Chapter 8
Eight
“I’ve never been so happy to see you in my life,” Lauren said, setting down her coffee on her desk before throwing her arms
around Joy.
“Don’t even have my coat off yet,” Joy protested as she hugged Lauren back. “Oh my God, I’m so glad the holidays are over
and I’m back around adults again. Name any Teen Titans Go! episode and I can tell you what it’s about. Go on, try me.”
“I’ve never seen it,” Lauren said, still not letting go of her. “You changed your hair! It looks so good, I love the braids.”
“Oh thanks!” Joy beamed. “Honestly, the bob was cute, but having to straighten it every morning was killing me. How were your
holidays? I didn’t hear much from you, wink wink nudge nudge.”
“You can’t say that while actually nudging a person!” Lauren said, picking up her coffee again and dodging Joy’s hand at the
same time.
“So were you making headlines with someone?” Joy asked, waggling her eyebrows.
“That was very cheesy,” Lauren said.
“Wasn’t it just.” Joy shrugged out of her long overcoat.
Lauren sat down across from Joy, tossing her phone onto her desk. “Well, for Christmas I literally stayed in a forest and
shared a bedroom with Harriet, which made me feel like I was Harry Potter in the cupboard at his aunt and uncle’s house.”
“That sounds both cozy and creepy,” Joy said.
“And then I ran into the Duke of Exeter on Christmas night and thought he was a security guard and snapped at him.”
Joy laughed, loud and bright, and Lauren felt a pang for how much she had truly missed her friend. “What about you? Did you
get the last purple Quality Street?”
“Good memory, and yes, I did.” Joy pretended to scoff. “Can’t believe you would even doubt that. And, in equally exciting
news, I would like you to know that I went rock climbing. At an indoor rock climbing gym, but still.” Joy flexed a bit. “Met
a guy on the apps and he was the one who suggested it as a first date.”
“Ooh!” Lauren said. “How was it?”
“The date was handsome but dull as sandwich bread. The rock climbing was fantastic! Well, apart from breaking a nail.” She
held up her hand to show Lauren the quick patch-up job she had done on it the night before.
“You can barely tell,” Lauren said. “Are you going back?”
“To the climbing gym, yes, but not with Sandwich Bread. Where are you off to now?”
“I have to pitch a media opportunity to Eugene that he’s going to hate.”
“Happy New Year!” Joy said, and they clinked their Starbucks cups together.
“Absolutely not.”
“Just hear me out,” Lauren said, gesturing toward the several days’ old newspapers splayed out on the conference table. “The
duke’s official debut was a hit. Literally everybody loved him, which is basically impossible in the public eye these days.”
“Well, yes, the press loved him, but behind the scenes, he just looked so awkward.”
“Okay, first of all,” Lauren said, “I don’t know if you two realize this, but this is a very intimidating group here.” She gestured toward the entire Palace. “I can tell you from experience that it’s a little challenging
to suddenly show up and be completely comfortable and relaxed. And he’s been on a farm in New Zealand with a pack of sheep—”
“I believe it’s actually a flock of sheep,” Harriet interrupted. “A pack refers to wolves.”
“Thank you, Harriet,” Lauren said. “So let’s cut him a bit of slack.
“What I saw,” she continued, then reached for one of the papers and pointed at the front page photo, which was the duke kneeling
down and taking the flowers from the shy girl, “and what the press and the rest of the world saw, was this. He’s wonderful
with people. The way he spoke to that little girl, it was mesmerizing. Whatever that ‘it’ thing is that people have, he has
it. We need to harness that and use it. I think the Queen was right to want him here back in the fold. It was a very smart
move.”
Eugene sat up proudly at that, just as Lauren knew he would. Across the table, Joy hid a smile at Lauren’s obvious ploy to
win him over.
“It’s time that we take it to the next level,” she said. “We’d be stupid not to leverage this interest people have in him.
And it would be helpful to show that he’s good at the actual work itself before stories about bankruptcy knock his image.”
“It’s your job to keep that out of the press,” Eugene pointed out.
“That’s exactly what I’m trying to do,” Lauren argued. “So let me do it.”
“What he needs is a good natural disaster—an opportunity to roll up his sleeves,” James mused.
“James!” Lauren cried.
“That’s a bit dire,” Eugene added as Harriet frowned at his words.
“Not a big one,” he said to defend himself. “Just somewhere where the duke can fly in, greet some emergency responders, and
fly out.”
“That is not what I meant,” Lauren said. “Quick, everyone knock on wood.” They all rapped on the Formica table with the fake wood grain,
which would have to do.
“There is the visit to Singapore at the end of the month on behalf of the Queen for her Pearl Jubilee, marking thirty years on the
throne,” Eugene suggested.
“I like Singapore,” Lauren said with a grin. “As long as James doesn’t try to manifest a hurricane there.”
“There’s a higher chance of a hurricane hitting than successfully pulling off plans for something that usually takes the best
part of six months to organize,” James remarked.
“The Duke of Cumberland is already attached to the Jubilee,” Eugene said. “But given his health issues at the moment and”—he
lowered his voice—“the fact that the press rarely cover his engagements, we could perhaps send D.O.E. alongside him? If Her Majesty agrees with it.”
Lauren and Joy exchanged a quick glance, and Joy pretended to tip a bottle back toward her mouth.
“I think Jas—the duke would be perfect for this,” Lauren said. “It’s low-hanging fruit, right? A state dinner, some dancing
maybe. He would dazzle them.”
“Fine,” Eugene said. “James is right, we normally have the best part of six months to plan these events. Thankfully most of it is already in place. You have two weeks to figure out the rest once I get the okay from HMQ.” He stood up with his laptop. “Good luck.”
“Don’t need it,” Lauren said. “But thanks.”
“Knock wood,” Harriet murmured again, and even though she had the utmost confidence in herself, Lauren did so automatically.