28. Jasmine

28

JASMINE

J asmine hated leaving Ell-rom in the bathroom without anyone to help him if he fell or did something else to hurt himself.

Thankfully, she saw Julian sitting behind the desk in the office, and as she walked over, she knocked on the open door.

"Hi, do you have a moment?"

"Sure." He beckoned to her. "Come on in."

Even after all the time she had spent with Julian and Bridget, Jasmine had a hard time reconciling that they were mother and son. They looked more like siblings, but the illusion disappeared when they talked. Bridget spoke with the confidence and authority of someone with decades of experience, while Julian was less sure of himself, and his speech patterns matched the age he looked.

Still, Bridget's youthful looks were easier to accept than the Clan Mother's. The goddess presented the most striking dichotomy between appearance and age—an ancient soul housed in the body of a teenage girl.

"What can I do for you?" Julian asked.

"I'm heading out for a little while, and I wanted to let you know that Ell-rom is in the bathroom. And also to report that he got there himself without my help."

"That's excellent progress." Julian rose to his feet. "I'll let Gertrude know that he is awake so she can warm up his breakfast."

"Awesome." She turned to leave but then turned back. "I'm worried about Ell-rom being alone in the bathroom, but the things I ordered for him yesterday were delivered, and I want to get them. He doesn't know, so don't tell him. I want to surprise him."

"No problem." Julian gave her a reassuring smile. "I'll keep an eye on him while you are gone, but I'm sure he'll be just fine. He did very well yesterday on his walk, and today, we will get him in the pool."

"He's looking forward to it."

"Will you be joining us in the pool?" Julian regarded her with amusement in his eyes.

She scrunched her nose. "It depends on whether Ell-rom wants me there. I also hope his swimming trunks arrived with the rest of the things; otherwise, the pool will not be happening today."

"Did you order him underwear?" the doctor asked.

"Of course."

"Then he can use that in the pool. It's not like there will be anyone else in there."

"Right." Jasmine pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "Then I'm sure he will prefer to do the pool exercises without me watching him. The prince is a proud male, and it might be embarrassing for him to have me see him swimming in his tighty-whities."

Julian chuckled. "I doubt he would know the difference. He has never seen swimming trunks and has no idea that they look different from underwear."

"Good point. But I still hope the trunks are among the packages delivered to the penthouse. I won't be right back, though. I promised Margo to have a cup of coffee with her."

Julian waved a hand in dismissal. "Don't worry about it. I'll keep Ell-rom busy until you get back. Take your time and enjoy your break. You need it."

"Thank you." She cast him a smile and walked out of the clinic.

Jasmine didn't want to tell Julian that she didn't need a break from Ell-rom, and that being away from him was difficult for her. It would have made her seem clingy and desperate, like some pathetic groupie.

No one would believe that she was falling in love with a male who had just woken up from the equivalent of a seven-thousand-year coma five days ago and that it had nothing to do with his royal title.

As she stepped into the elevator, she looked in the mirror and finger-combed her hair. She didn't have any makeup on, hadn't bothered with it since the trip to Tibet, and the only thing she did with her hair after washing it was air dry it while twisting the ends so they wouldn't frizz all over the place.

She looked tired, with dark circles under her eyes from lack of proper sleep, but the contented expression on her face was in stark contrast to her usual one.

People always remarked on the intensity she exuded even when she appeared happy and relaxed, but she now realized that she had always been tense, always anxious, and covering it up with exuberance.

Realizing that she hadn't pressed the button for the penthouse level yet, she put her thumb on the scanner, and then the elevator lurched up.

Perhaps her momentary forgetfulness had been her subconscious not wanting to hear what Margo had learned about Lynda.

On the one hand, Jasmine felt a morbid curiosity to find out whether her tarot reading about Rob's fiancée had been correct, but on the other hand, she hoped that they had been wrong.

She didn't want to be responsible for breaking up an engagement, even indirectly.

Margo's brother and her parents would be devastated, or at least terribly embarrassed, if the wedding was canceled altogether after postponing the celebration twice. They probably couldn't get their money back at this point.

She couldn't imagine Rob's heartache at being cheated on by the woman he had been planning to spend the rest of his life with and then having to call his friends and extended family members to tell them that the wedding was off.

Perhaps it would be better for Rob and Lynda to go through with the wedding, even if it later ended in divorce. At least that way, the immediate pain and humiliation could be avoided.

No one made a big deal out of divorce anymore, and given what Jasmine had heard about Lynda so far, no one would be overly surprised either.

Still, Rob deserved to know the truth. The decision of whether to go through with the wedding or cancel it should be his.