NOLAN

Nolan asked to speak to Alaster when he called the nursing home, but the person who answered the phone told him that the old man was taking a nap.

“Alright,” Nolan said. “I’d like to check on his condition, though. Can you put me on the line with someone who can give me an update on his health?”

“Of course, Your Highness. Please hold on for just a moment and I’ll go get the doctor.”

The line clicked and some music started playing.

Nolan drummed his fingers on his desk.

The doctor picked up quickly. “Your Highness, so good to hear from you.”

Nolan frowned. This was one of the people he used to know, when he’d sneak out and visit his friend under his secret identity. He didn’t love the feeling it gave him when the doctor addressed him now in such formal terms.

“Please, Doctor M., you don’t need to address me like that. I would much prefer if we could speak casually, like we have before.”

There was a quiet chuckle on the line.

“That sounds great.” The doctor sounded more relaxed. “Now, I was told you’re looking for an update on your friend here.”

“That’s correct.”

“Well, he’s a tough old guy, that’s for sure.”

The doctor laughed again. Nolan couldn’t tell, but it almost sounded like the man was nervous.

“He’s hanging in there. Nothing you need to worry about. But I’m sure he’d love it if you came to visit him again soon, though.”

“Absolutely,” Nolan said. “I was thinking about tomorrow, if that’s alright?”

The doctor paused.

“Tomorrow… tomorrow might not be great. How about next week?”

“Alright.”

“You see,” the doctor continued, “we had some damage on the property recently, during the ice storm. And we’ll have some construction going on this weekend.”

“I see.”

“Yes, I don’t know if it’s the best time for you in particular to come out here, you know? With so many people bustling around.”

“Of course. I understand completely. Is Tuesday morning a better time?”

The doctor agreed to this, and the two exchanged goodbyes before Nolan hung up.

He was a little suspicious about the doctor’s tone. Maybe Alaster was in worse shape than he was letting on, but didn’t want Nolan to worry.

Well, Nolan figured, he’d find out soon enough. Tuesday he’d see the old man for the first time in a while. He’d been missing his friend, but all the drama of the past several weeks had made the time just slip by.

Nolan asked his secretary to arrange for him to go shopping tonight in the capitol.

It wasn’t exactly something the prince could just slip out and do at any moment. The secretary called ahead at the stores Nolan wanted to visit and made arrangements for them to close their doors to the public early, and have them cleared for a private shopping trip later in the evening.

The stores were all empty by the time Nolan arrived at each one. His security team guided him through back entrances, and he was joined inside each store by a little team of servants who walked along with him to carry all the items he picked out to buy.

Nolan’s reason for going shopping was to buy gifts for the old man. He could go all out, now that he was no longer hiding his wealth and status from Alaster and everyone at the nursing home.

But while he shopped, he of course started thinking about Yena.

So many things reminded him of her. And he knew she must be missing some of the luxuries she’d gotten used to at the palace.

Nolan still couldn’t believe that Yena had refused to take any money from him.

He appreciated the thought behind it. He understood she wanted to be independent.

But money was a fact of the world. It was something Yena just needed. And more than that, she deserved all the best things in the world.

She probably wouldn’t want to accept gifts from Nolan right now. She seemed to be finished with him.

But he decided to buy some things for her anyway.

He got her a soft, beautiful blanket… thinking that she must be feeling cold at night without him warming her bed. And some of her favorite lavender teas, and rare spices that would help her relax.

Nolan refused the salespeople’s offers to gift-wrap everything in sparkly gold paper and ribbons. The old man would not enjoy the physical labor involved in unwrapping presents. And Yena…

Nolan wasn’t trying to impress her with these gifts. He just wanted her to have them.

They were already en route back to the palace when he pressed the intercom button to buzz the driver.

“Yes, Sir?”

“Get off the highway and turn around. I’m texting you an address. We just need to make one stop.”

“Of course, Sir.”

Nolan opened Yena’s contact in his phone and copied the saved address he had in there for Tina’s house. Sent it to the driver. And soon they were pulling up to her neighborhood, just as the sun finished setting.

They rounded the corner onto Tina’s street and Nolan looked up at the house. Warm yellow light filled all the windows.

Nolan told the driver to pull aside and park down the street.

He hadn’t actually thought this all the way through.

He looked over at the bags and boxes of gifts he had bought for Yena. He couldn’t very well just walk up to the door and knock on it.

Yena didn’t like surprises. She would not be happy to suddenly find him on her doorstep with no warning or explanation.

The trees in the front yard had just been trimmed, and all their lower branches removed. Sap was still drying over the raw edges left behind from the chainsaw.

It provided an easy line of sight from the street right into a big window at the front of the house. And with the light on and curtain open, Nolan could see the family moving around inside.

Peter was sitting right beside the window, smoking a pipe. And Yena…

All Nolan saw was a glimpse of her long, gorgeous blonde hair as she approached Peter, handed him something, and then moved away.

The front door opened suddenly, and out came Tina, carrying a bulging bag of garbage. She hurried down the path toward the street, walking sideways to support the weight of her cargo, and finally tossed it into a garbage can on the curb.

Then Tina turned to look down the street. She must’ve caught sight of the limo out of the corner of her eye.

Nolan had rolled his window down. Tina looked him right in the eye.

All he could do was give her a small, polite nod.

Tina’s shadowy figure returned the gesture with a nod of her own, and a small wave.

Then she turned and went back to the house.

EVAN

“Now, call us if you need absolutely anything. And here—”

Tina folded up a few twenty-dollar bills and pressed them into Evan’s hand.

“Order some pizzas for you and your sister if you want. I left a casserole in the oven for you, too, but you know—”

“Mom,” Evan said, interrupting Tina before she could keep rambling on. “Thanks, we’ll be fine.”

He pulled his mother in for a hug. Tina rested her cheek against his chest and closed her eyes.

“Have a safe trip.” Evan gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head.

“Alright then. You take care of Yena.” She pulled away and patted his arm.

“Always.”

Peter had found out that his brother was in the hospital, a couple towns away. He and Tina were going over there now and coming back tomorrow night. Uncle Isaac was fine, Tina assured Evan and Yena, but they wanted to go keep him company tonight, and Tina was of course going to go crazy cooking for his family.

Evan helped his mom get their things loaded into the car and told his dad to text him once he knew more about Isaac’s condition.

Yena was up in her room. She’d their parents she wanted to lie down for a while and said bye to them early. Evan figured she just wanted to avoid Tina’s mad dash around the house, packing up for the trip.

Soon as the parents were out of the house, though, Evan heard Yena’s door opening, and then her footsteps on the stairs.

“So,” she said, meeting Evan in the den and sitting next to him on the couch. “What are we gonna do tonight, now that we’re all alone with the house to ourselves?”