Chapter 21
Twenty-One
Iarrive home Sunday evening and promptly fall asleep. By Tuesday, I’m still a zombie, but a functional one. I sleep much later than normal and take a lazy day, unpacking and catching up on emails and returning calls. By Wednesday, I’m back to normal.
Over the past few days, Art has constantly been on my mind, but I’ve purposefully gone out of my way to avoid him. We had such a magical time in Japan. However, now that we’re back, I know we can’t avoid talking about what our future is going to look like much longer.
I send a text to Jenna, hoping she’ll be able to inspire some confidence in me. As it stands, I’m being a giant chicken.
Alice
I did it.
Jenna
You did what? You’re being too cryptic. A girl needs more information to go on.
Alice
I told him.
Jenna
Him who?
Alice
Art.
Jenna
Oh. Oh! What happened?!
Alice
I kissed him, ran away, then we talked. He likes me too.
Jenna
I’m going to need a *much* longer explanation, in the form of lunch or a video chat. I won’t press you since I know you have a lot going on.
Alice
*Grinning emoji* It’s a deal. We’ll do lunch soon.
Jenna
Are you two officially dating now?
Alice
Not exactly . . .
Jenna
You haven’t figured out how to get around the no-dating rule?
Alice
*Nodding emoji*
Jenna
What does Arthur think you should do?
Alice
I don’t know. I’ve been avoiding him.
Jenna
You won’t get any sympathy from me. If you want this to work, you need to fight for him. You’ll figure it out. You’re the brightest person I know. Love always finds a way.
Alice
You’re right. I have to do this.
Jenna
Yes, you do. I’m here if you need more urging, but the longer you stall, the harder it’s going to be. Get on with it.
Swallowing my fears, I close out my message from Jenna and open a new one to text Art. I begin typing, but then I realize whatever I send him will likely go to his work mobile. I’ll have to be extra careful with how I word things.
Alice
Cheers, Art, are you on duty right now? Or is it Angela?
Art
You’re stuck with me.
Alice
Brilliant. I’d like to request the car and stop by the flat this morning. It’s been about four weeks.
Art
What time would you like to go out?
Alice
Is thirty minutes enough time for you?
Art
I’m ready anytime you’d like.
Alice
In that case, how about now?
Art
I’ll meet you out front.
Art’s eyes light up as he greets me a few minutes later. He’s in a black suit, crisp white dress shirt, and burgundy tie today. “Good morning, ma’am.”
“Good morning, Art,” I mumble.
I get in the car and secure my seat belt just as he settles himself into the driver’s seat. “Off to Queen’s Park?”
“That’s our eventual destination, but I doubt much will have changed from the last progress report I read.
The workers are continuing to find more problems, like a foundation issue.
Which is why there were so many cracks between the floors.
The latest move-in date was mid-to-late January.
” I rub the back of my neck. “What I was really hoping for was a private place we could talk first.”
He nods in understanding and glances back at me through the rearview mirror. “I can take the scenic route to the flat, or perhaps we could stop by the palace stables and go for a ride? I’m sure Sefton and Athena would be thrilled to see you.”
“You always come up with the best ideas.” Nothing sounds more perfect than seeing my horses and having a riding date with Art. Yes, I’m counting this as a date.
The clip-clops of Sefton’s and Athena’s hooves fill the air as Art and I take a slow ride in silence in an area of the Buckingham Palace gardens that’s closed to the public. At Papa’s request, it’s also an area that’s left to grow out like a meadow one might find in the country.
The top of the yellowing grass on either side of the pathway is long and comes up to the horses’ knees. In spring, the flowers are out in full bloom, but since we’re into the heart of summer, they’ve reached their peak, and the plants are beginning to die back.
I can still make out traces of pink knapweed, white honeysuckle, purple foxglove, thrift, and the white-flowered grass of Parnassus. I hear the buzzing of honeybees and spot a few butterflies fluttering just above the grass.
Art breaks the silence first. “Alice, are you cross with me?” he murmurs.
“No.” I frown. “Whatever gave you that impression?”
“You’ve been avoiding me. I haven’t heard from you for three days. I thought I’d done something to upset you.”
“It isn’t you, Art, it’s me.” I let out a frustrated breath. “I’ve been too scared to talk to you.”
“If you’ve changed your mind about me, I understand.” His tone is flat. “We can go back to just being friends and working together in a professional capacity.”
“No. That’s the last thing I want.” I lean my head back and stare at the sky.
I’m mucking this up big time. All the words that have come out of my mouth sound as if I’m about to break up with him.
No wonder he’s glum. “I like you and I want to see where our relationship goes; it’s just that everything around us is about to change, and I’m scared of the unknown. ”
“Change is always scary,” he says. “But I don’t think it’ll alter things between us all that much. At least not right away.”
“What about the number-one rule? Bodyguards aren’t supposed to be romantically involved with anyone they’re protecting.” I slow Athena so we’re in step with Sefton and Art.
“Okay, you have me there.” He takes a moment before he responds.
“Hypothetically speaking, as long as you don’t mind my being on the clock and the limited locations we can go to when we have our dates, I don’t see it as being a conflict of interest until we’re officially boyfriend and girlfriend. We just need to be discreet.”
“But what about after that? We need a long-term plan.” I’ve created a monster.
The stakes are astronomically high. He’s all in, risking his career and his future with the protection division.
If that’s not commitment, I don’t know what is.
I need to be just as sure about this as he is.
I don’t care about what happens to me. I’m willing to do whatever it takes for a shot with him.
If I look back, I developed a crush for him early on.
He’s been on my mind and in all my dreams. I’ve tried to get him out of my head, but that was a colossal failure.
It only served to have me compare the other men I was dating to him.
Then there was the kiss in the car. My heart told me to act on my feelings.
And I did. It’s been leading me to him all along.
There’s my answer. I’m choosing to listen to it.
“It’s simple, really. If things work out, I’ll quit or ask for a transfer. If they don’t, we go back to being friends. Yes, it may be awkward, but I think we’re both mature enough to be able to continue working together.”
“And if we’re caught?”
“Ali, try not to overthink it,” he says softly. “If someone catches us, we deal with it, and find a way to keep seeing one another.”
“But—”
He places a finger on my lip, silencing me. “We’ll handle things as they come. All you need to know is that I’m all in.” He rewards me with a rare Cheshire cat smile. Sefton neighs loudly in agreement. Art runs his right hand down the horse’s neck. “That’s a good boy,” he says softly.
I fidget in my seat. I’ve gotten used to having him around. I can’t imagine Art being reassigned or quitting and not being able to spend all day with him.
“Does your back hurt? We can stop and take a break if you need.” He pulls on Sefton’s reins and slows our pace.
“I’m fine, just thinking.” My gaze travels to the side of the saddle. It’s black, without any contrast stitching. My normal saddle is a dark tan. “Huh. This isn’t the saddle I normally use.”
“Maybe Danny ordered a new saddle for you,” Art suggests.
“I doubt it. If there’s a problem with my tack, I always try and have it repaired before I go out and buy a replacement.”
Sefton and Athena continue in a steady walk until we reach the garden’s pond. A trio of willow trees perched along the bank provides the perfect shade from the late morning sun. Art and I climb down and allow our mounts a drink. It’s then that I take a moment to inspect the saddle up close.
I run my finger along the material. It’s not made of leather, but rather some alternative type of mesh. There’s also much more padding, especially toward the rear of the seat where my tailbone sits. No wonder I haven’t felt any discomfort today.
“The Orthosaddle,” I read aloud from a label I’ve found.
My breath hitches. I watch Art pretend not to pay attention as he digs an apple out of the saddlebag.
A memory resurfaces from the last time we were out riding together.
“Have you looked into having an orthopedic saddle made up for you? It’s like a normal saddle, but the divot is supposed to help relieve some of the pressure from the injured areas. ”
“It was you.” I piece it together. “The saddle wasn’t Danny’s idea. It was yours.”
He doesn’t answer.
“Did you have this made up special for me?”
His shoulders hunch. “You weren’t supposed to find out. I swore Danny to secrecy.”
This man is full of surprises. My heart swells. “I want to kiss you right now. Except . . .” I glance around us nervously. “Papa and his horse have a habit of materializing out of thin air.”
“Save it for the flat viewing.” Art chuckles. “I can’t imagine anything worse right now than your father catching us. He’d probably order me to the Tower of London right on the spot.”
“Nah, he wouldn’t do that. He’d probably give you a stern dressing down, but he’d at the very least give you a chance to explain yourself to him. He may be the king, but he’s a reasonable man.”
“I’ll keep that in mind for the future.”
I settle for squeezing his hand and staring longingly into his hazel eyes. In this lighting, the flecks of gold remind me of a thousand fireflies.
When we finally make it to the flat, it’s around two.
The roof repairs have been completed, and the windows have been replaced with efficient triple-glazed models.
Work is at a standstill, however, until the foundation is sorted out.
I tour the empty ground and first floors, and on the way out, remind the project manager to let me know when we’re ready to enter into the next phase.
“Arthur?” We’re walking side by side from the flat back to the car.
“Uh-oh, you used my full name. What is it that you want from me?”
“Two things.”
“And those would be?”
“Would you be willing to help me choose some appliances and plan out how the kitchen will look?”
“Of course, I’d be happy to.” He chuckles. “What’s the second item?”
I twirl a loose piece of hair around my finger. “Can we treat the rest of today as a date?”
“That depends on what you have in mind,” he says.
“What if we did something like an escape-room challenge?”
He stops walking and stares at me. “Does that involve getting locked up in a prison?”
“Not exactly.” I hide a laugh with my hand.
“Escape rooms can be held in an actual room or out in the open. From a few SearchTube videos I’ve watched, it looks like we’d be given a challenge by a game host and then have one to two hours to complete said challenge through a series of mini games.”
“Okay, and what types of challenges are we talking about?”
“There are all sorts of different ones. For instance, we could be asked to find an antidote to stop an army of escaped radioactive spiders. Or maybe we’ll become passengers stuck in an abandoned Tube station and challenged to figure out how to escape.”
He strokes his chin. “It sounds like an activity that would be right up your alley. We’d have to use logic to solve the challenges.”
I clap my hands together. “Then we can do it?”
“If we can book an experience so it’s just us and we’re not in a public setting, we can make it a date.”
“Thank you.” I squeal with delight.
We walk quickly to the car, jump inside, and not wasting a single moment, share a tender kiss. The private times we have between us are now few and far between. We have to make the most of every opportunity.