But damn, she wanted to keep him for longer.
13
28 June
The Michigan Inn
“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” Ele whispered as her hand slid down the line of her slim-cut yellow dress. She turned to Beatrix. “Do I look like a giant pencil in this?”
Beatrix sputtered, partly offended, partly amused. “Have I ever dressed you in something questionable?”
“Well, there was that one time with the flowers—”
“Don’t finish that statement, Your Highness.”
Ele cracked up, remembering the dress that might have been made out of the draperies from the palace. “You have to admit …”
“I did. I admitted it. And I have never put you in flowers again. This is not the same. You look amazing. Perfect for a bonfire.”
Ele turned back to the mirror, giving herself a final once-over. The baby-doll dress had a modest neckline, four buttons, and cap sleeves. The skirt was flirty, hitting right above her knees. It was crazy to be this concerned about how she looked. It wasn’t her normal. But she kind of wanted to blow Tristan’s mind, even more than she was going to when she showed up at the party tonight.
When the invitation had come earlier, her first instinct had been to decline. There hadn’t been enough time to plan or to do the proper security checks. Any other impromptu outing would have sent her into nervous restlessness. Now, the fluttering in her stomach was the delicious anticipation of surprising Tristan.
Beatrix placed a delicate straw hat, decorated with a yellow-and-white ribbon, on her head. She pulled a few strands of hair loose from Ele’s messy knot, giving her a casual, wind-tossed look.
Robert cleared his throat behind her. Ele turned, and he grinned like he couldn’t contain it.
“Okay?” she asked.
He nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
Ele took a deep breath. “Run me through it.”
It was their routine. An outing merited a briefing. Ingress and egress were two terms she was intimately familiar with. But it calmed her—usually.
“Very straightforward this time. The hotel owns the beach, so we already have it within the wire. It’s been secure since we got here. We’ll take the elevator down to the ground floor. From there, we will proceed through the pool area, which has been cleared. The walk down to the beach is on a boardwalk. It’s a raised platform. The usual checks have been performed. The area is safe.”
Robert ended with that always. The area is safe.
Ele nodded, her hand landing on her stomach as she pulled in a deep breath.
They left the room, Michael joining them in the elevator. The whole way down, Ele fidgeted. The team had tied today, but they were second in their group. She hadn’t seen Tristan since the night after the second game, and getting an in-person view of him from the distance of a stadium box was hardly satisfying. It explained the sweaty palms, the jitters in her stomach.
Exiting the elevator, they followed the path Robert had painted for her earlier. As they crossed over the raised platform of the boardwalk, Ele experienced an errant desire to overtake Michael and leave her security team in the dust. The methodic, slow progress hampered her.
“Easy,” Robert warned quietly.
She shot him a look over her shoulder, not surprised by the way he sensed her impatience, but impressed all the same.
The noise of the party reached them before the sight of it. The low din of conversation, the occasional shout of laughter, the cacophony of celebration. As they reached the edge of the boardwalk, Ele turned to Robert.
Following a wayward impulse, she asked, “The area is safe?”
Robert nodded, slow and deliberate. He knew where this was going, and he intended to keep his feelings about it to himself. She could tell by the lack of expression on his face.
“I want to go”—she swallowed, girding herself to say what she wanted—“alone.”
Robert merely nodded again. Not a blessing, not a condemnation, just an acknowledgment.