Page 47 of Falling for the Queen Mother

A new direction popped up as he neared the entrance. Following his phone's instructions, he quickly made his way to a door that was supposedly his destination. Did he knock? Just walk in?

Before he could decide, the door opened. "Good evening, sir." The man's nametag identified him as Tyler. "Please come in."

The office on the other side was immaculate. Through a window in another door, he could see into the kitchen where a number of people were working. From what Nate could see, they were working quickly and efficiently. Smiles and laughter also accompanied their work.

That was nice to see.

"What would you like to make this evening, sir, and where would you like to make it?" Tyler held a tablet with a stylus at the ready.

"I'm not sure. Does the Queen Mother's quarters have a kitchen? That would make the most sense so that we can eat there when it's ready." He hoped there wouldn't be any gossip about how he didn't know the full layout of his wife's quarters.

"Queen Alaina's quarters has a small, but full kitchen. It should have everything you need in terms of cookware and utensils. I don't have access to an inventory of what she has in there at the moment, but we can likely provide anything you need." Tyler made a note on his tablet.

"Good to know. I don't have anything specific in mind. Do you have any suggestions for what the Queen Mother might enjoy? I have a reasonable amount of experience cooking, but nothing specifically from this region of the world." He didn't want to try some sort of complicated local dish that was her very favorite then manage to mangle it completely.

"Of course, sir. Might I suggest something simple for your first meal here?" Tyler used his stylus to scroll through something on his tablet.

"That sounds perfect. Simple is good." He'd need to see about learning how to make some of Alaina's favorites, especially local dishes.

For the next ten minutes, he talked it over with Tyler before deciding on a simple pasta dish Alaina loved - the same one they'd shared before. Tyler promised the supplies would be sent up to the apartment in the next half an hour so Nate would have plenty of time to familiarize himself with the kitchen before actually starting to prepare the meal.

"I do have one more, probably ridiculous, question." Nate threw caution to the wind.

"I'm happy to help however I'm able, sir."

"You sent me a pin and the app gave me directions on how to get here, including a colored arrow to let me know I was going the right way."

Tyler looked like he was trying to control a grin. "Yes, sir."

"I don't suppose there's a way to use that to get anywhere else in the building, is there? I'm still learning my way around." He pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Or another app I can use? Anything?"

Unable to control his laugh, Tyler reached for Nate's phone. "I fear you haven't been given all of the instructions for this app, or at least haven't absorbed them fully. This app does much more than allow you to order food and contact culinary services."

"It does?" Clearly he hadn't been paying attention.

For the next few minutes, Tyler showed him how to get from the main screen to a spot where he could get directions to almost anywhere in the palace. There were a few areas blacked out. Tyler told him not to try to go into those areas without explicit permission. It also gave a warning that some areas were restricted and that security may choose to stop him at any point.

Nate accepted that and followed Tyler's instructions to enter directions for the apartment in the private family quarters.

Following the directions given by the app on his phone, Nate made his way to his new home.

The biggest question was whether or not it would be permanent.

16

When she arrived back at her apartment after a very unsuccessful napping attempt, Alaina still hadn't seen or even heard from Nathaniel all day.

On the one hand, it seemed odd. On the other, she hadn't reached out either.

After what transpired the night before...

She still wasn't sure what she thought about any of it.

The first thing she noticed when she opened the door to her apartment was the smell of something delicious. The second was the quiet jazz music playing in the background.

"Hello?" She set her bag on the floor near the front door. It wasn't that she was worried, per se - after all, she lived in an extremely secure building - but it still struck her as very odd.

"I'll be right out." Nathaniel's voice came from the kitchen.