“Good to know.” I looked back out the window but didn’t see him anymore. “That was nice of him. Who is he?”
“Dunna know.” She shrugged. “Never been in before, but I hope he comes back.” She raised an eyebrow and I laughed.
“He certainly doesn’t hurt the décor.”
“You can say that again.” She went back to her counter in a swish of bright skirts, leaving me to think about the mystery man.
After an hour and several emails about job openings, I decided to head out and see more of the city. I was used to being by myself. Tess was the closest thing I had to family, so it wasn’t unusual for me to visit places without anyone. I’d learned at an early age that doing things alone could be liberating. I didn’t have to worry about what other people wanted to eat, or bathroom breaks, but there were times I wished I could share something with someone—have that connection. There was an American family with a daughter in line to see Buckingham Palace that made me laugh. She kept asking if there were any princesses at the castle and I knew that her parents would always remember her excitement.
“I heard that America’s Duchess was going to be here.” I smiled down at the girl. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and see her and her prince charming too!”
The little girl squealed loudly before slapping both hands over her mouth. She danced in spot for a moment, trying to contain her excitement.
“That’s right.” The mother smiled down at her daughter. “They’re in town for the christening of the baby prince!”
“Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh!” The girl bounced up and down on her toes. “I can’t believe it! A real princess and prince!”
Her parents laughed, soaking up her excitement as it spilled out. I did too. There was something contagious about watching a child faced with a dream come true.
I wonder what moments my parents had shared with me that I could no longer remember. They had died when I was twelve, and at twenty-three, some of my memories were becoming fuzzy. Maybe that was because I had no one to remind me of them, or maybe it was simply a side effect of growing older. I’d lived with my grandmother until I went to college. She passed away a year later, leaving me completely alone. Maybe all of that upheaval was the reason I’d stuck so closely to a routine in the past—a need for normality.
The palace was huge, breathtaking, and everything I had hoped. The queen wasn’t in residence, but would be back soon for the christening of her new grandbaby. I could imagine her dressed in one of her elegant gowns and talking with dignitaries. In fact, the christening is why there was a story about the Lilarian royalty in the paper. In between sending my resume to different employers, I had finished the article about the visiting prince and soon-to-be princess. Like most of America, I had been enthralled by America’s Duchess, but I also felt a bit bad for her. Not too bad, considering her hunky fiancé, but bad for all of the upheaval in her life. This was ironic, when you considered that I was working hard to cause disruption in my own life. At least I didn’t have cameras following me through mine, though.
I spent a good while in the palace, looking at the art work and peeking down hallways. I was amazed by the artifacts—by the history itself. Many important historical figures had graced these halls. Outside I snapped pictures of the guards in their red suits and big black hats. I strolled aimlessly for a while, taking pictures and soaking up the culture. We might speak the same language, but there were a lot of differences between Americans and the British. There were a lot of similarities of course, more than the differences, but it was tiny things that reminded me I was somewhere new. I walked through a shop and perused a shelf of tea. I’d tried two other brands so far, but would keep working to see if I found one I liked. I picked up a box with a smiling, grey haired woman on the front, and took it to the counter.
Just like everywhere, the clerk wasn’t exactly excited about her job, but I didn’t care. I took my tea and made my way back to Tess and Danny’s apartment. Flat. Not apartment.
I smiled at the doorman as he opened the door for me. “How are you?”
“Very well, madam. Thank you. I hope you’ve had a nice day as well.” He offered a disinterested smile.
“I have. Thank you.” I tried to not sigh.
I took the elevator, thinking I’d walked enough for the day. Leaning against the rail inside, I thought about maybe hitting up a pub the next day. I was trying to do different things, but going to a pub by myself was intimidating. I knew they weren’t like the bars back home, but it was hard to push that image out of my head. When the elevator dinged, I stepped forward without looking and ran smack into the chest of someone tall.
“Bugger!” I bounced backward, but congratulated myself for using the right word. “I’m so sorry.” I looked up into bright green eyes and froze. Even though I’d only seen him briefly, I wasn’t likely to forget his face. There was something so arresting about his presence that I was sure I’d have remembered him a year later. He was attractive, refined without being pretty, and the hint of steel in his jaw implied danger. His nose had a slight hump in the middle that made it seem off center. Full, firm lips pulled to one side in a small smile and of course, there were the gorgeous eyes bound to make most women weak in knees.
“Never a problem when bumping into a lovely woman.” He smiled down at me and I froze. Was he? Yes. He was flirting with me. Did he remember that I was the lady at the coffee shop or did he give out so many drinks that I was just a blurry face? I wasn’t bad to look at it, but I was a far cry from the type of woman that would be on his arm.