"I'm fine," Alex said. A total lie, but his mother wasn't really the nurturing type.
"Well, at least we don't have to come up with a way to get that American tart out of the picture. Obviously I would've chosen a less explosive end to the relationship, but from the very beginning I never felt comfortable with the whole charade. Now the worst has happened and we can all move on. Personally, I have half a mind to go after Liberty for the money we've paid her, but your father says it's pointless. No doubt she's already spent every dime and it's not worth the press catching wind of what actually happened."
Anger rose in Alex, fast and furious. "Don't you dare go after her for that money."
Nicolette's eyes widened at his tone. "Obviously I wouldn't really-"
"You have no idea what Libby is going through," Alex continued. "Did you know her family is drowning in medical bills and that's why she took the job? Her parents are on the brink of divorce from the financial stress."
"Alex, I-"
"She's a good woman," he pressed on. How he longed to hold Libby just one more time. To protect her from the cruel world and spend the rest of his life making her laugh. "And we will not ruin her life any more than we already have. She earned that money, fair and square. It's the least we can do for her."
Nicolette stared at Alex for a moment. He glanced away, unable to withstand her intense gaze.
"Oh, Alex," she said, her voice soft. "You love her, don't you?"
He swallowed hard, then hung his head and nodded. "Yes, I do. And that's why I've got to let her go."
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Libby wrapped her coat more tightly around her and stared out across the choppy ocean waters. She'd been home from Durham nearly a month, and Thanksgiving was right around the corner. But lately she had a hard time feeling thankful for much of anything.
Living back home with her parents felt unnatural now. They'd both been kind and done their best to get Libby's mind off the media circus happening both in Durham and in the United States. Their relationship seemed to be slowly improving, as though Libby's heartbreak-or maybe the paid off medical debts-had drawn the pair together once more. At least something positive had come out of her misery. Libby hadn't told them that the financial reprieve might only be temporary. She wouldn't put it past Nicolette to sue her for the ten million.
Libby felt awful about abandoning Connie, but she assured her that spending more time with Kenzie was a dream come true. Connie hadn't hired a new nanny but instead adjusted her hours to fit around Kenzie's nap schedule. The two of them seemed to be doing alright without Libby.
Life had continued to roll forward, despite her shattered heart. She was so grateful for Ocean Meadow's sheltered existence. Her one trip into town since coming home had ended in tears. It only took reporters three minutes to swarm her at the grocery story, and she'd ended up leaving without a single item on her list. She hadn't been back since, not willing to risk a repeat occurrence. The reminders of Alex were too painful.
A gust of wind made the waves churn and cut right through her heavy winter coat. Libby folded her arms tightly as her nose and cheeks burned with the chilly air. Reluctantly, she headed back to her parents' small house. The days were so long now. She knew she needed a plan for her life. Needed to get a job. Maybe even move away from Ocean Meadow and get a place of her own. But right now, even thinking about the future felt too overwhelming.
She tromped back across the mossy meadow toward the cluster of houses on the far end of the property. The large garden that overflowed with vegetables in the summer months lay dormant now, the last harvest long ago brought in. She stumbled across the frozen dirt. A bird swooped down, plucking a worm from the ground and rising back into the air. Silly bird. Didn't it know winter was nearly here and it should've migrated south long ago?
Libby swallowed hard. The small bird with bright blue feathers looked nothing like a duck, but it still reminded her of her first official date with Alex in Castlebridge Park. She'd been so furious with him that day. A sob caught in her throat. She missed Alex with an intensity she hadn't know was possible. Her feelings for Cedric had been a pathetic shadow of what she felt for Alex. No, less than a shadow.
She broke into a jog, her coat flying open behind her as she sprinted across the gardens, trying to outrun the memories. During the day it was easy enough to keep busy-there was always work to do at Ocean Meadow-and she could almost forget about Alex. But at night she tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep and missing him with a ferocity that made it hard to breathe.
Maybe leaving had been a mistake. But then again, it wasn't like Alex had chased after her. Connie assured her that by all accounts Isla and Alex were definitely not back together. The press had been following a gloating Isla all month and hadn't caught a single sighting of her with Alex. In fact, no one had gotten a picture of the crown prince since the breakup. He'd completely disappeared from the public eye. Was he mourning the loss of their relationship as much as Libby was? Or just unwilling to face the press once more?
She'd been paid to clean up a mess, not to fall in love. Maybe their brief relationship had just been a rebound for Alex, and now he was ready to move on.
Libby opened the front door and hung her coat on a peg, shivering in the cold entryway. The home was equipped with a central heating system, but her parents only used it on the coldest of days and usually warmed the small home with the wood-burning stove. It mostly kept things cozy, but didn't quite reach this part of the house.
"I'm home, Mama," Libby called. "Did you need help making the bread? I can do it if you want to paint-"
She stumbled to a halt just inside the living room. The cheerful yellow drapes were drawn back by ties and sunlight streamed weakly through the front window, casting shadows across the wood floor that Libby had helped install. Her mother sat on the worn floral couch, her eyes wide with stress. On the coffee table sat two empty teacups.
And sitting in the chair across from Autumn was Queen Nicolette of Durham. Her blonde hair was carefully pulled back in a twist. She sat with a stiff spine, her ankles crossed and tucked primly to one side.
"Hello, Libby," Nicolette said, not bothering to stand.
Libby stared in shock. She glanced outside, noticing for the first time the black SUV parked on the side of the house. She crossed her arms, fury rising with a swiftness that surprised her. "What are you doing here?"
"Libby!" Autumn reprimanded. She flicked her gaze to Nicolette. "I'm so sorry, Your Majesty. She hasn't been herself lately."
Nicolette raised a hand, staring at Libby with unblinking eyes. "It's fine, Autumn. I deserved that."
"Well, at least you can admit that much," Libby snapped. "I always imagined that if I ever met a queen, she would have impeccable manners. But you treated me horribly while I was in Durham. And after asking for my help! I upended my life because you asked me to."
Nicolette sniffed. "Let's not kid ourselves, Libby. You didn't help us out of the goodness of your heart. It was a job, plain and simple."
Libby clenched her fists and swallowed back a scream. "Then as my employer you should've been kinder."
Mother's hands fluttered uncertainly in her lap. "Libby-"
Nicolette rose gracefully, her heels giving her the height advantage. But Libby wasn't about to back down. Now that Nicolette was here, the word vomit she'd held back so often for Alex's sake threatened to explode.
"Autumn, I wonder if I could be so bold as to ask to speak to your daughter alone?" Nicolette said, her tone polite. "We have a lot to discuss."
Autumn's mouth opened and closed like a fish's and she glanced back and forth between Nicolette and Libby.
"It's fine, Mama," Libby said.
"Okay." Autumn rose, her own movement much less graceful than the queen's. She grabbed her coat off the peg near the door and slipped it on. "I'll be up at the community house if you need me, Libby."
The glare Autumn shot in Nicolette's direction was so mama bear that Libby couldn't resist giving her a quick hug. "Thanks."
Autumn nodded and slipped out the door.
Libby waited until the latch clicked shut before turning back to the queen, ready to do battle. "Okay, we're alone now. Say whatever it is you came here to say, then do me a favor and leave so I can move on with my life." If such a thing was even possible.
She imagined Alex moving on with his own life-seeing magazine covers of him with other women. Watching from afar through the eyes of the media as he met, dated, and eventually married another woman. She'd left the cell phone Maggie gave her back in Durham, but had bought a new one and kept an unlimited data plan on it. Service was spotty in Ocean Meadow, but she trekked to the far corner of the meadow, just outside the copse of trees, several times a day to search the internet for mentions of Alex. Probably not the healthiest way to get over him.