Finding Chris Evans: The Royal Edition by Jennifer Chance

“You’ve had her to yourself for all these months, and you only now decide to get up the grit to pursue her? What exactly are we not teaching our young men in the military, Jasen?”
    Cristopoulis’s eyes widened. King Jasen was with the queen as she conducted this late-night call? He couldn’t hear the response the king gave, but the queen was right back on the phone. “Your king said he will take the matter up with military command,” she said severely, then she laughed. “LeeAnn Werth seems very nice from her picture. Is she? And more importantly, when is she coming to visit? We can get her a provisional visa, hmmm.” She paused, apparently writing something down. “Does she have a passport?”
    “Aunt Catherine!” Cristopoulis’s outburst had Rico turning around with surprise, and he struggled to even his tone. “Your Highness—Ma’am—with respect, I have gone to many parties with many women over the past few years. I don’t understand your interest in this one.”
    “You have squired women to many parties, yes, and there have been pictures of those women,” his aunt said, her voice rich with satisfaction. “All of them lovely, many of them Garronois, a few of them who would have even made excellent matches had they held your interest for longer than a second. Or perhaps, had you held theirs, either way. I make a study of such pictures when it comes to my nephew.”
    She paused, and when she spoke again her voice was gentle, but firm.
    “You may not realize this, but you are in love with this young American woman, Cristo,” she said. “The kind of love that doesn’t happen every day.”
    “In love?” Cristopoulis barked the words. Rico was now openly gaping at him, and another of his men had drifted closer, eyes wide. “It was one posted picture on Facebook!”
    “It doesn’t matter where it was posted,” the queen shot back. “Am I right?”
    “I…” Cristopoulis found himself staring out at the lake. The beautiful Lake Haralson, as smooth as glass, where a family of swans slid along its surface, their young baby swans following behind him. He didn’t want to live here. He didn’t want to stay here. LeeAnn was here, yes, but…
    “She runs the inn,” he said at length. “She won’t leave.”
    “I am right.” The queen sounded far too pleased with herself, but Cristopoulis was already shaking his head.
    “I’m serious. She won’t leave. She wants to, I think, but she has too many responsibilities. Even now she is about to resecure a lease on the main building of the inn, which will tie her to this place for five more years.”
    The king spoke in the background, and Cristopoulis heard his father’s name mentioned. He grimaced.
    “Before you tell me, I know I have to come back. I need to address the fans in Greece, apologize to the coach. I will not play there again, but I owe them at least that.”
    “You definitely will not play there. He’s an odious man,” the queen said. “Perhaps it is time Garronia had its own national football team? Relax! Relax,” she said, though Cristopoulis couldn’t tell if she was reassuring him or the king. “Merely something to consider. For now, we must focus on what’s important. Cristopoulis, you love this woman and if she has any sense at all, she is fond of you too.”
    Cristopoulis grimaced, remembering LeeAnn’s face when she passed by him. “I’m not too sure about that.”
    The queen continued. “But from what you are telling me, she doesn’t truly love where she is, what’s she’s doing.”
    Again, he hesitated. “I really don’t know her that well.”
    “You know her enough to fall in love with her,” she said pointedly. “The rest is just conversation. And you do know, I think.”
    Cristopoulis sighed, his eyes still pinned on the lake. “She surrounds herself with images of travel, and while she’s good at being an innkeeper, she doesn’t love it. Not really. Not when there’s the entire world to explore.