Epilogue
Abigail
E
ight hours earlier…
It’s not so bad being without Spencer.
I miss him, sure, but I miss Hettie and Tema a lot more. I’m glad they got to stay in Saint Pierre, but Tema still feels like my own, so having her away for so long is an aching pain I’m going to have to get used to.
But Spencer being gone isn’t as bad as I thought. Eight years without him in my life makes it easier to have him drop out of my life again. It’s only been a few months since we were officially together anyway, and it was never some fairy-tale romance to begin with.
That’s what I keep telling myself, and for the most part, I believe it.
It’ll be easier when Hettie gets back from Saint Pierre, so she can tell me too.
Since I’ve been back, I’ve spent most of my time with Hettie, Bo, and Spencer, and a lot of my school friendships have faded.
In the weeks that Spencer has been gone, I’ve jumped back in and made a point to forge new ones.
The job at the coffee shop helps, because it’s always busy and I’m pretty social, but I make plans with Stella.
I join Fenella Carrington for a drink at her club.
I visit Mabel at The King’s Hat and fill her in on the years she missed with Tema.
I’m creating a presence in Battle Harbour, and it’s not as Spencer Laz’s girlfriend.
I’m proud of that.
But still, when Hettie is back tomorrow—
The bell over the door chimes and I stand frozen, hand on the coffee spout, until the cup is filled to the brim, and I switch it off before it spills over my hand.
Princess Lyra has just walked into Coffee for the Sole.
With Grayson Grant, host of The Suitorette.
Spencer left me to join the show, and all three of them, along with a bunch of other men, are supposed to be in Saint Pierre so that Lyra can find true love.
They’re not supposed to be here in Battle Harbour, unless maybe the time line has changed and they wanted to show a visit to the castle to meet Lyra’s family or—
“Best coffee in the whole Maritimes,” Lyra is saying to Grayson as they make their way to the counter. “Hi, Abigail.”
“Ah—hi.”
Princess Lyra has barely strung a sentence together to speak to me, and she’s never greeted me by name in a friendly voice.
Of course, she’s friendly—she finally has Spencer.
And, of course, she’s going to greet me—I work at the coffee shop and will have to serve her.
“This is Abigail,” Lyra says to Grayson. “She and Spencer were… together?” She raises an eyebrow. “A couple.? Boyfriend and girlfriend seem kind of high school, and I don’t think that’s what you were back then.”
“We were together, and now we’re not. Which you are well aware of.” My voice is cold steel. I don’t care if Lyra is a princess or a queen—she took my boyfriend.
Even though I kind of gave him to her.
“I’m not here to gloat or whatever you think I’m doing,” Lyra says quickly. “I’m here because I need a favour.”
“You need a favour from me? An extra pump in your drink?”
“No, although that would be great. Hey, Wyatt.” She smiles at Silas’s nephew, who has sidled up to get the gossip. “Would you mind taking care of our drinks? Two vanilla caramel lattes with unicorn foam, please and thank you? We need a minute with Abigail.”
“You’re Grayson Grant.” Wyatt has a silly smile on his face.
“I am.” Grayson offers his hand to Wyatt, who takes it like he’s been offered a sack of gold. “Nice to meet you.”
“I watched you pitch a no-hitter against New York.” Wyatt’s voice is dazed and Grayson’s face breaks into a mile-wide grin.
“No way!”
“He’s a big baseball fan,” I explain. “He doesn’t watch The Suitor.”
“I’m going to start now,” Wyatt assures him.
“Always nice to have another fan.” Grayson offers his hand to me. “Grayson Grant.”
It’s a good celebrity name, even as much as it’s been spoken in the last two minutes. I take his hand. “Abigail Locke.”
“Do you have a minute? I have a proposal for you.”
This has to be about Spencer and a tug of annoyance pulls my face into a frown. “I don’t need closure with Spencer. It’s over, and I’m fine with that.”
“I’m really glad to hear that,” Grayson says. “Because we’d like you to step in as the Suitorette.”
The coffee shop is noisy with regular customers at the tables and the hiss of the steamer as Wyatt prepares Lyra’s order, but it’s not that loud. I shouldn’t have problems to hear what Grayson just said.
“What?” I turn to Lyra, who shrugs. “I don’t understand.”
“It’s Spencer for me; it always has been.” Lyra has a strange, soft, shy smile on her face. There is nothing soft or shy about Princess Lyra, so I don’t understand why she’s smiling like that—
Spencer. Spencer put that smile on her face. I wait for it to hurt.
And it doesn’t.
It doesn’t hurt. It doesn’t anything. I’m still confused at why Lyra is here instead of enjoying some romantic rendezvous with my ex-boyfriend… “Yes, but—”
“The men they have for this season are incredible,” she continues. “And I really like them, but it’s not fair for me to continue this, because I’m in love with Spencer.”
“You always have been.” Again, a surprise that I can say that without sounding like a bitter shrew. Just stating a fact.
Lyra nods, still with that soft smile. “I have been, and I need to tell him as soon as we get back. But that leaves things awkward for Grayson and the show, because I’ll be stepping down as the Suitorette.” She glances at Grayson. “I told Grayson that he should recruit you to finish the season.”
“Me?”
Lyra’s blue eyes are steady as she studies my face. “Yes, you. And before you say no because it’s me who is asking—” I shrug, because she’s right. I am about to say no without even listening to what she has to say.
“I’ve always been jealous of you,” she surprises me by saying.
“Me.”
“Yes. You. You’ve always been close to Spencer, the only woman he’s allowed through the barriers.”
“I’m not sure if that’s the case,” I say slowly.
“I think it is. I know it’s true. I’ve always resented you.”
“Lyra, this isn’t really helping,” Grayson mutters.
“She has to know she wouldn’t be taking over from me, like I’m offering her my leftovers.”
“Lyra,” Grayson hisses.
“That’s what you were thinking, isn’t it?” she demands.
“Now that you mention it,” I admit. “The optics…”
“The men aren’t mine. Never have been. They’re great guys, and I made a secret trip to the hotel this morning before we left to talk to some of them. They like the idea of you.”
“They don’t even know who I am.”
“Oh, they do now. Ashton helped with that.” Lyra claps a hand over her mouth. “Sorry,” she says to Grayson. “I let that slip.”
Grayson frowns at Lyra before turning to me. “There are eleven men left. I’ve contacted five others, so you would start with sixteen, none of which have a strong connection with Lyra. She actually hasn’t been the best Suitorette—”
“Hey,” Lyra protests.
“You haven’t. She doesn’t have a connection, other than friendship, with any of the men, so the season needs help. Desperately needs help.”
I smile. I can’t help it.
“It would be four weeks, instead of six, so things would move fast. Do you think you could handle that?”
“I don’t remember agreeing to anything,” I say in a cool voice, even though my heart races at the thought of being the Suitorette.
And it shouldn’t, because why would I do that to myself?
Because I’ve always loved the show.
Because I would like to find love.
And… this might be the sticker: it would be so much fun to succeed at something that Princess Lyra failed at.
I don’t actually believe Grayson when he says Lyra’s not the best Suitorette—the fan in me thinks that was Chrissa, because I never believed she wanted to be there—but it’s nice to hear.
I understand when Lyra says she’s always been jealous of me, because it goes both ways. I’ve always been jealous of the place she has in Spencer’s heart.
“But you’re thinking about it, aren’t you?”
I meet Lyra’s gaze, see her smug smile. It should drive me crazy that she got Spencer, but…
It doesn’t. It seems right they’re ending up together.
“What do you say?” Lyra demands. “The guys are great. At least the ones that are left. Jon gives foot rubs,” she hunches her shoulders with a grin.
“Lyra, you can’t—she has to make her own judgements.” If Grayson had a way to silence Lyra, I think he would.
“She’ll judge they’re good guys as soon as she meets them. But the way Jon’s thumbs—”
Grayson takes her shoulders and marches her away a few feet.
I think he’s telling her to stay.
Do I want to do this? Non-stop cameras, no privacy, just for the chance to fall in love?
“Look, Abigail,” Grayson says with a rueful grin.
“Lyra suggested you for this, and what I’ve heard about you, I think you’d be great.
But you’d really be helping me out. I could find another Suitorette, but if it was you, it would really close the circle.
I think it would be good TV. And I understand how this might not be the most comfortable for you, but I give you my word that we’ll keep any mention of Spencer, and your relationship with him to a minimum.
I guarantee, the men don’t want to talk about him any more than they have to.
He’s a good guy, but this hasn’t been the most conventional season.
I think you joining would be able to steer us in the right direction. ”
“But taking over for Princess Lyra?” I frown at the thought. As much as my first instinct is to agree—because why not—any woman would be intimidated at the thought of following a princess, especially one like Lyra.
“I think you’ll be amazing,” Grayson assures me in a low voice. “I had a long talk with Bo and Hettie—he flew us over, by the way—”
Hettie is in town. The thought is a warm blanket over my shoulders.
“And they told me a lot about you. I agree that the thought of filling Lyra’s footsteps might be tough, but I think you are more than capable of it.”
Grayson Grant is very persuasive.
“What do you say? Want to find true love?” Grayson asks, his smile warm and wide and white, and much more attractive than he is on television.
“Do it,” Lyra urges, not even pretending not to listen. “You’ll have so much fun!”
I could use a little fun.
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