“I don’t know.” He glanced at his wristwatch. It was getting late. “Maybe I could swing by the police station now and give them my statement.”
“It’s Friday. And it’s late in the afternoon. I’m sure the people you’ll need to speak with will be gone for the weekend or at least have one foot out the door.”
“Can’t I just give my statement to an officer? Surely the whole police force doesn’t go home early for the weekend.”
Annabelle smiled. “Funny. But I meant you’ll probably have to speak with some of the cle
rical or legal people.”
He nodded. “I suppose they might do things a bit differently from what I’m accustomed to in the States.”
Annabelle nodded. “Now let’s see about getting you situated.”
“I have a room at the hotel in the city.”
“I was thinking of something different. How about being a guest at the royal palace?”
Had he heard her correctly? She was inviting him to stay in the palace with the king? “Are you serious?”
“Of course I’m serious. The king is my uncle.”
“And you live there—at the palace, that is?”
“At the moment, I do. I’ve been living there while working in Mirraccino for the past couple of years.”
There was a lot about Lady Annabelle that intrigued him. And honestly, what would it hurt if he took a few more days before moving on?
Annabelle was the first person to interest him in a long time—just not romantically. It wasn’t that he didn’t find her exceedingly attractive. He did. But he refused to get sucked into another relationship. He’d been through enough. His heart was still mending.
“Oh, please say that you’ll stay. I’ve already had a suite made up for you. And...and the King is expecting you at dinner tonight.”
“The king wants to meet me?”
Her cheeks bloomed with color and her gaze didn’t quite meet his as she nodded.
He suspected she was just saying anything to get him to stay. He had to admit no one had ever dangled an invitation to meet a king before him in order to help with a business deal. What made this amazing woman feel as though she had to jump to such lengths to get him to close this deal?
“Tell the truth,” he said. “The king, he isn’t expecting me at dinner, is he?”
Her gaze finally met his. “No, but I’m sure it won’t be a problem. The suite truly is prepared and awaiting your arrival, as well as the financial projections. We can go over them together if you like.”
He couldn’t help but smile at the eagerness reflected on her face. “You know, I’ve never stayed in a palace before.” When her eyes widened and her glossy lips lifted into a smile, he said, “We’ll just need to pick up my luggage at the hotel and then I’d very much enjoy staying with you—erm, staying at the palace.”
A visit to a royal palace, what could possibly go wrong?
Security would be heavy and the paparazzi would be nonexistent. It would be a win-win.
But who would keep him from getting lost in Lady Annabelle’s brown eyes?
* * *
At last, Annabelle got through on the phone to the police department.
And without playing the royal card, she was able to speak with someone in authority. They told her to stop by in the morning and they’d see about getting some of her possessions back to her. She wasn’t sure what some consisted of, but it was a start.
“Everything okay?” Grayson asked.
She nodded. “They’d like you to stop by tomorrow and give them a statement.”