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I shake my head and give her a wan smile. “Haven’t had a chance,” I admit. Food is the last thing on my mind when I’m busy like this, and even though all staff have access to the kitchen, it always feels a little wrong to go and get food for myself outside of mealtimes, like I’m scavenging a rich person’s house or something.
She tilts her head and gives me a dry look as she eyes me. She’s not much older than me yet acts like my mother sometimes, not that I don’t appreciate it every now and then. It’s nice to feel looked after, especially since I only ever get that from my grandmother, and she’s back at home in her village in Norway. Which reminds me, first vacation I get, I’ll be flying there to see her.
“Laila,” she admonishes me. “You need dinner. If I’d known, you could have eaten with us.”
I feel a little like a child who has gotten a scolding. “I’m fine.” Besides, even though I’ve eaten dinner with Eddie and Monica a few times since I started a month ago, I always feel like a charity case. Don’t get me wrong—the Fairfaxes are the most down-to-earth royals you could ever meet, and they always make me feel welcome. But I’m also very aware of my role in this house—that they are not only royals and I’m a commoner but that they are also my employers. Mistaking kindness for friendship is a mistake I’ve made before, and I know better than to get close to someone who can fire me.
“Is she off duty now?” James’s deep voice says from behind me.
I turn around to see him in the doorway of the nursery, the sight of him in his suit making my heart flutter against my will.
Monica blinks at him, adjusting her grip on Madeline, who is playing with her mother’s long dark hair. “Laila? Sure.”
“Actually I’ve got another hour,” I say, glancing at my watch, wondering what James is getting at.
“It’s fine,” Monica says to me. Then she narrows her dark eyes at James. “You’re not corrupting her, are you?”
His mouth curls. “I wouldn’t dream of it,” James says solemnly, though his expression says otherwise.
I can’t help but smile. I’ve worked for the Fairfaxes for long enough now to know that their interactions are always full of banter and humor.
“But I’m heading into the city to see Piper and Harrison before they leave tomorrow,” he continues. He fixes his eyes on me. “And I was wondering if you wanted to come along.”
Harrison was the Fairfaxes’ PPO when they lived in Canada, and Piper was the neighbor of the house they were renting. Piper and Harrison got off on the wrong foot but eventually fell in love with each other. Enough that Harrison ended up quitting his job and opening a bakery on the island. I met the two of them when they came by the other day for tea, and they are absolutely adorable, although they seem to be polar opposites, with Harrison very stoic and Piper a bright ball of sunshine.
“Oh, right,” Monica says with a wistful look in her eyes. “I can’t believe they’re leaving so soon. A week doesn’t seem like enough time to have a proper visit.”
“He has pies to bake, and she’s got children to teach,” he says. “I promise we won’t stay out too late,” he adds, knowing full well he’ll do whatever he pleases.
That’s one of the many differences between us that I’ve picked up on over the last month. While I haven’t had much interaction with James, it’s obvious that he likes to stay out late on his days off, and sometimes when I can’t sleep I’ll look out the window and see him coming home in the middle of the night, drunk and weaving down the path through the yard. I have to admit, I often feel a twinge of jealousy, wishing that I could just go out without having anxiety over it.
“All right, then,” Monica says, giving James a suspicious look. “But if she’s not in her room at ten, I’m coming to get her,” she adds with a wink.
“I’ll make sure she’s in bed on time,” James promises, making the sign of the cross over his chest.
“And make sure she eats something,” Monica adds adamantly. She grins at me. “Try to have a little fun, Laila.”
I shouldn’t be so surprised that Monica is encouraging her employees to fraternize, considering Monica wasn’t born a royal and it goes with her easy personality. Still, it catches me off guard. After all, I hadn’t even agreed to this yet. It’s like she knows I’ll say yes anyway.
“I should go change,” I concede, looking down at my uniform of a navy A-line dress that’s riddled with stains from Madeline. I look at James. “How much time do I have?”
“No rush. Take your time,” he says. “I’ll be in the study.”
He turns and heads down the hall. Naturally he doesn’t have to change. He’s in a suit, as always. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him in anything outside of a suit. Even when he goes to the bars, he’s always impeccably dressed.
Definitely makes you wonder what’s underneath the suit, I think, though I push that image out of my head. Yet another intrusive thought when it comes to him.
As if Monica can hear the chatter in my brain, she nods at the door. “Go, Laila,” she says imploringly. “You deserve to have a night off. Have fun.”
I decide to heed her advice. I thank her and head down the hall and across the yard to my quarters. August is coming to a close, and though there are a few hot days scattered here and there, the evenings are cool and the air smells like hay from the neighboring fields beyond the estate.
I take the world’s quickest shower, not getting my hair wet, and change into jeans and a loose tank top. I wear a pair of sandals that I bought on Amazon, and I do my hair, rubbing in some anti-frizz stuff before pulling it back into a low ponytail. I don’t want to go overboard, but I want to look nice for my first night off since I started working here.
When I get to the study, I find James sprawled out in one of the armchairs, reading a book. A piece of his dark hair flops against his forehead, and I have this sudden urge to push it back.
He looks up as I enter the room, setting his book down on the table beside the chair, and takes a moment to appraise me. The grandfather clock in the corner ticks away the seconds.
“You look lovely,” he says.
