JENNIE
"He still hasn't returned my call."
I shoved my cell phone in my pocket and glared out the car window.
"Jennie, it's been two hours and he was in surgery." Jimin lowered his paper and looked over at me. There was a picture of Ryujin on the page he was reading. "I know you're worried, but give the man a break. He can't run out of the operating room to talk."
"I know." I sighed. "Dad was really snappy this morning. I'm starting to think it's the medicine."
"Yes, I've heard that can happen with certain prescriptions." Jimin folded up the paper. "He will call you. You can't do anything right now, so focus on why we're in town."
"Meetings with politicians." I leaned back in my seat. "This is going to be awesome."
"Deep breath. It's only for an hour and then you get to go home and wear jeans again."
"And sit through Lilarian lessons." I picked at my jacket.
"You'll do great."
I met with the local council of leaders, listening to what all they did and how they thought I might be able to help. It was an interesting morning and the breakfast was delicious. Simone, the local mayoral figure, kept everyone on track and we actually got a great deal accomplished. When I was leaving, she pulled me to the side to thank me for coming.
"No, I enjoyed seeing how everything works. I know I can't petition the parliament on behalf of the people yet, but if there are any cases you can think of, let me know. I have time to look into them, even if I can't do much yet."
"I like that. You'll be able to dive right in when the time comes."
"I like to be prepared." I shook her hand.
"Wonderful. I hope you don't mind my bringing this up, but I realize you might not have thought of this." She took a step closer, still holding my hand. "I know you've been worried about how the locals would feel about your coming home and I thought of something that might make you feel better. The royal families that represent the different provinces typically hold open houses or parties for the locals at least once a year. It encourages conversation and makes the villagers feel appreciated. Once you're reinstated, it might be nice to consider holding one."
"I'll look into it. Thank you."
That afternoon was spent with a nice woman named Mrs. Rewell who refused to speak anything but Lilarian to me. I thought about hiding in the blanket closet but Jimin kept careful watch. By the time she left I could sing the alphabet easily and count to twenty. I felt like I had run a marathon.
Lisa had gone back to the city to work on a few projects that required her attention. She hadn't wanted to leave until I'd spoken with Dr. Bielefeld, but I insisted. I didn't want her to put off things that were important just because I was worried.
By the time dark fell, I was in a very bad mood. Not only had the doctor not returned my call, but I couldn't find my e-reader. When my phone rang, I didn't even check to see who it was.
"Yeah?" I pulled stuff out of my carry-on bag, hoping I'd stuck the e-reader in there for some reason.
"Hi to you, too." Lisa laughed. "Bad day?"
"Yes. The doctor never called me back and a very nice lady spent three hours refusing to speak any English." I shook out my jacket, but still no e-reader.
"I'm sorry Dr. Bielefeld didn't call you back." The rumble of her voice went a long way to soothing me. "Something important must've come up."
"Probably. I just want to know more about my dad's scan and medicine." I sat on my bed and sighed. "Just a frustrating day."
"I can tell." She was quiet for a minute. "Did you learn any Lilarian?"
"A little. I guess she's doing her job."
"Well, that's good." She sounded distracted.
"What's going on?"
"Eh, it can wait."
"Oh no. Just get it out of the way." I leaned back on the bed. Today was not going well.
"I don't want to upset you."
"What is it?" My stomach clenched.
"Someone published a picture of me at your house."
"That's not so bad."
"Well, they also titled it Royal Rendezvous." I could hear the worry in her voice so I tried to curb my immediate response. "Jennie?"
"It's okay, Lisa." I chewed on my lip.
"I can hear in your voice that it's not okay."
"It's fine."
"Oh, now I know it's bad. No matter what language a woman says those two words in, it means bad things."
I chuckled weakly. "Seriously, it's okay. I mean, they don't know anything for sure. Maybe it'll just blow over."
"It might."
"I think I'm going to call it an early night." I closed my eyes.
"Okay. I'll talk to you soon."
"Good night."
The next morning my phone rang during breakfast and I almost dropped it in my rush to answer.
"Hello?"
"May I speak with Duchess Kim?" An accented voice asked politely.
"This is Jennie."
"Ah, this is Dr. Bielefeld. I apologize for not returning your call yesterday. I had an emergency pop up."
"That's understandable. I just had a few questions about my father. He said that his scan hadn't shown any changes and he was taking new medicines." I got up and walked outside. "He seems pretty miserable."
"Yes, I have his file here. Mr. Thompson's scan didn't show much change, so after speaking with his physician in the States we decided to try a medicine that is a lot more powerful. He's likely experiencing some side effects."
"What kind of side effects?"
"Nausea and insomnia are the most common, but he may also experience a change in mood and temperament."
"I believe he's dealing with all of those." I sat down on the steps leading from the kitchen door to the yard. "Is this medicine necessary?"
"Duchess, I wouldn't have suggested it if I didn't believe so."
"Doctor, how bad is this? I thought he was doing better."
"Cancer often leaves us scratching our heads, but we're doing everything we can. Once Mr. Thompson is up to traveling, I'll be making a trip to Kim to examine him personally."
"I'm really worried." I said the words quietly. "I thought he was doing better and this is a bit of a blow."
"Jennie, I can only tell you so much. Your father's cancer was never an easy case because it went so long without detection. At this point, we just need to try to keep it from spreading."
"I understand." I gripped the phone tightly. "Will we be able to get him over here soon?"
"I'm supposed to have a phone conference with his doctors tomorrow. I'll let you know if there is anything I can tell you."
"Thank you."
I sat there on the steps and looked out over the yard. The main reason I had decided to come out here and accept my title was so I could get healthcare for my father. Now I was over here and he's too sick to travel. I leaned forward, rested my elbows on my knees, and took a deep breath. I was here now and there were some things that had turned out pretty good. I'd made some friends. Ryujin was the little sister I never had and it felt as if Jimin had always been a fixture in my life. And then there was Lisa.
Lisa was by far the best part of all this mess. Even with all the media and scary pressure of what it meant to be in a relationship with a princess, she was worth it. In the middle of all this mess, she made me feel normal. We spoke every day and I missed her while she was gone. I missed her a lot. Taking a deep breath, I stood up and tucked my phone in my pants. There was no going back at this point. The scariest part was that I wasn't sure I wanted to.
Mrs. Rewell spent the majority of the rest of the week working on my lessons. By Friday I could manage most of the phrases I would need for the ceremony. There had been speculation about me and Lisa, but no one brought it up. In fact, the last time I'd seen a picture of Lisa in the paper, the reporter had been speculating that Lisa was secretly dating Adriane again. It had hurt, but I knew better than to give it any credit. Lisa had attended a charity event that Adriane had set up, but had asked me to come with her. In fact, she asked me to go to every event she attended. I was the one who kept saying no. I just wasn't ready to deal with the media explosion that would happen when it was official. I refused to look at the papers after that and even Jimin had stopped reading them when I was around.
When Lisa came that weekend, she didn't bring up that I had turned down her invitations. Instead we spent time in her giant tub and relaxed. Well, relaxed some. I really liked her tub and not just because of the jets, though those were nice.
"You know, when you picture having sex in a bathtub, it always seems romantic and erotic, but then when you actually attempt it, there's nowhere to put your legs. And you slosh water over the top." I crawled onto her lap and wrapped my arms around her neck.
"Is that so?" She ran her wet hands up over my back.
"Mmmhmm." I tilted my head back while she trailed kisses over my collarbone and down to my breasts. "Not this one though."
"Why is that?" Her words were muffled because she was paying so much attention to my nipple.
"Because it's so—" she gripped my thighs and lifted me so I could slide down over her thick shaft.
"So what?" Her teeth caught my earlobe and tugged gently.
"Big." I moaned as she shifted under me.
The rest of our conversation consisted of nothing more than the sound of our lovemaking. Her growls of desire answered my moans of pleasure. When we finally fell over the edge, it was a blinding sensation that left me gasping.
Later that night we collapsed in her bed, the sheets tangled around our legs.
"Are you staying?" Her fingers ran over the skin of my back and I sighed in contentment.
"Do you want me to?"
"Yes." There was no hesitation to the reply.
"Then I'll stay as long as you want." I pressed a kiss to her jaw and snuggled closer. The nights I spent with Lisa were always the best and sleep came easily. Being with her quieted my anxiety and the constant worry. I almost didn't hear what she said next.
"Forever." She mumbled the word against my hair. "Stay forever."
My heart did a little dance and I smiled as I cuddled even closer to her. Lisa had wiggled her way into my heart despite my best efforts, and I couldn't be happier about it. Who would have guessed that the day she blocked my way into the library, she'd also changed the entire course of my life?
The following week was much the same. No news about Dad, but he did seem to be adjusting to the medicine. He wasn't as grumpy and Patricia said he was finally keeping food down. Dr. Bielefeld hadn't called me with any more information, but his assistant had sent me a package of potential treatments to look over. I also spent a lot of time with Simone. We went over cases from local families who had issues with land or tax problems, and I wrote my first check for charity after seeing a home destroyed by fire. I had folders full of notes and names. Jimin and I spent several evenings researching computer programs that were easy and efficient to use. I needed a filing system and while I preferred to take notes by hand, I wasn't fond of the idea of having eight hundred file cabinets.
I found that I actually enjoyed the problem-solving aspect of my new job. It was work, but it gave me something constructive to do. The brightest spot of the week was Somi's call to tell me Bert had proposed. My heart had felt much lighter after listening to her squealing. When I told her she should wait to go dress shopping until she came to visit, I thought my eardrums would explode. Not only was she excited about shopping in Europe, she immediately assumed it meant I was going too. I didn't have the heart to tell her no, so I decided I'd just suck it up and look for a dress with her.
It wasn't until Friday arrived that I started to feel blue. I'd stayed so busy I'd managed to not worry too much. Unfortunately, Jimin was pretty strict about keeping my weekends free. He felt I deserved time off just like everyone else. Normally that would be a great thing, but Lisa had called to let me know she couldn't come back this time. She was attending a formal dinner at the palace and wouldn't have time to make it here and back.
"Why don't you go do something? Call Ryujin." Jimin looked at me over lunch. "You need to think about something else."
"Are you sick of me?" Not that I'd fault him for it. I was being grumpy. I stood up and put my plate in the sink. Margie was getting used to the idea of us eating in the kitchen and I was getting used to her cooking everything.
"I'm sick of you looking so frustrated." He threw his napkin on the counter. "Your dad wants you to stay here, but you feel like you should go to him. You miss Lisa but don't want anyone to know you're together. It's like you're trying to torture yourself."
"I am not!" Margie tsked under her breath while she wrapped up the leftovers and I frowned. "You think I'm being stupid, too?"
"Of course I don't think you're being stupid. I think you're afraid to see the good." She set the plate she was holding in the refrigerator.
"What do you mean?"
"The one you love loves you just as much." Her back was to me, so she didn't see the look on my face.
"Close your mouth, Jennie." Jimin rolled his eyes. "You're the only person who doesn't realize you're in love with her."
"How would you know I was in love before I did?" I crossed my arms and glared at him.
"Because we're not the ones living it. It's easier to see when you're not wrapped up in it yourself."
"Speaking of being wrapped up in things. How are you and Daniel?"
"Nice subject change. And we're okay. His sister, Adriane, is helping with his parents." He leaned back in his chair. "I don't think he understood how much it upset me until I set an ultimatum."
"So you're working things out?"
"We're trying. Instead of talking about it, he's actually taken steps." He smiled. "Lisa told him that the crown stood behind him and they wouldn't put up with any prejudice."
I smiled. Lisa and I had talked about the predicament Daniel was in with his family. It made me happy to know that she had made an official move to back her friend.
"So, are you pushing me out of the house so you can go see your boyfriend?" I raised an eyebrow and smirked.
"I certainly wouldn't complain…"
"Okay. I'll call Ryujin. She's been bugging me nonstop to go out with her." I didn't want to go to the clubs, but I had told her I would and this gave me an excuse to see Lisa as well.