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“It slipped my mind.” Color rushed to her cheeks. “I mean, there was so much going on this afternoon. I apologize. You are most definitely welcome to stay and partake in the festivities.”
“No apology is necessary.” Grayson could understand that the theft had shaken her up.
“Annabelle,” the king said, “you need to slow down. I think you’re becoming a workaholic.”
Feeling bad for Annabelle, Grayson intervened. “I’d love to hear more about this heritage festival.”
The king leaned back in his chair as the wait staff supplied them with coffee and a dessert plate of finger foods. “The heritage festival is an annual event. It’s held in Portolina, which is a small village within walking distance of the palace. The villagers get together—actually people from all over the nation make the pilgrimage to Portolina for the four-day celebration.”
Grayson took a sip of his coffee and then gently set it back on the fine china saucer which had tiny blue flowers around the edge. He didn’t think he’d ever used such delicate dishes. With his big hands, he was afraid of touching such fragile items. He had no doubt that they were antiques. And he didn’t even want to imagine their value. He might be wealthy, but there was a vast difference between his wealth and that of the king.
Grayson pulled his dessert plate closer. “I actually don’t know if I’ll be here that long.”
The king picked up a mini pecan tart. “You really don’t want to miss the event. Maybe you could extend your vacation. You would be my guest, here at the palace.”
“Thank you, sir. I...I’ll see if I can adjust my schedule.”
“Good. You’ll enjoy all of the activities.” The king acted as though Grayson had said yes. The king added some sugar to his coffee and stirred. “You are here to determine if the South Shore is appropriate for your business. I hope you found it as beautiful as we do.”
“I did, sir.” That was certainly not one of the reasons he was hesitant to put in one of his cafés. But he really didn’t want to get into the details with the king. “I’d like a chance to check into a few more locations before I commit my company. And as soon as this situation with Annabelle and the police is wrapped up—”
“Police?” The king sat up straight. A distinct frown marred his face as he turned to his niece. “Why is this the first I’m hearing of an incident with the police?”
Color flooded Annabelle’s face. “It’s not a big deal.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.” The king turned back to Grayson. “What exactly happened?”
“Uncle, I’ll explain.” Annabelle sent Grayson a warning look. “There’s no need to drag Grayson into this.”
“It appears he’s already a part of it. He at least knows what happened, which is more than I do.” The King turned back to him and gestured for Grayson to spill the details.
Grayson swallowed hard. “It really isn’t that big of a deal.”
“If it involves my niece, it’s a very big deal.”
Grayson glanced down at the small plate filled with sweets. He suddenly lost his appetite. He launched into the details of his first meeting with Annabelle. He tried to downplay the events, realizing how much the king worried about her. And Grayson knew what happened when a high-profile person didn’t heed safety protocols.
When Grayson finished reciting the events as best as he could recall them, the king gestured for the phone. He announced that he was going to speak with the police.
“Uncle, I have everything under control.”
The man sent her a pointed look. “It doesn’t sound like it. You don’t have your purse and you don’t know what’s going to happen to that thief.” He shook his head as he accepted the phone that had already been dialed for him. “What is this world coming to when you can’t even walk down the street without being accosted?”
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