CHAPTER 37

CHAPTER 37

“Hey, you’re home finally,” Sarah Anne said. “Taste this.” She held a spoon with a red-colored sauce of some kind immediately up to Ingrid’s mouth.

“Sarah, I just walked through the door,” Ingrid said, moving around the offered spoon.

“You were supposed to be home an hour ago.”

“I know. I had to stay late.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s work. You’ve stayed late at the restaurant how many times?” Ingrid dropped her purse and laptop bag onto the sofa and flopped down next to them.

“Damn. You’re in a bad mood,” Sarah noted, turning off the stove and covering the pot with the lid. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Ingrid lied.

“Well, that’s dumb of you. I’m your sister; you can’t lie to me, Ingrid,” she replied, sitting down next to Ingrid. “What’s going on? You’ve been on cloud nine lately. Let me guess: you miss Elin. She’s only been gone for a day, Ingrid. She’s a Queen. You’re going to have to get used to her traveling a lot while you guys are dating. I don’t know how it works if you get engaged or married… Do you always travel with her then? I think so, right?”

“Sarah, we’re not getting married,” Ingrid replied.

“Not tonight. And maybe not ever, if you keep that scowl on your face and get wrinkles too soon,” she teased.

Ingrid rolled her eyes.

“Hey, what’s wrong? For real, Ingrid. Tell me.”

“You know I was at the palace the night before last night.” Ingrid turned to see that the TV was on mute in front of her.

“Oh, there she is,” Sarah said.

On the screen, Elin was shaking hands with someone who was likely important, but Ingrid didn’t recognize him. She knew most people Elin worked with before she left the palace, but the event in St. Rais had been hosted by Palmer and Elizabeth, so it could have been someone from their country or somewhere else entirely. The event must have been covered by the news because they were focusing on Palmer and Elizabeth dancing now.

“Oh, look at Elin,” Sarah said, pointing.

Elin was sitting at one of the round tables nearest the dance floor. Ingrid could barely tell it was her at first, until the camera moved a little closer. Then, she could see Elin’s face more.

“She looks sad, Ingrid,” Sarah told her.

And she did; Elin looked sad as she watched couples dance from her seated position.

“Yeah, she does,” Ingrid replied softly.

“She’s probably thinking about you and wishing you were there with her so that you two could dance together. When is she getting back?”

“She’s back now. Her flight landed about an hour ago.”

“Why are you here, then?”

“Because we don’t have to spend every moment together, Sarah.”

“Could have fooled me,” Sarah Anne replied, moving to stand. “You know, you don’t have to bite my head off because I’m asking questions about your new relationship with the Queen of Norway, Ingrid.”

“I know. I’m sorry,” Ingrid replied, sighing. “I’m just in a mood.”

“But why? Did Elin say or do something or–”

“You were at work when I went to bed last night, so we didn’t talk. Can you sit back down for a minute?”

Sarah did.

“Elin and I…” Ingrid looked at her hands in her lap, remembering them being on Elin’s soft skin.

“You two finally…”

“Yes,” Ingrid confirmed.

“Was it bad or something? Is that why you’re in a bad mood?”

“No, it was perfect. All of it was so perfect.” Ingrid looked over at her sister.

“Okay… So, what’s the problem, Ingrid?”

“She told me she loves me.”

Sarah smiled, softening instantly.

“That’s amazing.” She watched as Ingrid did not soften instantly. “Hey, that’s amazing. Why don’t you look happy?”

“I didn’t say it back.”

“What do you mean you didn’t say it back?! You’re head over heels for this girl.”

“I know.” Ingrid sighed.

“Did you get tongue-tied or something? Maybe you were busy doing something else with your–”

“Sarah, knock it off,” Ingrid said, laughing a little, though. “I don’t know; I just froze when she said it. I wanted to say it back, but I freaked out. I had this flash of my entire life in front of me, and while a lot of it was good and amazing and what I want, there were parts I’m not so sure I can handle.”

“The Queen thing?”

“I talked to Palmer,” Ingrid said. “Actually, I spoke with Lillian first, who then put me on the phone with Palmer – she’s been through this, too. She never planned on marrying a Queen. She was an American reporter just on vacation in St. Rais when the hospital bomb went off and Elizabeth became Queen.”

“Well, I get why you’d want to talk to her, but your situation is a little different.”

“Of course. But it was helpful to talk to someone who basically had to give up the life she wanted for herself.”

“You’d know better than me, I guess, but I read that book you bought a few years ago about them: it didn’t seem to me like Palmer gave anything up that she wasn’t good with, you know? She still writes and publishes. She works with charities that she loves supporting. And in that book, it’s very clear that she loves her wife and their life together, Ingrid.”

“She does; I know that. She told me as much on the phone. And I’ve seen them together; I know she doesn’t regret anything. But the monarchy St. Rais is privately funded; they don’t take taxpayer money. Elin’s family does. That means some of the things that Palmer can still do, I wouldn’t if–”

“If you guys got married one day?” Sarah interjected. “So, you are thinking about that stuff?”

“Of course, I am. You don’t just start dating a Queen without thinking about that stuff. But I’ve also spent the past three years falling in love with the woman without realizing it, apparently.” Ingrid’s head went back against the sofa.

“What would you be giving up, exactly? Spell it out for someone who didn’t work for the royal family.”

“I couldn’t work anymore,” Ingrid said.

“At Dad’s company? Fine. You went there because it was available, and you didn’t want to work for Elin because you wanted to be with her. What would you really be giving up?”

“Not just there; I meant I wouldn’t be able to work anywhere.”

“So? You’d be Queen Consort. You’d have a job, Ingrid. Did you read the book Palmer wrote?”

“The first or the second one?”

“Either one,” Sarah replied, exasperated. “I remember you coming home exhausted from all the work Elin did that you helped with as her secretary, and she was only a Princess then and not even next in line. If you and Elin work out, you could be her Consort. You’d have your own secretary or secretaries; you’d have that much to do. All that travel she does? You would do it with her. You could choose to just be arm candy if you want, but that’s not exactly your style. I can see you being like Palmer there.” Sarah pointed at the TV, despite it being on a commercial and no longer showing the charitable event. “She seems to work hard and makes a difference. Isn’t that the point of a constitutional monarchy these days? It’s not like Elin has any real power.”

“I like being behind-the-scenes, Sarah. As her secretary, when she went to a party before, I was either at home, or I was off to the side. No one had a camera on me or expected me–”

“Do you love Elin, Ingrid?”

“What? Of course, I do.”

“Do you not think she’d give you everything in the world if she could?”

“I don’t–”

“Meaning, that she’d help you figure this out, whatever you want or don’t want. If you don’t want to be a big public speaker or something, I’m sure she’d be fine with that. If you want to be more behind-the-scenes, just tell her that. You’ll have to be out there a little, I’m sure, but you loved working at the palace before; I know you did. You liked making a real difference in Norway and in Europe. Now, you’re working with Dad pushing papers.”

“We have computers, Sarah Anne.”

“I just picture him sitting behind a huge desk, not knowing how to turn the thing on, so he’s just sharpening a bunch of pencils or something.”

Ingrid laughed a little.

“Look, I’m not saying this is the easiest thing in the world or trying to tell you that it’s not complicated. It is; I get that. I’m just saying that I’ve never seen you happier. Even before you realized how you felt about her, you loved your job. You loved working with her and spending time with her. And now that that’s evolved, you’re even happier. That’s amazing, Ingrid. Not everyone gets the happily-ever-after thing, and you could really have that with her.”

“I know,” Ingrid said.

“Maybe take tonight to just think about what you want, but you need to talk to her either way. You can’t help who you fall in love with, Ingrid. And it is beyond clear that you’re in love with her.”

Ingrid’s phone buzzed in her purse.

“Speak of the devil,” Sarah Anne said before Ingrid had even pulled it out.

“How did you know?”

“Who else would be calling you? You have one friend, and I’m here.” She stood up.

“It’s just a text. She wants to know if we can talk before she goes to bed.” Ingrid smiled down at her phone.

“Oh, God… You are so gone for this girl.” Sarah laughed.

“She’s a woman, Sarah.”

“You’d know,” Sarah replied. “Was it really that good? Sister to sister.”

Ingrid looked up at her, smiled, and nodded. “I’ve never felt more complete in my entire life, Sarah. It was everything all at once and, somehow, still not enough at times. I needed more, and even when I got that, I wanted more of her still, and I…”

“I think you know what you’re going to do,” Sarah Anne said. “Just say goodnight to her tonight, Ingrid. You wait to tell her that you love her until you’re in person. The woman deserves that.”