Chapter 13

Text from Luke to Izzy and Penelope:I feel certain that Penelope knows even more than I do about my current situation, likely from some ability to place spies among the orphans at Cambric Hall, so I figured I'd just get it all out of the way in one text thread. We've agreed to be friends until I leave in two months.

Penelope:Friends? With a princess? I wonder what could possibly go wrong. (Or right, if you ask me.)

Luke:I didn't ask for feedback, as I recall.

Izzy:Are you sure you can DO that, Luke? The friendship thing?

Penelope:Izzy, Luke has lots of friends who are girls. Why wouldn't he be able to be friends with a woman who also happens to be a princess? *chime*

Luke:No chimes, Penny-girl, or I'll stop texting you anything at all.

Izzy:Wouldn't it be difficult to move to friendship after kissing her?

Penelope:YOU KISSED A PRINCESS???!!!!

Luke:Izzy, I will no longer message you for the rest of time.

Izzy:Ack! Sorry, Luke! I thought with all her movie-induced foresight, she'd have known already.

Penelope:But, Luke! It's too early to have kissed her. That always leads to trouble. You're not supposed to kiss a princess until near the end of the story, or right after you two agree on happily ever after. Early kissing is sure to lead to turmoil.

Luke:You have no idea.

Penelope:I feel as though I need to rewatch a few royal movies so I'm better prepared for your life, Luke. How exciting!

Luke:Not exactly what I'd call it, but I will say, as strange as it sounds, if we're going to be working together, I'd rather have us on friendly terms than acting like we don't know or care about each other.

Izzy:That's going to be tough.

Luke:Sure is.

Penelope:What if she wants you to be her prince, Luke? Oh my goodness, I can't even believe I typed that IRL! Prince Luke... hmm, maybe you should go by your middle name. Stephen is more princely.

Penelope:Oh, sorry, Luke. Matt just reminded me that Ellie is expected to marry someone from Skymar as part of their effort to build back the population and support for the country. I wonder how long getting citizenship takes?

Luke:I'm not the prince sort, Penny-girl. I've already been down the road of trying to measure up to the impossible. I'm not interested in doing that again. Besides, I'm a happy citizen of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the U.S. of A. So keep the royal romance talk out of the conversation. I just shared so you'd realize we're moving forward as friends and that's that.

Izzy:Well, I'm glad you guys can be friends now. And hopefully it won't negatively impact your work.

Luke:Shouldn't. And her dad asked if I'd meet him and Ellie for dinner tomorrow evening to talk about some of my ideas.

Penelope:You're having a private dinner with the KING OF SKYMAR???!!!!

Penelope:Sorry. Matt just told me that the royal family are incredibly approachable and that King Aleksander is highly involved in learning new ways to help his people. Doesn't he sound like a lovely man? You'll have to tell me all about him after your dinner. Wow! With the king!

Penelope:Matt also said that no matter how loud I talk while I text, you still won't be able to hear my exclamations from North Carolina to Skymar. So that's his subtle, sweet way of letting me know I'm getting too loud. He's such a doll!

Izzy:Is there anything we can do to help you?

Luke:I wouldn't mind some prayers for wisdom and... patience. Lots of patience.

Penelope:And self-control? I mean, how can you un-kiss somebody in your mind? A princess too?

Luke:Living with you and all your ridiculousness has fostered a whole lot of self-control in me, Penny-girl. If I said everything I thought, you'd realize just how much self-control I use on a minute-by-minute basis.

Luke:And, Izzy (since Izzy is actually taking this situation seriously), if you think of it, send up some prayers for Ellie. I think somewhere along the way she lost sight of who she is and that she was created for a purpose.

Izzy:Then I'm glad you're her friend, Luke. You may not always say those things with your words, but you're great at showing people how important they are through the way you care about them.

Penelope:I'm taking it seriously! I always take royal romances seriously.

Penelope:But on a really serious note, I'll pray too, Luke. To step back out into the world after feeling as if she'd ruined so much—that already shows how brave and strong she is. She just needs to see it. It's such a good thing God sent you into her life to be her... friend.

Izzy:I think another dinner date should be on the planner. Next week? And I can show you some of the simple LotR-inspired wedding ideas I have. You'd appreciate the Bag End cake.

***

Having the whole evening to process his conversation with Ellie may have helped him go into work the next day with a clear head. Or at least with great intentions of keeping his end of the bargain.

Of course, it wasn't like they'd been dating.

And they'd only kissed a few times. His inner rogue replayed just how fantastic it was, so he shoved those thoughts into the broken nothing box.

He could do this. He had to do this.

And then she walked in with her hair in a ponytail, wearing a baggy sweater and jeans.

Luke groaned and shot a glance heavenward. The pantsuit would have been a better choice to keep his mind from temptation. She looked more like a princess that way.

This way...

Well, she just looked... cuddly.

He grimaced and turned back to Gordon before his thoughts derailed into an even more embarrassing direction. Gordon's attention flicked to Ellie and back to Luke, his pale eyes taking on added humor.

Luke raised a brow in warning to the man. His only response was a momentary wider grin and a sound like a muffled chuckle.

Perfect.

Luke had left directions with Pete to have the gofer crew move the final cabinets into the kitchen for installation and to start clearing out the adjoining room to the kitchen so that repairs could begin in there while he finished up the pantry over the next few days.

Once he sat down with Mrs.Kershaw and Ellie to go over the trim work and additional details along with their plans, he'd have an even better idea of how much longer it would take them, but they were well ahead of schedule already.

Always a good feeling.

So with Pete in charge of the gofers and Luke keeping somewhat solid focus on the cabinetry, he went all morning with nothing more than a few pleasantries with Ellie St.Clare.

And there may have been some occasional looks.

She was in his line of sight sometimes, so he had to look.

He probably shouldn't have winked at one point, but she'd come by with broom in hand and made some comment about "sweeping him off his feet." What was a guy supposed to do about that? And from a princess?

Gordon's not-so-subtle grunt-chuckles didn't help.

And neither did Pete's not-so-subtle grins.

Even young Jamie had started to raise his brows at Luke when Ellie entered the room.

He was in a losing battle, which meant only one thing.

He needed to watch Rambo tonight.

After dinner with the king.

He gave his head a hard shake. He should probably watch more than one of them.

Well, one good thing about having Ellie on the gofer team was that most of the time, they kept a healthy distance from each other. Which was good for him, because he'd started craving oranges with a passion and they weren't easy to find in Crieff... in April.

During his lunch break, he slipped into the small office outside the kitchen that Mrs. Kershaw had set up for his use. A few days ago, he'd gone over the plans and reordered certain supplies, but with the progress going so well, he pulled up his 3D designs for the cabin to review.

Of course, the cabin work was coming along much more slowly than the orphanage. Pete was his only coworker on that job, and Pete only helped when he wasn't eating, playing video games, traveling home "for a quick trip," or going on dates.

Which basically meant Luke was on his own, and for the most part, it suited him fine. He'd save the work that required an extra hand for when Pete was around.

But he'd been attempting to restructure the living area of the cabin to give it a more open feel while also keeping it cozy, heat efficient, and practical. The kitchen needed more storage space since he had plans to turn a tiny closet into a washer-and-dryer spot.

"Hey."

Luke didn't have to look up to know the owner of that voice. He turned to find Ellie standing in the doorway, shoulder braced against the frame as if she'd been standing there a little while. His neck grew hot.

"Hey to you."

Her teeth skimmed over her bottom lip in a smile and she stepped into the room. "I just wanted to confirm dinner tonight with Father?"

"I brought a change of clothes so I'd be more presentable."

Her gaze swept over him, not more than a few seconds, but enough for his body to know it was more than a cursory glance. Lord, help him. They were a mess.

He shouldn't keep craving time with her. Shouldn't. They couldn't be together, and he had no desire to even attempt to live up to expectations he could never meet. Royalty? Nope. The very idea doused some of the attraction.

Only a little.

Definitely not enough.

"He wouldn't mind what you're wearing, just so you know." She looked away. "As I understand it, he was always a bit of a rebel when it came to protocol, which has proven a boon for his reign. The people love him for how willing he is to be a part of their lives."

Luke nodded. "I like that."

She folded her arms across her chest, studying him. "You remind me of him in that way. Good-hearted. Keen to hear a person's perspective."

"How's he look in flannel?"

Her smile shot wide. "Actually, in more private life, he wears it well."

"Sounds like the right sort of king." Even saying that out loud sounded weird, but he also never imagined he'd have kissed a princess, so there was that.

She took another step forward. "I have to leave early today to attend a meeting with the transportation board of the North Country, but I should be back in time for supper. He wanted me to let you know he'd send a car to Cambric Hall for you. Around seven?"

"Would it be easier to have Pete just drop me off somewhere?"

"Well," she said, her nose wrinkling with a little frown, "to avoid considerable publicity, he's secured a private dining room for us at the Ivy Hotel on the edge of Crieff, and sending his car for you will keep you from having to go through security and the like."

"Okay..." He drew out the word as he processed the situation. Private car. Private dining room. Meal with a king and his daughter.

Weirder and weirder.

"Is that a 3D design model?" She gestured toward his computer, moving way too close for him to keep his thoughts friendly. "The cabin?"

"Yeah, I'm trying to figure out how to create some more storage space for the kitchen." He gestured toward the screen. "See how I'm taking this closet and turning it into a laundry room? Well, it eats into kitchen storage."

"And this is the new room?" She pulled up a chair, her shoulder brushing his.

She didn't seem aware of how close she was. Perfume-smelling close. Definitely deal-breaking close.

He tried to hold his breath. "Yeah. I have some good storage in mind for that room. Bench seats beneath the windows there and I've designed a banquette for this corner, since there wasn't space for a table and chairs before the renovation."

"I love it." Her smile and praise had him sitting a bit taller. Not quite as straight as her posture, but better than usual. "The view must be on that side?" She pointed to the additional windows.

He nodded. "Spectacular view, so I wanted to take advantage of it."

"Of course." She studied the model with familiarity. "Are you bringing the cupboards around here to create some extra counter space?"

He followed the direction in which she pointed. No, he hadn't thought of that, but bringing out the cabinet just a bit there would add another whole cabinet. "That'd be an easy addition. Worthwhile too."

"And some open shelves would be nice. On this wall. Beside that window."

He watched her out of his periphery, her attention shifting over the screen, intelligence dancing in those eyes.

"What's beneath the stairs there?"

It took him half a second to pull his mind from examining her profile to the fact she'd asked him a question. "Um..." Brilliant, Luke! Top-notch smarts right there. "I haven't checked if there's anything."

"If it's merely empty space, you could make it into a closet, couldn't you?" She turned toward him, her face beautifully close.

He drew his attention, much too slowly, back to the computer screen and cleared his throat. "I'll check it out tonight and see, but if you're right, it could be a good use of available space." He turned toward her, leaning back a bit to give himself some more distance.

A deal was a deal. And he'd attempt to keep it for both of them despite her... her-ness.

"Interior design, eh?"

"I love it." Her grin spread. "But I rarely have the opportunity to use my skills. When Mrs.Kershaw requested someone to review the needs here at the orphanage, I thought it would be a wonderful combination of my duties as well as my education." She gestured toward his computer. "She allowed me to create the designs." She wiggled her brows. "And I get to be a part of watching them become a reality."

He nodded slowly, watching her come to life. "And if Mr.Gray were going to have someone come in and paint the walls, what would you suggest?"

"Oh, colors! I love them." Her gaze brightened anew. "What is the fireplace made of? And the kitchen cabinets, since the two rooms open into each other."

"Rock fireplace, mostly sand-colored rock." He kept staring. Why did she have to be a princess, of all things? He might have preferred a lawyer over a princess. Or a politician. He grimaced. No, that was pushing it too far. "The cabinets are light oak."

"Then you must use something darker on the walls. Like a soft red or green. If I could see it in person, I'd know for certain." Her gaze met his and one brow rose. "What?"

"Just nice to see you enjoying this."

Her cheeks blushed, but she didn't look away. "More than I should, I believe," she whispered, drawing him a little closer.

A chime sounded in the distance just in time to stop Luke's forward motion toward her lips.

He heaved a sigh and sat back. "That chime!"

"What chime?" And then the sound came again. "Oh, you mean the church bells?"

"Right. Bells." He shook his head. "Not chimes."

Her laugh burst out, the sound a whole lot better than any chimes. "What are you talking about?"

"My little sister, Penelope, the romance-y, royal-loving one I've told you about?"

"Yes?" Her shoulders shook with her chuckle.

"Well, she's been sending me little reminders of the Hallmark Christmas chime in hopes of inspiring my faith in magical romance." He gave his head another shake, though the idea of magic and romance did go together when he thought of Ellie. And holding her. And feeling her hair through his fingers. "It's annoying."

"It's a good thing we're not close to Christmas or we'd have no chance at keeping our bargain at all, would we?"

"Oh no, you've been watching more of them, haven't you?" He narrowed his eyes, watching her wrestle with her smile. "You're just going to cause more trouble than is necessary thinking romance can happen like that."

"It's true. Hallmark Christmas involves magic at a whole new level. I doubt we'd stand a chance against Kriss Kringle and all his little elves."

"The last thing either one of us needs is anything nudging us in the romantic direction any more than we've already gone." He looked back at the screen to avoid making eye contact. Those eyes were magical too. "You should stop watching those, if for no other reason than to save my sanity."

Sounds of work resuming in the kitchen traveled down the hallway, and Ellie pushed up from the chair and moved back to the doorway. "I don't need a chime to know my feelings, Luke, and there is the difficulty." Her smile took a dive into a frown. "If only real-life troubles could find such charming resolutions as in the Hallmark world."

Exactly. Fictional. Impossible. Pixie dust fluff and nonsense.

Chimes or not, Luke refused to think about any future with Ellie, other than finishing the remodel for Cambric Hall. With a deal between them and an impossible romance to boot, dwelling any longer than his errant brain already did would only lead to a greater disappointment when he broke down the facts.

Distance. Families. And the biggest of them all, he could never be royal material.

So he closed off that side of his thinking.

Which was much easier to do when Ellie wasn't within seeing or smelling distance.

However, he could do his best work and maybe even offer ideas for helping these kids have better futures, which would at least provide two good outcomes from this Skymarian adventure.

Besides, just because Izzy and Penelope found perfect romances halfway around the world didn't mean he would too. He usually ended up being the odd one out anyway. Being the only boy in a houseful of girls certainly proved that point more than once growing up.

The day ended with the team finishing up the cabinet install and completing most of the trim work around the cabinets, with a good plan for finishing it up the next day. Pete and Gordon helped straighten up the workspace for the next day so Luke could change into the only "nice" outfit he'd brought with him: khaki pants, a light blue button-down, and a navy sport jacket.

It was a miracle he'd even packed that outfit, and he wouldn't have if Penelope hadn't presented him with at least a dozen scenarios for which he might need it—a dinner with the king of Skymar, however, was not on that list.

As Luke loaded his tool belt into the back of Pete's car, a large black SUV pulled up alongside them. A man stepped from the driver's side of the car in a black suit with matching shades, something about his walk seeming familiar. Was that Cameron, the royal guard? The one he'd punched?

Luke held in a wince.

"Luke Edgewood?"

Luke stepped forward. "Yes?"

Cameron nodded, his expression unreadable. "I will take you to your appointment with the king." And the man proceeded to open the back door of the SUV.

Now, Luke had seen this scenario play out enough times in movies to get the slightest tension in his stomach. Usually, once the folks got into the vehicle, they didn't come back without a fight... and possibly Bruce Willis.

But that was just in the movies, right?

Luke looked from Cameron and then back at Pete, whose brows rose.

"Mr.Edgewood?" Cameron asked, hand still on the open door.

With a deep breath and a nod to Cameron, Luke slid into the vehicle. Cameron took his place in the driver's seat and started the SUV forward.

"I thought you were Ellie's bodyguard."

Cameron looked up in the rearview mirror. "I am."

"Well, shouldn't you be with her instead of coming to get me?"

The man's lips twitched. "I already delivered her to her father at the hotel, at which time they sent me to collect you."

Luke studied the passing scenery outside. All familiar. They weren't headed anywhere he didn't recognize just yet.

Cameron still held a small smile on his face, so Luke leaned forward. "You volunteered to collect me, didn't you?"

"I dinna what you mean."

"Right." Luke shook his head slowly from side to side. "You didn't enjoy picking me up in this vehicle like I was some James Bond villain getting ready to die."

Cameron's grin took a wider tilt. "Concern you a wee bit, did it?"

"Let's just say I checked if the doors were locked when you started driving."

"You're a guest of the royal family. You're safe." Then Cameron chuckled. "But I dinna mind getting you back a little for hitting me in the mouth."

Luke relaxed back into the seat, fighting a smile. "We can call it even then?"

"Aye, we can."

***

Text from Penelope to Luke:How did dinner go?

Luke:Do you remember everything?

Penelope:Only when it involves royals and you having dinner with them. (And movie/musical things. And all things Matt and Iris.) If you didn't want me to remember, you shouldn't have told me on the phone yesterday.

Luke:You're right. A moment of weakness.

Penelope:I think it was more like bragging rights. You're always weaker when you know you can hold something over my head. I've learned to take advantage of it instead of getting frustrated.

Luke:I didn't realize how annoying superpowers could be until this moment. Yours are.

Penelope:Thanks. So... did you share all your vast knowledge about rescuing lost boys like a veritable Peter Pan? Hmm, you're mischievous and sometimes act like a twelve-year-old boy, but I'm not sure you'd really strike me as the Peter Pan type. Maybe more like Captain Hook sometimes.

Luke:I was actually going for Smee.

Penelope:Ha ha. You're too cute to be a Smee.

Luke:Calling a man cute is like stabbing him in the stomach so that he bleeds out slowly.

Penelope:Gross. Now you're trying to distract me from the point of the texts. How did things go with THE KING??!!!

Luke:Fine. He was nice. Not very kingly, if you ask me. Too down-to-earth. Maybe he was a doppelganger.

Penelope:Grace Kelly would have known if he was.

Luke:He seemed to like what I had to say. Asked me to present it to some board of directors he and Ellie work with, who are over all the orphanages of Skymar. I think I'll just type something up and give it to Ellie to present. I'm not much of a presenter.

Penelope:You can do it! It would mean more coming from you, Luke. You've done the work firsthand.

Penelope:I know you read what I typed! You're not a middle schooler anymore who is being teased about the way you talk! You're wayyyyy beyond that. You even taught Sunday school! That can be the hardest crowd of all!!

Luke:It was high school boys.

Penelope:My point still holds.

Penelope:Just remember, you are braver than you think. I've seen your closet.

Text from Josephine to Luke:I love the reports I'm getting from Penelope and Izzy about you. It seems that your work in Skymar is going so well! Penelope even showed me a photo of the orphanage where you are working. How lovely, Luke! What an amazing experience for you.

Luke:Thanks, Josephine. But I feel as though there's a question in the wings.

Josephine:Well, actually, would you mind sending any advice about traveling there? Izzy and Penelope have told me that the temperatures may be a bit cooler than here, but not much. Would you please confirm whether this is true or not? I know Penelope and Izzy both tend toward exaggeration, especially about this island.

Luke:Weather? Josephine, why are you really texting me?

Josephine:Why does there have to be an alternate reason?

Luke:Because you live life by the weather app, so... I'm pretty sure you've already mapped out outfits for you and the kids each day of the two weeks you'll be here in June.

Josephine:You're the only male child of this family, Luke. Our parents depend on you being close by.

Luke:Yeah, I know.

Josephine:I just wanted to make sure you knew that.

Luke:I'm here through Izzy's wedding and then it's back to the Blue Ridge. That's home for me, Josephine. I don't have any delusions of moving across the world.

Josephine:Good, because though your cousin Charlie is doing a fabulous job with your business, I can tell she would prefer you were here. I can see it in her eyes. I know these things.

Josephine:And Charlie isn't an up-front person. She's quiet and gentle. Some people need a more forceful delivery, or at least the appearance of intimidation.

Josephine:And Amber Lawson has moved back to Mt. Airy and has been attending church quite regularly the past three weeks. Did you two date in high school?

Luke:Charlie is doing a fine job. We keep in regular contact and I don't think she's missed a beat since I left.

Luke:I refuse to comment about any matchmaking, Josephine. You already know how I feel about that. If you feel the urge to start it up again, spend more time with your husband and the twins... or get a dog.