Page 36 of Royal Desire

“Thanks for the kitten!” Winnie calls. “I’m going to name her Jayne with a Y—rhymes with Payne!”

Payne turns back and smirks one more time before he exits the diner and disappears down the sidewalk in a jog.

I’m not the only one mesmerized by his fetching exit. Winnie turns to me after the door slams shut with another ring of the bell. “That man has a pep in his step I haven’t seen in years.”

“Meow.”

I frown at the kitten. She has no place in this conversation. She’s probably complaining that her hero didn’t keep her and take her home with him to his mountaintop estate.

Winnie glances down at my feet. “You okay? That dish didn’t cut you did it?”

I finally step back from the mess. “I’m fine. And I’ll pay for the plate. I’m so sorry.”

“Pfft.” She’s too mesmerized by her new pet. “It’s nothing. Once you get that cleaned up, I’m gonna need some help with Jayne. I can’t hold her and hobble around on these damn crutches. I’ll have Carl whip up something for her to eat. I can’t wait to get her home!”

It seems kittens have the memory of a gnat. By the time I get the floor cleaned up and my shoes wiped down, Winnie and Jayne are two peas in a pod. It also might have something to do with the fact Jayne is standing in the middle of a dinner plate nibbling at a scrambled egg.

I lean against the counter and cross my arms. “That was fast. Carl must not mind your new pet?”

Winnie puts her finger over her mouth to shush me and glances back at the kitchen. “While you were in the back cleaning your shoes, I yelled back and told him I had a hankering for some eggs. I might’ve hidden Jayne in my shirt when he brought them out to me. We’ve been slipping homemade food to Jett’s pets. I’ve learned that cats love eggs. I’ll break it to Carl at closing. He’ll grump about it, but he’ll be fine. Heck, he’ll probably insist on getting a dog now that I have a kitty!”

“Let me know if you need anything else—or if I can be of service in hiding Jayne until the end of my shift.”

I get busy cleaning the dining room and behind the bar. I will barely have time to go home, shower the diner smell off me, and get to the manor. Even though we don’t perform tonight, Blake and I have ninety minutes to rehearse in The Speakeasy before it opens. It’s a closed rehearsal, so there’s no way I’ll have to worry about running into Payne for the rest of the day.

I can check that off my list.

Payne

“Ichanged my mind.”

Felicity’s eyes widen in horror.

Devon narrows his from where he sits at the head of the conference table. We’re going over last-minute details of the first ever Deacon Financial, expensive-as-hell, client appreciation weekend.

Felicity places a hand over her heart and looks like I killed her pet. Little does she know, I save animals. With every word Felicity utters, her tone hitches higher. “What do you mean, changed your mind? About what? What on earth would you change your mind about now? Everything is set for the weekend.”

“We can adjust things, but it’s too bloody late to cancel, mate.”

“I don’t want to cancel, mate. But you really know how to charm a guy with your Britishisms—accent and everything.”

Devon ignores me and gets to the point. “What do you want to change?”

I pick a piece of invisible lint off my trousers and do my best to save face. “I’ve decided I want to offer a live performance for my clients this weekend.”

Felicity slumps into her chair relieved. “You really got me on that one. A live performance ... I assume you mean Ruby and Blake. They’re the only act we’ve got at the moment.”

“The one and only,” I confirm.

Devon eyes me like I’m a peculiar museum exhibit he’s trying to figure out. “I thought you didn’t like live music.”

“True-true,” Felicity rattles. “You lost your joy, if memory serves me.”

“I did not lose my joy,” I bite, but quickly rein it in and force a smile. “Like I said, I changed my mind. A live show will be a great addition to the weekend. What do I need to do to make that happen?”

Felicity and Devon glance at each other before turning back to me.

Devon is the first to speak, and he clears his throat before doing so. “I’m not sure what’s going on here⁠—”