Chapter 42
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
What reality did I wake up in? “How is Wolf getting a flight so quickly?”
Simona slips on her black leather motorcycle jacket and slings a red purse over her shoulder. “Sierra wasn’t busy, so she’s flying him.”
“Does Agile just has unlimited resources?”
“We have a Billionaire backer.”
“What? That’s nuts, but handy.”
“Marshall saved the man’s girlfriend’s life. He decided to make Agile his philanthropic brainchild. We do good. He keeps the funds coming.”
“And Wolf going to Isla Rosa is doing good?”
“Don’t you think it is?” She holds the door open for me.
“I do, but I’m biased.”
“Then it is doing good. Don’t question it. And you’ll get your turn to do something for others when we wrap all this up. Plus, I’m Marshall’s favorite. And Wolf is my brother. So, of course, he’s down for supporting whatever we need.”
Impressed with her bravado, I follow her down the stairs to the detached garage. She presses a button and the door slides up, revealing a shiny black Mini Cooper convertible. “My birthday present from Scotch.”
“He’s got good taste.”
She grins. “In women and cars.”
I liked Simona from the start, but the more time I spend with her, the more I appreciate her unabashed spunk.
Heavy Metal blasts out of the speakers the second she turns on the car. “Sorry. I was rocking out.”
“It’s fine. I need a little pick me up.”
“That’s our friend’s band. You’ll have to go to a show with us.”
I smile, but suddenly, a flood of uncertainty hits me. I don’t know how long I’ll be hanging around. If things truly go south on Isla Rosa, I could have to go back to deal with the fallout.
She backs us out into the sunshine and closes the garage with her clicker, that’s when she notices my declining mood. “Hey, why the sad face?”
“Just too many things to think about.”
She jams the accelerator and sends the Mini tearing down the driveway toward the main road. “Let Wolf do his thing. He’s a force to be reckoned with.”
“I kind of gathered that.”
She grins wickedly. “I saw the way you looked at him this morning. Like you’d lost your mind.”
“I have.”
She laughs proudly. “And your heart.”
“I haven’t.”
Pressing her hand to her heart, she says, “It’s a wicked feeling, isn’t it? I hope you two will have a real wedding and we can have a giant party.”
My heart suddenly trips up on itself. Oh no. I really might be having a heart attack if what I just remembered is true. “Oh my god. Can I use your phone?”
She fishes around in her purse and passes me the rhinestone covered phone. “Can you dial the place where my grandmother’s staying?”
“Call Cole Strong.”
The phone dials automatically as I hyperventilate. I can barely get my words out. “C-can I speak to Nan, please?”
Cole says, “Sure. Hang on, she’s playing with the baby.”
Nan sounds like she’s on cloud nine when she answers the phone. “Good morning, dear.”
“Nan… is there any such thing as a marriage annulment according to Isla Rosa Law?”
She pauses for a second and a tidal wave of dread bowls me over.
“No, dear, there isn’t. And the royal family can’t get divorced.”
I gasp as my vision blurs. “You knew this, didn’t you?”
She laughs. “Of course, but you’re a smart girl. I knew you’d figure out something. A workaround, or maybe… you’d finally let yourself think about love.”
I’m so flabbergasted, I can do nothing but hang on to the car’s dash. “Nan. I can’t believe you’ve done this. This is horrible.”
“Honey, I only want the best for you. That man’s going to shake up the Kingdom, and maybe things will finally change for the best. You and I have talked about those changes forever. Now it’s time for them to happen.”
I feel violently ill. I want to hurl the phone. Throw myself from the car. Hide in a burrow. Anything but face the reality of my life. “I have to go.”
“I love you, Katalina. You’re the woman that the Kingdom has needed for years. Now, let this unfold and use that incredible brain of yours to finally make things good for the island’s citizens.
Tears are making my voice waver when I say, “I love you, Nan.” I hang up the call and stare at the sparkly phone in disbelief.
“Oh shazam!” Simona says with wide eyes looking over the top of her sunglasses.
“Yeah. You heard all of that, didn’t you? Can I throw up now? Maybe you should stop at the nearest insane asylum because I’m seriously thinking my brain might be broken now.”
She turns up the music really loud. Over top of it she shouts, “Hot damn. This is really getting fun!”