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About two years later

"Grandma!"

"Mia!" Clarisse hugged her granddaughter. "I didn't expect to see you until tomorrow!"

"It was Joe's idea to surprise you." Mia gestured to Joseph, who had just caught up to the two women in the garden. She followed her grandmother's gaze to Joseph's face and suddenly felt as though she were intruding on a private conversation. Neither of them spoke, but it was clear they were happy to see each other. Mia, ignored for the moment, now wondered about his true motives for suggesting that she go back to Genovia from college a day early. To surprise her grandmother, he had said. Well, she was certainly surprised, but Mia was beginning to wonder if Clarisse wasn't happier to see her head of security than her granddaughter. The older woman regained her composure, however, and her expressions of affection to her granddaughter were sincere enough that Mia almost forgot what she had seen. Almost, but not quite. She couldn't help wondering what might be going on between the two of them. Clarisse was nothing if not proper and correct, so Mia could hardly suspect a clandestine affair, but there was definitely something there. Grandma and Joe. It didn't take long for Mia to conclude that they were perfect for each other.

Clarisse gave Mia her full attention and Joseph trailed behind them at a short distance. The two women talked about a variety of things that had happened in the time since they last talked. There was much to be said. Mia loved college life, but was looking forward to her graduation in a year. She missed Genovia and was glad to be back for the summer. Clarisse was happy to hear all of this, but an abrupt change of subject caught her on the back foot.

"Did you miss Joe while he was gone?" Mia asked suddenly.

Clarisse tried not to show her alarm. "What do you mean?" she asked casually.

"Well, when he was with me, I would guess you had to be followed around by one of the others," Mia clarified.

"Yes, of course. It wasn't all that bad, though Joseph is the best when you're stuck waiting somewhere with a security guard and have to make conversation."

Mia nodded. "Well, that's certainly true."

"All of his staff are highly skilled at their jobs, at least. I always feel quite safe."

"Still, I get the feeling that Joe cares more personally about us than the others do."

Clarisse shrugged. "Perhaps."

Mia hid a smile and had mercy on her grandmother. "But enough about Joe. How have you been? Besides busy, as always."

"Oh, I've been well. You know how it goes. But Charlotte and I have a few public appearances planned for you this summer, while you're home."

"Home," Mia mused. "I'm getting used to calling Genovia home."

"Do you miss San Francisco?"

"Sometimes. But I do feel at home here."

Clarisse smiled. "I'm so glad."

#####

Clarisse made her way quietly to the kitchen. Now that Mia was in residence, the palace kitchen was always stocked with root beer and vanilla ice cream. She had been wanting a root beer float since the day her granddaughter arrived home, but hadn't had the chance to have one until tonight. It was almost midnight and she hoped the kitchen staff were gone by now. She opened the kitchen door and made her way to the refrigerator.

"Hello, Clarisse," said a voice behind her. She was so startled she dropped a bottle of root beer and it shattered on the floor.

"Joseph, you scared me!"

"I'm sorry, my dear. Let me clean that up." He found a towel and mopped up the soda as best he could, while Clarisse wiped at her root beer spattered pajama pants with a napkin. He dropped the sodden towel full of glass into the trash can. "There we go."

She laughed. "The soles of my slippers are all sticky."

"You'll want to change before you climb under those freshly laundered sheets."

"Naturally." She glanced at the table. "I see you are here for the same reason I am."

"Let me make you a root beer float."

"Joseph, I'm not completely helpless, you know."

"Of course you're not. But I don't mind."

Clarisse smiled into his eyes. "Very well. But be careful."

He chuckled. "I will." Joseph took another bottle of root beer from the refrigerator and the ice cream from the freezer. She set a glass on the table beside his and he prepared her dessert. "You said you would join me for a root beer float once. Who knew it would take more than two years?"

"Well, you know how time flies around here."

"Don't I, though!" He spooned some ice cream into the glass of root beer, handed her the spoon, and put away the ice cream container before taking a seat across the table from her.

She took a sip of the concoction and sighed happily. "I can't believe I spent so much of my life not knowing about this."

He smiled. "Mia has brought a lot of joy into our lives, hasn't she?"

"She has. More than I could have imagined, though I don't know why it surprised me. She is Philippe's daughter, after all."

"That she is, and I can see more of him in her every day."

"I saw it from the first moment I met her," she told him. "It was harder then than it is now."

"Of course it was. It had only been a few months. I can't imagine how difficult that must have been for you, Clarisse."

"The resemblance wasn't always painful, but I had some difficult moments. Now I'm just glad that I have this part of him with me. And of course she's dear to me on her own merits as well."

"I'm glad that some joy was able to come out of the sorrow of losing him."

Clarisse reached across the table and put her hand over his. "I don't know what I would have done without you, Joseph," she murmured.

He turned his palm up so he could hold her hand. "You would have carried on. You're a very strong woman."

"Carried on, perhaps, but I would have been completely miserable." She smiled. "With you I was only about half miserable."

He chuckled. "Well, I'm glad I could help."

The sound of the door opening gave them just enough warning to pull their hands apart before someone entered the room.

"Hey, Grandma. Hey, Joe," Mia greeted them, before noticing what was in their glasses. "Root beer floats! My favorite!"

"Is that what you're here for, too?" Clarisse wondered.

"No, I've already had two of those. I'm just looking for some potato chips."

Joseph laughed as Clarisse turned up her nose. "I'm not sure if potato chips are allowed in this kitchen."

"I'm not that selfish, Joseph," the Queen replied. "I know I'm not the only person living in the palace."

Mia started rummaging in the cupboards and her quest was eventually successful. She plopped down at the table beside her grandmother with a bag of sour cream and onion potato chips. "So what were you two talking about when I came in?"

"You, as it happens," Clarisse told her, trying to ignore the odor of the chips.

"Should I be blushing?" Mia joked.

"Have you done something worth blushing for?" Joseph asked.

"Sadly, no, I'm terribly boring these days."

"Some would consider that a good thing," Clarisse said.

"Oh, it is," Mia commented. "It means I'm not being clumsy. But that's mainly only because I stopped wearing high heels. I know once I put on a pair of pumps it will be like I'm fifteen again."

Clarisse couldn't help laughing. "Oh, Mia, that's not true. You're a fine dancer now, you know."

"Passable," Mia allowed. "Though it depends somewhat on the skill of my partner."

Joseph smirked. "Doesn't it always?"

This banter continued a little longer into the night until the Queen noticed that it was past one o'clock in the morning and ordered everyone off to bed. As she walked back to her suite, she couldn't subdue a smile at how easily the three of them had talked, about everything and nothing. They were almost like a little family. She supposed it only made sense - Mia and Joseph were two of the people she loved most in the world. Clarisse wondered if she would ever be able to love him openly. It seemed possible that she would be able to step down soon, when Mia graduated and was ready to take on the job, and then she would feel free to listen to her own heart, but she could not be sure until the time came for the new Queen to be crowned. There were times when she wished Joseph could be her husband now, without waiting for Mia's coronation. She was especially wistful when she found herself sleepless and alone of an evening. When Mia had gone to bed and she had dismissed her own ladies' maids, Clarisse often wished for Joseph's company. She wanted him to sit beside her on the sofa, to drape his arm casually over her shoulders, and to kiss her cheek as they watched something frivolous on television or chatted about the mundane details of life. She wanted to be free to enjoy the warmth of his presence any time she liked. His position as head of security gave him the flexibility to seek her out from time to time at his convenience, but they were both very busy people, so these meetings were usually brief and infrequent. She knew that Mia needed her, however, and though she had her daydreams, Clarisse would never shirk her duty. That fact had been a consolation to her in years past, when she contemplated her marriage to a man who did not love her, but now it had become more painful to ponder her duty, the one thing that kept her from marriage to a man who loved her.

#####

Joseph was in his own suite of rooms, slowly preparing for bed. He had enjoyed the cozy feeling of family that had surrounded him in the kitchen with Clarisse and Mia. The two women were so different and yet so similar, and they were both very dear to him. He couldn't help thinking of what it might be like if Clarisse were his wife. Nighttime root beer floats in the kitchen with Mia would likely continue, but other things would change. He wouldn't have to say goodnight to her after dinner or an evening walk in the garden. He could share a glass of wine with her before going to bed, because he wouldn't always be on duty. He could kiss her every day. He hadn't forgotten that he had kissed her a sum total of four times in his life and that it had been over two years since then. He tried to be optimistic, but was entirely possible that he would never have the opportunity to kiss her again. He tried to be patient, but wasn't sure how much longer he could take this.

To be continued…

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