Page 48 of Red King
I enter the Royal Office.
“Good morning,” Sally says as soon as she sees me. “Did the dress fit?”
“Perfectly. Thank you so much.” I gave my measurements to Arctic’s PA, and she did an amazing job. Although… “Maybe not as revealing next time, Sally. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate you going to all that trouble.”
“No trouble at all. I’m afraid I’ve already ordered a few more dresses.” She wrinkles her nose. “I hope you like them. There’s a dinner tonight, if I’m not mistaken?”
“That’s right.” I nod.
“It’s too late to change that outfit, but we’ll see about the others.”
“Don’t go to too much trouble. If they’re already ordered, I’ll take them. It’s just that I normally do a sleeve or, at the very least, a strap. And not quite so short…but, again, I don’t want to be a nuisance. Please don’t go changing orders. Besides, I’m pretty sure I won’t be needed in this role for too much longer.”
“Just a little bit of unsolicited advice; you’re very pretty, Paisley. Trust me on two things: one, you only live once, and two, before you know it, you’re too old to wear dresses like the ones I picked for you. But I would be happy to exchange them if you feel uncomfortable. Give it some thought.” She winks at me.
“Okay, I will.” Maybe she’s right.
“Good.” She nods her head to the closed door. “He is ready for you.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
“Can I get you something to drink?” she asks as I’m about to turn away.
“No, I’m sure I’ll be in and out,” I tell her as I walk over to his door. I take a deep breath and knock twice.
“Come in.”
Here goes nothing. My stomach clenches when I walk in. I’m being so silly.
He closes his laptop as I enter. Once again, his desk is clear of any clutter. The whole place is pristine.
I plaster a smile on my face. “Good morning.” I stand tall, trying to appear more confident than I feel. “I hope you’re doing well today.”
There is a small smile playing on his lips. “Paisley, please have a seat. I appreciate you coming in promptly this morning.”
He’s wearing a suit. I hate how good he looks in them. He also smells really great. There must be something wrong with him. If there is, I haven’t been able to find it. No one is this perfect. There has to be a flaw.
I take the chair across from him and start to fidget with the hem of my scrubs. “Of course. I’m here to assist in any way I can.” I force myself to stop and clasp my hands in my lap instead.
Arctic leans back in his chair, studying me for a moment. “I wanted to thank you for your efforts last night at the event. It was a success, largely due to your meticulous planning and attention to detail.”
I feel a rush of warmth wash over me at his comment, even though it isn’t wholly true. “Thank you. I’m glad everything went smoothly, but it was very much a team effort. In fact, Cathy did most of the work. She was responsible for executing my ideas at such short notice.”
“And how are things between the two of you?”
“As expected, she’s not thrilled with me being on board, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. I’m pretty sure she’ll be able to tackle the role without me before too long.”
“Are you eager to be done with this position?”
“It’s not that.” I smile. “I actually quite enjoyed putting a new itinerary together and watching how successful last night was. It made me feel…good. Like I’m making a difference.”
“Well, then? Why the rush to leave us?”
“I hate stepping on toes.”
“Cathy needs you right now. The Tributes do, too. Don’t be too quick to step away. Take your time. Perhaps see it through…the whole three months, that is,” he tells me.
“We’ll see. It’s important you know that Cathy had some really great ideas once we started discussing the cocktail evening. Giving everyone a number was her idea. She had some fantastic ideas for the dinner tonight, as well. We’re using a method called speed dating.” I widen my eyes. “I had never heard of it before. You see, Cathy is young and very familiar with matchmaking techniques I know nothing about. I mean, she’s active on the dating circuit, so she would know.” I give a nervous laugh and quickly stop myself. “She’s also been working in events management for a few years and already has her own business.” I force myself to shut up because I’m sure he must know all of this. At the very least, he trusts his team to have employed the right people for the job.
