Annalise Stark, orphaned after losing her parents in the military, is desperate to find a way to pay off her sister's medical debts. She finds work at the palace, home to the infamous Prince William. Despite her efforts to ignore him, Annalise soon...
"Hiding your feelings from someone you love is like dying alive." ~Soumya Das ********************
James
One month later...
It was supposed to be my day off, but I decided to hang out with Annalise while she worked. I lounged on the couch, mindlessly scrolling through things on my laptop.
"How's Mia doing?" I asked, breaking the silence.
"She's good," Annalise said, not looking away from her computer screen. "She had chemo yesterday, and it wiped her out, so she's taking it easy today. I'm leaving early to get home to her, hence why I'm working like a madwoman to get all this done. You're welcome to join us."
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"I don't want to intrude."
She peered at me over her computer. "You're never intruding. You're family."
"I'll cook dinner."
"I won't argue with that, but I have no food, so we'll have to stop by the store on the way back."
"I'm buying."
"I'm not letting you buy food for us to eat and keep in our flat," she argued.
"It's my treat. I can afford it. Besides, I love cooking for other people. Please?" I begged. My friend made a face, alerting me that I'd won the argument. With a triumphant smile, I started scanning through my recipes to figure out what I should make, casually asking questions about what she and her sister did and didn't like. I learned they both hated pickles, Annalise liked her bacon soft while Mia liked it crispy. It was the same for cookies: soft and chewy for Annalise, and crispy and crunchy for Mia.
I started to ask another question, but the phone rang. Annalise answered it with a polite greeting. I watched her face scrunch up as she continued speaking to the person. Finally, she said, "Please hold."
Anna looked at me and asked, "Do you know a Lorraine O'Connell?"
I sat up. "No. Why?"
"She's asking to speak to Will, but I don't know if this is some crazed fan that somehow got a hold of this number, or if she's being genuine."
"Can you ask Will, or is he in a meeting?"
"I'm one of the few who he wouldn't mind interrupting any meeting he's in, but-"
"I hate meetings," Will announced as he barged into the room, "and I hate politicians. All of them. Babies could have more intelligent conversations."
"Nice to see you, too," I said.
"I thought you had the day off?"
"I did, and I'm using it to hang out with Annalise."
"I see." I lifted my legs so my friend could plop down next to me. I stretched back out, and Will decided to use my legs as a desktop, pulling out his laptop. "What have you two been up to? Anything interesting?"
