said cheerfully. “But I’ve also adopted twin toddler boys.”
“You’re brave,” Sophie couldn’t help saying.
Bridget laughed. “I like you already. This is Phillipa, but we call her Pippa. Her delivery date is right behind Eve’s.”
Sophie met the kind gaze of the youngest princess. “It’s nice to meet you. I hope you, too, have a quick and smooth delivery.”
Pippa beamed. “Thank you. I’m hoping for the same.”
“Shall we sit?” Eve asked. “These days, I’m always happy to sit.”
“Of course,” Bridget said and led the way to the table.
Eve glanced at Sophie. “I don’t really like hot tea. Would you like iced tea?”
Sophie felt an easing inside her. “I would love some iced tea.”
Soon enough, sandwiches and pastries were served.
“What is it like working with Maxwell? He seems very intense,” Bridget said, taking a bite of a pastry.
He’s a pain in the butt, Sophie thought, but bit her tongue. “You’re right. He’s very intense. Type A.”
“Yes, he’s mentioned you several times, and it occurred to me that you might enjoy some female companionship. I hear there aren’t many women on the construction site,” Eve said, then smiled. “Then again, maybe you enjoy being surrounded by all those men.”
Sophie laughed at the thought. “Perhaps I would in a different situation, but there’s no flirting. It’s all about getting the job done.”
“Well, that’s a shame,” Bridget said, pursing her lips. “Perhaps we can help find someone to amuse Sophie during her off-hours.”
Pippa groaned. “Oh, no. You’re not going to start matchmaking again.”
“I’m determined to succeed one of these days,” Bridget said.
The resolve in Bridget’s voice made Sophie a little uneasy. “Not necessary. I can amuse myself. Besides, it’s not as if I’ll have that much free time.”
“Well, everyone needs a break now and then. So I’ve been told repeatedly,” Eve said with a sigh.
Bridget nodded. “Eve hasn’t had the easiest pregnancy, so we’ve all had to help her accept that she can’t keep going at breakneck speed. Coco was especially helpful getting through to Eve.”
At the mention of Max’s full-blood sister, Sophie felt a twist of curiosity. “Max hasn’t discussed her much, but she sounds like a very sweet person.”
“Oh, she is,” Pippa said. “We would kidnap her and make her live in Chantaine if possible.”
“I would have liked to have met her,” Sophie said.
“Perhaps you will,” Pippa said. “Once Eve and I have our babies, I know she’ll be dying to see them.”
“In the meantime, you’ll have to come visit my ranch,” Bridget said with a sly sense of pride.
“Ranch?” Sophie echoed.
“Yes, my husband is originally from Texas. He is the official medical director for Chantaine and I noticed that he was missing his home state, so we’ve built a ranch for him. We have chickens, horses and now we even have two cows. So you’ll feel totally at home on our ranch.”
Sophie swallowed a chuckle. She hadn’t spent one day of her life on a ranch. “It sounds fabulous. How did you do it?”
“Trust me, it wasn’t easy and it’s taken months, but my husband seems happier, so that makes me happy. The only th
ing that would please him more is if Chantaine had a semi-professional baseball team. I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
“Where are you from?” Eve asked, shifting her weight as if she were uncomfortable. Sophie felt sorry for the woman. She was probably always uncomfortable at this stage of her pregnancy.
“The Washington, D.C., area,” she said.
Eve blinked then snickered. “Sophie is from the city, Bridget. Not everyone from America is from Texas.”
Bridget frowned for a moment then her face brightened. “No problem. Perhaps Sophie and I could take a quick trip to Paris and we could visit Fredericka, one of our sisters.”
Both Pippa and Eve gave loud sounds of disapproval. “Not before we deliver,” Eve said. “If we’re trapped here on the island, then you have to stay, too.”
“Trapped in paradise?” Bridget echoed with a cheeky smile. “Who would possibly call it trapped?”
“You’re the one taking off for Italy and France every chance you get. You just wait until you get pregnant and your husband gets all protective of you,” Eve said. “You’ll be singing a different song.”
“With twin toddlers, I won’t be getting pregnant anytime soon,” Bridget promised.
Pippa glanced at Sophie. “We must stop with all this baby talk. We’re probably boring our guest to death.”
“Oh, no,” Sophie said. “It’s a nice change from discussions about rocks and engineering.”
“From what Max has said, it sounds as if he does a lot of traveling,” Eve said. “Do you enjoy it?”
“For the most part, I do,” Sophie said. “It’s fascinating to see places that were just spots on a map to me. But all this travel prevents me from getting a dog.”
Bridget nodded. “My husband feels the same way. A dog is next on our list as soon as the boys are toilet trained.”
More courses of fruits and sweets were served. After a while of chatting and giggling, the man who’d been standing by the door the entire time walked toward Eve and spoke to her in a low voice. Eve nodded. “Thank you. I asked Walter to remind me when Stephenia is supposed to wake up from her nap. I promised her a trip to the playground. She’s missing the boys since you moved out.”
“I’ll bring them soon,” Bridget said. “I’ve just wanted them to get adjusted to the ranch.”
Bridget said it with such irony that Sophie couldn’t conceal a chuckle.
Eve rose. “We must do this again.”
Bridget nodded. “Or better yet, let’s do lunch and shop.”
“I’ll agree to lunch, but no shopping for me,” Eve said.
“Same here,” Pippa said as the rest of them rose to their feet.
“Thank you so much for inviting me. I didn’t know what to expect, but I have to say this is the most fun I’ve had in a long time,” Sophie said, surprising herself a little with the realization.
The chauffeur met her at the palace door and drove her back to her apartment. It occurred to Sophie as the car wove through the picturesque streets that she’d been spending a lot of time working and hardly any time enjoying herself. For what reason? So she could be close to Max. Because she was still hoping he would notice her and fall madly in love with her.
Sophie caught a glimpse of the ocean and realized that she hadn’t gone to the beach once since she’d arrived in Chantaine. Irritation niggled through her. Why was she staying with Max until the wee hours of the night if he wasn’t going to notice her? It wasn’t as if they accomplished much after dinnertime anyway.
She’d recently been reading a self-help book a co-worker from Australia had given her for Christmas. The book had supplied a quote that was sticking, annoyingly, in her head. If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten.
Sophie frowned. What she’d gotten the last few years had been an adventurous job with great pay and an unrequited crush on Max. And no dog.
Sophie brooded over that for several moments.
The chauffeur surprised her, opening the door. “Miss?”
She hadn’t even noticed the car had stopped. “Yes. Thank you for the ride.”
“My pleasure,” he said and helped her out of the car. That was nice, she thought. Someone treating her like a woman.
Sophie cringed. Someone paid to treat her like a woman.
Okay, that was it. She needed to think about doing something different. Sophie took a deep breath. Sophie looked at her apartment then turned away. She needed a night out.
She meandered in a few shops until they closed then walked to a café, got a sandwich and did some people-watching. All the while, she found herself second-guessing her decision to come to Chantaine. Maybe she should have refused Max. What would have happened if she had? What would she be doing now?
Sighing, Sophie wandered out of the shop and stopped at the crosswalk to walk the few blocks to her apartment. She waited until the light signaled that she could cross and stepped off of the curb.
Out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed a cute bright yellow scooter whizzing around the corner just before it sent her flying through the air.
* * *
Later, hours, was it days? Sophie awakened to a blurry sight in front of her.
“Sophie,” Max said. “Sophie, it’s me, Max. How are you?”
She opened her mouth, but her throat felt so dry. She made a croaking sound.
“Thank God,” he muttered. She felt his hand on hers.
“Max,” she whispered, but her head throbbed. “What happened?”
* * *
“A scooter ran into you,” he said.
She took a deep breath and tried to concentrate. A vague visual of a scooter rounding a corner crossed her mind. “Oh, yeah.”
“You remember?”
She nodded. “I was walking the crosswalk and the scooter came out of nowhere. Am I okay?”
He squeezed her hand. “Yeah, you’re fine. Just rest.”
Sophie awakened later. She wasn’t sure when, but the nurse met her gaze. “How are you, sweetie?” she said. “You’ve had a rough go of it.”
“Are you from Australia?” Sophie asked, taking in the accent of the nurse.
The woman nodded and smiled. “No. New Zealand. Both would be extremely offended.”
Sophie smiled, but her body felt as if it ached all over. “Is anything broken?”
The nurse shook her head. “Your body is fine. We’re still checking your brain.”
“Oh, no,” Sophia said. “Am I brain-damaged?”
The nurse shook her head. “A little confused,” she said and tucked a blanket around Sophie. “Time will tell how confused.”
Sophie frowned, feeling frightened. What did that mean? What if she couldn’t perform her job? Worrying over the terrible possibilities, she felt a spurt of relief as Max walked into her room.
“Hi,” she said. “So, am I brain-damaged?”
“No more than usual,” he said then slid his hand over her forehead. “According to all the tests, you should be okay.”
* * *
“How’s the scooter driver?” she asked.
He smiled. “Unfortunately, better than you are.”
Sophie scowled at him. “That sucks.”
“Can’t disagree, but he is too sorry for words. Been standing in the waiting room since you first arrived.”
“Hmm,” she said.
“I’m just glad you’re awake and intelligible,” he said, leaning toward her.
“Have I been unintelligible?” she asked, far more concerned about that than being awake.
She watched Max take a deep swallow. He shook his head. “Never.”
Sophie sank back on her pillow. “You lie like a dog.”
* * *
The nurse pulled up Sophie’s information on her computer screen. “All her tests are normal. Her vitals are excellent. It’s a miracle she wasn’t hurt worse. Her body is demanding more rest to recover from the trauma. She’ll improve rapidly over the next few days. I wouldn’t be surprised if the doctor allowed her to leave this afternoon.”
“This afternoon?” he said, shocked. “But she only arrived night before last.”
“There’s no swelling in her brain. She’ll just need someone to be with her for the first night.”
“We can take care of that,” a cultured feminine voice said from behind him.
Max glanced at the woman and immediately recognized her. Princess Bridget with a male assistant or bodyguard behind her.
“Your highness,” the nurse said, giving a slight curtsey.
Bridget dipped her head. “Thank you, but not necessary. I would like a thorough update on Miss Sophie Taylor’s condition. Good to see you, Maxwell, but I much prefer to visit in a different situation. Did I hear correctly that they’re going to release her?”
“That’s what the nurse said, but the doctor will make the final decision.”
“You don’t seem too keen about her going home,” Bridget said.
“She’s still sleeping a lot and I can’t see her taking care of herself,” he said.
“I have the perfect solution. We’ll bring her to the palace. I would invite her to my ranch, but the boys are such hellions she’d never find any peace. Pippa’s husband, Nic, is taking his last trip to the States. She had to force Nic to go. The only way he would agree was if she stayed at the palace. So, Pippa can provide company and there will be staff to wait on Sophie hand and foot.”
Her generosity took him off guard. At the same time, he felt responsible for Sophie. He almost felt as if he should be the one take care of her since she really didn’t know anyone else in Chantaine. “I don’t know. I have to think about what would be best for Sophie.”
