Page 38 of The Royally Broke Billionaire
With impeccable timing, Cole’s cell phone jingled. He glanced at the screen, said, “Duty calls,” and turned to leave.
Pausing a few steps from the door, he turned back, looked at Piper and said, “It was truly lovely meeting you, but now that your illegitimate son isn’t in line for the throne, it doesn’t make practical sense for me to continue to date you. Ruling a kingdom is on my bucket list, and Liam seemed like the shortest route to accomplish that.”
Shrugging his shoulders, he added, “Guess I’ll just have to find another way to make it happen.”
Addressing the group at large, he said, “Later, losers,” before sauntering out of the room.
Piper felt like she had been slapped across the face. She couldn’t believe the pompous jerk had been using her all along, or that he so openly and shamelessly admitted it in front of everyone. Her cheeks burned hot with anger and shame over having been duped by his false charm.
The royal table was silent after Cole’s departure. They all looked stunned by Cole’s bold, brutally honest admissions.
Finn finally provided the comedic relief that they all evidently needed because the entire room, including the normally stone-faced (while on duty) waitstaff, burst out with laughter when he said, “Wow… He’s a real peach!”
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The king rose from the long dining table, officially dismissed his guests, and said to Finn, “Come with me. We have much to do. You were only gone from my service for a short time, but I fear the three men it took to replace you fowled things up beyond measure.”
Finn’s eyes flashed to Piper before quickly darting back to the king. “Of course, Your Highness. I’m honored to be back in your good graces and glad to hear my skills were missed.”
Once that duo departed, the remaining people lingered over their mugs of hot beverages and chatted, making plans for the remainder of the day. Soon, it was only Queen Tess and Piper left seated at the royal table. Although the queen hadn’t voiced it, Piper sensed that the woman wanted to talk to her alone.
Wiping her clammy hands on the linen napkin in her lap, Piper forced herself to remain calm. Although the queen had been nothing but kind to her in front of the others, Piper couldn’t keep the niggling fear at bay that the woman’s easy forgiveness might not extend to their alone time together.
“I understand that you worked as a seamstress before your arrival at the palace?” The queen’s voice lifted higher at the end as if she were asking a question, although it was obvious she already knew the answer.
“Yes, Your Highness,” Piper answered, meeting the queen’s unwavering gaze.
“Did you enjoy this work?” The queen’s tone held only curiosity, without a trace of judgment.
“It was honest, hard work that paid the bills, and I became very good at it, Your Grace.”
“But did you enjoy it?” The queen pushed.
Unsure where the other woman was going with this, Piper looked down at the cloth napkin in her lap and answered honestly. “No, it was never a passion. It was merely a way to make ends meet.”
Nodding, the queen said, “Okay, then, sewing is out. Whatdoyou enjoy doing?”
Piper wasn’t sure how to answer. Did the queen want to know about her hobbies? She didn’t really have any, other than reading and taking care of Liam.
Her confusion must have shown in her expression because the queen elaborated, “I assume that you’d like to have a job to fill some of your time. You don’t have to work, of course, but I would think endlessly sitting in that tiny cottage would become boring after a while, even with that sweet child of yours to look after.”
At Piper’s confirming nod, the queen added, “So, tell me what you like to do, and I’ll create an official position in the palace that suits your preferences.”
Overwhelmed by gratitude, Piper said, “Oh, Your Highness, thank you. But you’re already doing so much for me and Liam.”
“Nonsense,” the queen brushed off her objection. “Now, tell me about your ideal job, or I’ll have to guess, and––to be completely honest––I’m a terrible guesser.”
Piper’s cheeks burned hot, but she forced her gaze up from her lap. She looked directly at the considerate woman before her as she spoke. “I like to plan and organize and schedule. I’m very detail-oriented, and I’m a bit of a perfectionist. In fact, when Liam was born, I created a color-coded whiteboard calendar to track when and how much he ate, the timing of his diaper changes, and his sleeping time down to the minute. When I showed his doctor a snapshot of it, she told me it was the most exhaustive and detailed system she had ever seen a new mother devise. I think she thought I was a tad obsessive and perhaps a little bit crazy.”
The queen chuckled, so Piper paused her monologue. She immediately felt like she had over-shared in her answer to the queen’s simple question. Her worries quickly eased when the other woman said in a kind voice, “You sound perfect for the job I had in mind for you.”
Intrigued, Piper wasn’t able to keep the excitement out of her tone when she encouraged the queen to go on. “Oh?”
“Indeed. It just so happens that I’ve been thinking for a while now that I could use a personal assistant to help keep me in line. I have several important active initiatives I’d like to push through the blasted High Council, in addition to all of the various meetings with dignitaries, high teas with society groups, and hosting duties required of this kingdom’s queen. Not to mention, I need to keep a close watch on everything going on with the legislature, and I’d like to spend time getting to know the people of Isle de Monsail. I don’t feel like I can be a proper ruler, if I don’t have first-hand awareness of the issues they are facing.”
Piper found her respect for the other woman growing with each passing second. She was fairly certain she was giving the queen a starry-eyed gaze when she said, “That sounds marvelous!”
Evidently, not wanting to build the job up too much, the queen’s tone turned serious. “I must warn you… This position will not be easy. It will require long hours and hard work. We have to choose between many competing priorities, and I will expect you to toil tirelessly by my side as a trusted advisor as we do our best to serve our subjects well.”
