Royally Arranged (Royal Matchmaker Book 2) by Mckenna James

Author:Mckenna James [James, Mckenna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-09-16T16:00:00+00:00

The night most certainly does not fly by.

It’s uncomfortable, to say the least. Weird. Ainsley seems as surprised as I was when Caroline first asked, rendered silent sitting in the back of the car. I’m up front in the passenger seat, Carl expertly navigating the winding Castellame streets amid late-night traffic.

It’s quiet, and not in the comfortable way things can sometimes get quiet when it’s just me and Ainsley. This is a heavy kind of quiet, sticky and unsettling. I want to say something. Or if she wants to speak, I’ll gladly listen. Neither of us say a word.

Luckily for us, Carl’s a bit of a chatterbox. His English is rusty, scattered with bits of Tenebraen here and there, simple words that I’m able to understand. For the most part, I can pick up what he’s saying.

“Caroline este your schwenner, ah?” he says, taking a left. “I can tell, I can tell.”

“How?” I ask, amused by the man’s theatricality. He talks with his hands, bounces a little when he speaks. He’s in his mid-to-late fifties, radiating grandfather-like vibes.

He struggles for a moment to come up with the right word. Carl glances at Ainsley in the reflection of the rearview mirror, speaking in his native language quickly.

“He says it’s in your eyes,” she translates, voice soft and uncharacteristically small.

“Very kind,” Carl adds. “That’s how I can tell.”

I risk a glance over my shoulder at Ainsley. She’s stunning. She always is, but especially so tonight. Caroline said that the restaurant Duke Kieran chose is some fancy four-star restaurant, so it makes sense that Ainsley’s in a beautiful dress of black lace. But what fascinates me most is just how ethereal she looks beneath the passing glow of orange street lights.

I fight against the urge to tell her just how beautiful she is, but I choose instead to be confused by it. It shouldn’t bother me this much. I shouldn’t feel this irritated. Knowing that Ainsley is on her way to see another man leaves goose bumps crawling up my skin. It’s just dinner. It’s perfectly innocent. And I’ll be right there if she needs me.

But a part of it feels cruel. Cruel to rub it in my face, though I know Caroline isn’t doing it on purpose. She doesn’t know. It shouldn’t feel like this regardless, because I don’t have feelings for Ainsley.

I care about her, sure. We’re friends. But we’re not friends like me and Patrick are friends. We’re not friends like she and Caroline are friends. Maybe that’s the difference. And I don’t know why it bothers me so much.

Carl parks around the back of the restaurant. I understand why when I see a crowd at the front entrance. A couple of photographers, a line of people who are actually here waiting for a table, a couple of fans with large cardboard signs that say I <3 DK! It takes me a second to realize they’re not talking about Donkey Kong, but Duke Kieran.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Ainsley sink that much lower in her seat at the sight of the paparazzi.

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