Page 37 of Royal Games (The Royals of Monterra)

They exchanged glances, and it seemed like they could read each other’s minds.

“I know you’re angry with me,” Lemon said in her Southern drawl, her bright blonde bob swinging as she talked. “But I need to talk to you. Can we come in?”

“She’s not angry with me. Hey, how’s it going,” Kat said, opening the screen door. She patted Laddie on the head and then went by me, sitting on our couch. “I thought Monterra was cold. It is freezing here!”

“Sure?” I didn’t mean for it come out as a question, but Lemon accepted it. I moved back, grabbing Laddie’s collar so he wouldn’t jump. She sat next to Kat on the sofa, both of them looking around the room.

Before I closed the door, I saw several men in sunglasses and black suits, wearing earpieces and walking through the yard. Gianni was with them. I closed the door slowly, trying to gather my thoughts.

After telling my dog to stay and behave, I sat in the armchair across from the couch, perched on the edge of the seat. Lemon put her expensive purse on the coffee table while Kat put up her feet. I was sitting across from two future princesses. They were engaged to Rafe’s twin, Dante, and his oldest brother, Nico. That shouldn’t have seemed like a big deal considering a prince was living in my guesthouse, but it felt different somehow.

“You have a lovely home,” Lemon said, her back straight, legs crossed at the ankle.

Kat’s eyebrows went up. “Yes! A lovely home. Sorry, I’m still working on this gracious etiquette thing.”

“Thanks,” I said. I watched as Laddie edged across the floor in a doggie army crawl toward the women. He caught me looking at him and stopped.

“Thank you for letting us in,” Lemon said. She brushed some hair away from her eyes, taking in a deep breath. She rubbed her hands together in her lap. “I know you don’t want to talk to me, and I deserve your anger. But I wanted to apologize for what I did. I thought Rafe was Dante, and when I saw the two of you kissing, well, I kind of lost it.”

That was the understatement of the year. She had been like a hissing polecat, throwing things and calling Rafe names.

“I only thought about myself, and I’m so sorry. That’s not how you treat a friend.”

I knew she was sincere. Since she’d found out about the switch and had gotten engaged to Dante, she had reached out to me repeatedly. I didn’t know how she’d gotten my email and my phone number. I’d guessed one of the producers from the show must have given them to her. Or she used the royal private investigator to track me down. I didn’t know if they actually had one of those, but it wouldn’t have surprised me.

I didn’t read her texts, I didn’t take her calls, and I didn’t open her emails. The only way that I knew how to get through that dark time was to keep away from everything that would remind me of Rafe. When I made those appearances I didn’t have a choice, but in my private life, I absolutely did.

Now I felt guilty as I saw the pain on Lemon’s face. “I should have talked to you. It was just so awful and you were a reminder of him.”

“I totally get that. You should have seen me after I left Nico,” Kat interjected, talking about her fiancé. I must have looked confused. “We broke up and I left Monterra and went back to Colorado. I told him I never wanted to see him again. I was like the living dead. I didn’t let Lemon talk about him or his family, either.”

Relieved that someone finally understood, I settled back into my chair. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you back. At first I was too angry, then too hurt, and then I didn’t know what to say.”

Lemon moved over to the chair closest to mine, holding out her hand. I grabbed it and she squeezed. “Can you ever forgive me?”

“Of course. If you promise to forgive me too.”

“Done.” She stood up, pulling me along with her, and we hugged. It felt like a massive weight had been taken off of me. I didn’t like that we hadn’t spoken in six months. I was glad to have my friend back.

Laddie had taken advantage of my distraction and was lying on the floor in front of Kat. He was on his back, tongue lolling out while she rubbed his belly. It was his favorite thing ever.

Lemon went for her purse. “I brought you a bribe to sweeten the pot.” She handed me a beautifully wrapped present with a bow so perfect I was afraid to open it.

“Just tear into it,” Kat offered. “She always does that.”

So I did. It was a picture frame. When I turned it over, I started to gasp and sputter.

“I think that means she likes it,” Kat said with a wink to her best friend.

“You brought me a personalized, autographed picture of William Shatner? Freaking Captain James Tiberius Kirk?” It was one of the things Lemon and I had bonded over while on the show—her obsession with zombies and mine with intergalactic space travel. “Thank you. Thank you! How did you even get this?”

“Royalty has its privileges,” Lemon said with a sweet smile.

I put it down on the table next to my chair. Then I moved it so that he was looking directly at me. I was aware that this made me weird. I didn’t care. Lemon sat back down on the couch next to Kat.

“Your nerd is showing,” Kat teased, and I smiled back.

“Where are my manners?” I said. “Can I get you guys anything to drink?”

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