21. Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Fifteen
Finley
“All this work just to move to Nashville,” Braxton says, shaking his head, sawdust flying from the dark strands as he does.
“At least you got paid.” Mason elbows the bear of a man. Mason is a built guy, but next to Braxton, he is dwarfed. Which means I look like a toothpick. I’m in the lean-but-cut camp, which isn’t normal for these beef- and corn-fed Mississippi men. But I am tall. Taller than Braxton, in fact. At least that’s going for me.
“I think it looks grand,” I state as we all three gaze up at the two-story home built with logs and stone. The structure itself is of log, but the middle of the house is made of stone. It’s aesthetically pleasing for the location it’s in—the last house down a several-mile-long paved path. There are other homes down the road, Braxton’s cabin included towards the beginning of it, but Mason’s sits at the end with lots of trees surrounding it for his privacy.
“I’m already excited to escape here,” Mason says. “This is going to be the perfect getaway for Karoline and me when we need a break from the city and tours and the rat race of a life that is being a musician.”
“Say, Braxton. Maybe you and your brother in law can build me a place like this? For when I need to escape being a king.”
Both men look at me before Braxton says, “You can do that? Just run away from being a king?”
“Absolutely not,” I reply with a grin. “But I am me. And if I decide I need a break, I will take a break. I trust my country and the people who are in positions of decision-making power.”
Mason shakes his head through an exhaled laugh.
“Well, boys. Want to tour the house?” Braxton asks.
An hour later, we finish viewing Mason’s new vacation home and head to eat lunch at Books and Beans.
“Just you five?” the black-haired barista asks. It’s not Emma Jane, whom I’ve gotten to know as she is usually the one working here. The name tag reads Selene, and she looks to be around our age, though I think she might be bulkier in muscle than I am. Impressive.
“Hadley will be joining,” Braxton says.
“Karoline, too,” Mason says sheepishly, looking away from me.
“Well,” I look behind me where Gabriel and Anders stand. “At least I have you two.”
Both men grunt, which causes Mason to burst out laughing. “Dang, Fins. Even your PPOs don’t want to date you.”
“Sh,” I hiss at Mason, elbowing him for good measure. There’s not a lot of people in here, but yelling I have PPOs is bound to raise interest and questions. In fact, the barista cocks an eyebrow as she goes about her business opening her notepad.
“Just kidding,” he says at an equally loud volume. “All a joke, my friend.” He winks but mouths “I’m sorry.”
“All’s well that ends well,” I whisper back.
“I’ll go ahead and get you all started. What will it be for you?” the barista asks, directing her gaze at Braxton since he’s closest to the counter, but she constantly bounces her eyes back to me with a hesitant expression.
Maybe she did overhear? Great.
We give our orders, and right as we finish and head to pull some tables together in the back corner, the ladies walk through the door.
With Lorelei and Lucy in tow.
Lorelei is here!
Confetti rains down in my head while a marching band plays a joyful rendition of that annoying song “Happy” by Pharrell Williams. All thoughts of possible exposure decimated.
“Could you possibly smile any wider, you lovesick dope?” Mason laughs, but I don’t pay him any mind.
Because Lorelei is walking straight towards me.
I wave with one hand, feeling very much the dope Mason just called me. She waves back, a small smile painting her face. “Hi, Finley.”
Her voice sends a thrill racing through me. “Hi, bae.”
She grimaces and crosses her arms. “I thought I said not to call me your bae.”
I grin even wider somehow. The way she narrows her eyes and purses her lips is beyond attractive. This is not a good thing. I shouldn't be turned on by the thought of making her irritated with me. That’s what Mason does to Karoline.
I’m sweet. Gentle. Kind. The Prince of Hearts is a mere media image.
But Lorelei makes me want to live up to the reputation… only for her, though.
“Admit it. You like it.” She blushes. “See,” I place my finger close to her face, but I don’t touch her. “Look at this lovely shade of pink coating your cheeks.” I drag my finger across the bridge of her nose, still not touching her skin. But I can feel the heat radiating off her. “And your cute nose.”
Her breath hitches, then she swats my hand away. She cocks her hip to the side, and it takes all of my willpower not to allow my eyes to linger on the prominent curve of that black, pencil skirt she wears. “So this is how you made the female population fall in love with you.”
“Whatever do you mean?”
She gestures towards me with an open palm. “Prince of Hearts.”
I place my hand over my heart and act appalled. “Me? No, no, baby girl. I am the Prince of one heart. Yours.”
“Oh. My. Gosh,” Lucy says. Both Lorelei and I snap our heads towards her proclamation.
She’s staring at us, fanning her face while giving a toothy smile. “Baby girl? Are you two official now? Oh, I would die if a man called me that.”
“No,” Lorelei says, a little too quickly for my liking, then she looks back at me. “Finley is just being a rake and attempting to live up to his earned international nickname.”
“But you like it.” I wink. Lucy feigns a swooning motion.
“Lucy, let’s go order,” Lorelei says, turning her back to me and grabbing her twin’s arm. Hadley and Karoline are already at the counter ordering. I join the guys at the table.
“Well, well, Mr. Andersson,” Braxton says as I sit down. “Way to go. Looks like you’re well on your way to Lorelei’s heart. I’ve never seen her approach a person the way she walked right up to you.”
My heart sings. “Really? I hope so. The woman has me smitten.”
“We know,” Mason, Gabriel, and Anders say at the same time. It’s interesting to hear a phrase spoken in southern, French, and Korsan accents all at once. Mason laughs while the other two scowl.
My PPOs are some of the grumpiest men on the face of this earth, but hey, at least I know I’m safe with them. They won’t have fun, so at least I know they are constantly aware.
“Hi, Lucy,” Gabriel says as she slips into a seat beside him, placing a hand on his arm. Well, so much for observant PPOs. Gabriel’s eyes are now hearts as he focuses solely on the twin I was supposed to date.
I glance at Anders as he rolls his eyes.
Hadley and Karoline join the group, sitting next to their men. Lastly, Lorelei joins, sitting in the last available seat. The one right next to me.
She scoots a little closer to me and away from Anders as she sits down. The action warms my heart because it tells me she feels safe enough to be closer to me than someone else.
“How’d the house look?” Karoline questions Mason as she throws her long hair into a ponytail holder.
Hadley begins talking with Braxton about something that happened in her store earlier. Lucy is distracting my PPO fully, but Anders remains on guard. Lorelei fiddles with the cuff of her white dress shirt.
I pull her ponytail to get her attention because I have apparently gone back in time to five years old.
“Yes?” she questions, her hand tugging her ponytail over the shoulder not beside me.
“You are adorable with your ponytail. That’s all.”
“Thanks?” she says just as Selene interrupts everyone while bringing us our drinks. I opted for lemon water while Lorelei got a chai.
“How has your Friday been?” I ask before sipping my water. Lorelei blows on her tea, and my insides light up like an electric fence. Tone it down, Finley, I demand myself.
Lorelei tests the temperature of her chai before answering. “It has been good. I have almost wrapped up my arguments for a big case I’m presenting on Thursday next week.”
“Can you tell me about it?”
She smiles sadly. “Not all the details, but it involves a local woman who had been on and off drugs and alcohol for years. She lost her children last year, and that woke her up. She’s been clean ever since, and we are trying to get her custody back.”
“That must be hard on you,” I say, itching to reach out and touch her because it’s how I would want to be comforted. But she’s not me, and it would only make her nervous, especially with everyone around.
She nods slowly. “It is, but cases like these are my favorite.” Lorelei turns her pretty hazel eyes to me. “That moment when kids are reunited with their parents is a beautiful scene. It makes every hard thing I have to hear regarding their stories worth it. God works everything for His good. I see that over and over again in my field of work.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Lucy hisses loud enough to stop all our conversations and turn to see what’s got her worked up. I follow her death stare to a tall, bulky blond man dressed in light, fitted khakis and a pink dress shirt who just walked through the door. Hm. I like his style.
“Who’s that? And why is Lucy murdering him with her eyes?” I ask Lorelei. She shrugs.
“That’s Stone Harper, her boss. She hates him, though I’m not quite sure why. She won’t talk to us about him. Every time we ask, we only receive grumbled insults attached to her cursing his name.”
“Interesting.” I note the way a certain passion burns behind her eyes, and I think I might see why she hates him even if Lorelei can’t. Lucy Spence might have a thing for her boss. But that’s not my story to intrude upon. I turn my attention back to Lorelei who is sipping her chai. “So, what are you doing tomorrow?”
“I have a dress fitting with the girls for Karoline’s wedding in the morning. We are getting lunch together after. I really need to spend the evening finishing preparations for the case so that I can rehearse all next week.”
Selene interrupts the table once again as she brings out our sandwiches. After she sets down my Reuben and Lorelei’s BLT, I ask, “I don’t want to intrude or take away from your preparation time, but would you happen to be able to spare some time to go on another date with me?”
Lorelei looks lost in space before she answers. “I really need to get work done, but I wouldn’t be opposed to us watching a movie or something while I work if you want. You can come over anytime after three p. m. tomorrow.”
An open invitation into her home? Yes, please! “Sounds like a plan, bae.”
Lorelei bumps into my side, but instead of grimacing, she’s hiding a smile.
Iread over the script I’ve prepared for myself one more time before dialing Karin’s number from my business cell phone. Which reminds me, I should make sure Lorelei has this number.
Once I’m satisfied with my plan of action, I hit the call button. She waits until the last ring to pick up the phone. “Hello, you are speaking with Her Royal Highness Princess Karin Nilsson of Vespen,” she answers, speaking her country’s native tongue in a prim, proper tone.
I respond in Vespen. “Princess Karin, this is Prince Finley Andersson. I believe we need to talk. Do you have a moment to video call?”
She swallows on the other end of the line, her voice subdued as she stutters, “Y-yes.” I immediately hit the video call button and set my phone onto the holder attached to the table. I’m in a private meeting room in the town’s library. I didn’t want her seeing where I’m living right now. It felt too personal to call her from the cabin.
Her face appears, as pale as mine. We are both from Icelandic countries, after all. Her hair, however, is a rich chocolate color, her eyes just as brown. “Hi, Finley.”
“Hey, Karin. I assume you know why I’m calling, so I’ll jump straight to the point. You hired a stalker to capture photography of and interrupt my dates. I want to hear from you why you did this.” My tone is cool and smooth. Practiced. I’d taken necessary time to calm down from the affirmation that it was indeed her, so now I need to allow her to speak before I take action.
She shifts her eyes away from the screen, rubbing the mustard-color fabric of the sleeves on her dress. “I’m sorry, Finley.” She goes silent again, still not looking into the camera.
I release a breath. “Thank you, but it is hard for me to accept your apology without understanding your reasoning. So please, help me to understand so that we can salvage our working relationship.”
Karin closes her eyes, her chest rising and falling. Then, she opens her eyes as she says hurriedly, “I thought if I had intel regarding your dates that I could somehow recreate what you desired when you came back to Korsa to try and win you over once and for all.” Her voice is calm. Matter-of-fact. Like what she’s saying was scripted, too. “Once I realized you were falling for the woman, I told the man I hired to interrupt the next date, which was the garden date. He intentionally turned on his shutter sound.”
I’m processing her words, still conflicted. “But why, Karin? I’ve made it very clear that I only thought of you as a friend. Why would you hire someone to stalk my dates even after I’ve made that abundantly clear in the past?”
Tears prick in the corner of her eyes now, and my heart lurches. No matter what she’s done, I don’t want her bawling her eyes out. I hate seeing women cry. “I just had to, okay? I don’t know what came over me. I was acting in jealousy. I’m sorry, Finley. I deeply regret my actions and I promise not to meddle any further. You can rest assured.”
Though I’m not satisfied, that seems to be all I will get out of her. I sigh. “I understand. Thank you for your apology, and I accept. I will offer grace to you this once. If anything like this happens again, I will take immediate action against you and your country. I love this woman, and you are not to mess with her or us.”
Her lips form an “o.” “You—you love her?”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Yes. I do.” Right as I say the words, my other phone buzzes on the table. I sneak a glance. Lorelei. “I should go now. Thank you for talking with me.”
I hang up, knowing I went completely off script. I was supposed to tell her that I would be speaking with the king of Vespen and would demand a formal apology to the twins since both experienced the stalker, even if Lorelei wasn’t completely aware of it like I was that first night. Her tears moved me a little, though. I have a soft spot for crying women.
I check my text.
Have you read the U.S. Constitution through?
I shake my head with a laugh. Only Lorelei.
I have. It was a part of my studies and training growing up. Why do you ask?
She doesn’t respond for another eight minutes.
Okay, so I was reading it for fun after I finished up my case load for the night, and I noticed the 27th Amendment stated…
I can’t contain the amusement seeping out of me as I continue to read her text. This woman texts me at eight o’clock at night about not only reading the U.S. Constitution, but about an amendment regarding the salary of congress. Lorelei is a precious soul I will cherish and love and protect for all of my existence.
Now to get the woman to actually agree to dating me. Does she even realize she already is, even if it’s not official? Over the past week and a half, we've hung out in the evenings, cooked dinners for one another, and sat in delightful silence as she worked on her big case that's tomorrow and I drowned in state paperwork. Her companionship is comfortable and inviting. And she must feel the same way about me because she keeps coming back for more.