Page 87 of The Problem with Princes
“I don’t know. I’m just so glad I’m here. Although, I wish you were too.”
“Is Ty there?”
I sigh. “No, he sent Sander to pick me up at the airport. He said he has one last thing to finish up and then we can spend the rest of the week together.”
“Sounds romantic.” She goes all gooey on me.
Sander opens the back door. “I heard from Prince Tyrone, and he has finished his business. Do you wish to join him?”
“Uhh, yeah.” Like he needs to ask. Maybe Ty is wrong, and Sander doesn’t know the extent of our relationship. That thought makes my stomach lurch. What about the king and queen? Do they know?
“Very good, Miss Martindale.” Sander nods and closes the door.
The scenery flies by as we drive along the coastline. “I better let you go to bed, Texie. I’m sure you’re tired and you have closing arguments tomorrow, right?”
She yawns. “Yeah. I should go to sleep. But you better call me tomorrow. First thing!”
“Yes, mom.” That reminds me. I need to call my mom and let her know I arrived safely. “Bye, Tex.” I hang up the phone and watch out my window.
We turn off the main street and travel down a narrow, dusty road, the sea staying on my right. Maybe I can just text my mom and call her later.
I type out a quick text and set my phone in my lap, when it rings. I nearly knock it onto the floor, trying to pick it up. An unknown number appears on the screen.
“Hello?”
“Miss Martindale?” The woman on the phone speaks in Greek. “This is Miss Dellis—Prime Minister Gounaris’s secretary. He asked that I call and offer you the job, if you are still interested in it.”
“Yes. Yes, of course, I am. Thank you, very much.”
I look over at the empty seat next to me, wishing there was someone there to share my news with. But I’ll be with Ty soon enough.
“Have you settled on a home yet?”
I pause. Settled on a home? I love the sound of that. “No. I have not decided on a place yet.”
She shuffles some paper. “Oh, yes. It says you’ll be staying at the palace for the short term. I’ll send the paperwork over tomorrow with all the information you need. I will also enclose my card in case you have any questions.”
“Sas efcharistó, thank you very much.”
“My pleasure, Miss Martindale.” The line goes dead, and I stare at my phone for a moment. “I got it. I got the job.” I jump up and down in my seat as much as my seat belt allows, smacking Sander on the shoulder several times.
“Congratulations, Miss.” Sander says. I think he says it as much to try to stop me from hitting him as from actual excitement for me.
The car pulls up in front of a white stucco house I’d seen in pictures that came with one of the portfolios.Why are we looking at houses? I thought Sander said he was taking me to see Ty.
Sander helps me from the car. “Right this way, miss.”
I almost tell him he can leave my bags here because now that I’ve seen it, I don’t think I need to look at another place. This feels perfect. The only thing missing is Ty.
He leads me through a stone archway and into a grassy, green courtyard with the house facing us. The bougainvillea looks just as inviting as they had in the pictures.
I step onto the cobblestone path leading up to the steps and I can’t help but look up at the structure as I walk.
“This place is beautiful, Sander.” I look but he isn’t just behind me anymore.
I stop in front of the door. I have an idea of what is on the other side because of the pictures I’d seen. But still, I’m nearly frozen. This is all just so weird. It’s like I’m having an out of body experience. I twist the knob and push the door open wide.
A breeze drifts in through the open terrace doors. Do they always keep the doors open? Or maybe they knew I would be touring the houses and they wanted to air them out. Whatever it is, I’m drawn to the view of the Mediterranean. Holy crap. This is what I’ll see every day?
