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She grinned up at me, her flaming red hair billowing in the wind. "Look at you, Atticus Price, expressing feelings and stuff."
I frowned. "Isn't that what people are supposed to do?"
She chuckled. "Yes, but you did it in such a unique way."
Rolling my eyes, I asked, "Is everything ready?"
"Yes. Jax and Zia are at your disposal. I have several more guards for evenings, and we have shadow teams on rotating shifts as well. Once you get settled, I’d like to do an active assessment and give you the report on your mother's movements."
"Yeah, that would be great. Have you seen her?"
She nodded. "Yeah, I went and checked in myself this morning. She was in great spirits. Honestly, she's a very different woman than the one you sent here two months ago."
That was what Micah and Pierce had said too.
"Well, I'm glad to hear she's in great spirits. Thank you, Ariel."
"I'll let you guys get settled."
Once I climbed in the car with Gwen, we were driven away from the airport, and Gwen's eyes went wide. "Oh my God, it is so beautiful here."
"You've never been?"
She shook her head. "No. I've been to Antigua and Saint Croix. Family vacation stuff. But this is wild."
"Ah, I see you spotted the palace."
She laughed. "How could I not spot the palace? It's right there. There's probably not a spot on this island where you can go without seeing it."
"That's probably how the original king wanted it."
"This is King's Island, right?" she asked excitedly.
"Yes. Queen's Island is the next biggest. It's a mile to the west." I turned around to point in that direction. "If you squint a little, you can see the shoreline."
"Are there some other islands?"
"Yes, the Princess Island. Love Island... I forgot the name of the other one."
"You seem to know a lot about the Winston Isles."
I shrugged. "I've been here once or twice."
“Right.” She laughed. “Chummy with royalty. I forgot.”
"Yes, I’ve known Sebastian a while. I’ve met his brother, Lucas, too. I don’t know the queen quite as well, but I have met her once or twice. She's lovely. Funny and just really warm. She's one of those people that hugs you right away.”
“Let me guess,” she said with a roll of her eyes, “you stand there and do the penguin thing.”
I lifted my brows. “Poor little tuxedo wearers can barely move their fins. Maybe people shouldn’t hug them.” Teasing. I knew what to do with this. I could tease.
But she didn’t keep it going. "Warm hugs must have unsettled some dignitaries."
"I don't think she was always like that. The two of them have been good for each other."
She didn’t look at me when she asked, "So, what are we actually doing here?"
"Like I said, Sebastian wants to meet with you about your software applications."
