suitcase?”
Kyra tousled Ava’s curls, ones that were so much like her own. “I sure will, baby girl.” She picked up Ava’s bag, feigning a struggle and laid it on the bed.
“What do you have in that bag?” she joked. “Rocks?”
“Pandy,” Ava said and pulled out her favorite stuffed panda. The animal was ratty and discolored but obviously well-loved.
“Pandy wanted to check out Sovalon, huh?” Kyra asked her grinning niece.
“I want to check out Sovalon,” Maggie said. She bounced onto the bed. “How’s the nightlife, sis?”
Kyra’s steamy night with Marcus flashed behind her eye in swatches of hot skin and full lips.
“Oh, it’s okay.” Kyra cleared her throat, hoping her sister wouldn’t catch on that she was hiding something.
Maggie got up and went to the mirror. She began primping. “I might have to check it out if you’re okay to keep Ava for the night.”
Of course Maggie wanted to party. “I’m fine keeping Ava, but you have to remember you’re in another country,” she warned her sister. “You can’t go out and get sloshed. You don’t know the laws here—you could end up in a lot of trouble.”
Maggie released a throaty laugh and plopped back onto the bed.
“Look at my big sister acting like she’s my mother,” she joked.
“Well, somebody has to keep tabs on you.” As usual, it was Kyra.
“Kyra,” Maggie argued. “I’m not a child anymore. I can’t even remember the last time I went out and got sloshed.” She made air quotes with her fingers and rolled her eyes. “I’ll be alright, won’t I, pumpkin?” she asked Ava.
“Yeah, Mommy,” Ava said.
Kyra’s phone buzzed with an incoming text. It was from Dr. Meriter to the members of the board.
The location we picked for the crisis shelter has major problems and the deal isn’t going to proceed. We will need a new location—fast. Start brainstorming and be ready to share ideas in the morning.
Kyra’s muscles tensed. This put them back at square one. Wistfully, she watched as Maggie bent over Ava and started tickling her. Ava giggled, and Maggie blew kisses on the little girl’s belly, making her laugh even harder. How nice it must be to have such a carefree life like Maggie’s, not having to take work home or worry about tomorrow’s meeting.
“Everything okay?” Maggie asked.
“Things have sort of blown up at work.” Kyra massaged her shoulders.
“Oh, that stinks.”
Kyra shrugged. “We’ll work it out.”
It was just a setback. Her job was sometimes stressful, but ultimately, Kyra reminded herself, she loved her career. This was just a challenge, a chance to prove herself capable of problem-solving.
She grabbed her phone and texted Meriter back.
I’m on it.
She grabbed her laptop and got to work.
The next morning, Marcus arrived on time to the board meeting. He’d set his alarm the previous night, making sure he had time to spare in order to be punctual.
As he settled into his spot at the table, he noticed the room was buzzing with heated conversation. He approached the woman to the right of him.
“Hey, Arlene,” he said. “What’s going on?”
She looked at him strangely. “Didn’t you read your texts last night? The site fell through for the shelter.” She rolled her eyes. “Back to the drawing board, I guess. We have to figure out a new location.”
Marcus nodded silently, not bothering to correct her assumption. It wasn’t that he hadn’t checked his texts, it was that no one had sent him a message. Marcus surveyed the room and noticed that several small groups had gathered. Everyone was discussing the problem at hand, and he hadn’t even known there was a problem until two minutes ago.
Nobody had bothered texting him, because nobody took him seriously. He was only here to serve penance for his lifestyle.
The Kingdom’s Playboy Prince was in detention. It was humiliating.
Marcus was about to take a seat when Kyra sailed into the room, looking less than chipper. Her beautiful brown eyes had dark circles under them, as if she hadn’t slept. Marcus approached her.
“Are you alright?” he asked, then remembered that her guests had arrived yesterday. “Everything okay with your sister and niece?”
She ran a hand through her hair. “I’m just stressed about losing the shelter site,” she said. “There’s a lot riding on this project for me. If things go sideways, I stand to lose a lot.”
Marcus nodded. “I hear you.” A lot was riding on it for him too—his reputation, his father’s approval…
“And, this project means something to me personally,” she said. Her eyes took on a faraway look. “Something more than