Clem looked at him as if he’d grown an extra nose on his face. “Who are you and where have you taken my boss?” she asked.
He hoped she thought of him as more than just her boss.
“Let’s brainstorm,” he said, knowing full well that Clem would be able to figure out how to deal with this mess. She was a genius with fixing broken things and making them beautiful. “What can we do to ensure the grand fireplace and mantle in here is safe for visitors and up to code while remaining authentic to the style of its time period?” He purposely used phrases she had taught him in the past week, and she looked impressed.
She was quiet for a moment, her eyes darting around as if she were searching for answers in her imagination. Finally, she lit up like a star.
“I’ve got it,” she said. “I have the perfect solution.”
He never doubted she would. “What is it?”
“I have material that we can use to patch the mantle. It’s not an exact match, but it will preserve the feel of the room, and it might actually pull together the fireplace and the art on the walls in here.”
Edward beamed at her. He wanted to fold her into his arms and lay one on her, not because he was excited to repair the mantle, but because he was thrilled to see her joy. Her joy made him happy. He knew he couldn’t get too close though.
“Okay, then,” he said. “Grab your jacket, and we’ll head over to the shop. I’ll send a truck ahead of us for transporting material.”
“Oh, it’s not at Wicke,” she said, her face turning pink. She looked suddenly shy. “I have a private storage locker a block over from the shop.”
“Makes sense,” he said. “The storeroom at Wicke is already packed. I’m sure you need a place for spillover.”
“It’s…not for the business,” she said and met his eyes carefully, like she was about to divulge a secret.
Edward’s interest was piqued.
“It’s a hope chest, of sorts,” Clem told Edward. “A hope chest on steroids, I guess.” She gazed around the small room that was filled and somewhat cluttered with relics she’d gathered throughout her career—things she could never bear to part with.
It was altogether weird to have him here, to have anyone here, in her private storage locker where she kept all of the pieces that were most dear to her. Sunlight glimmered in, turning flecks of dust into glitter. She watched as golden fragments fell over her precious collection.
“I like to imagine that someday these treasures will be on display in my own home,” she said. It felt strangely natural to reveal herself to him in this way. His warm eyes were so attentive. She felt that she could trust him with this part of herself.
“This is amazing, Clem,” Edward said. “Thank you for sharing it with me.” He picked up a chipped teapot and eyed it closely. Could he appreciate the detail in the hand-painted design? Clem couldn’t be sure.
“That teapot was the first thing I kept. I was mesmerized by the detail of the porcelain and the artwork. Look at all the tiny flowers,” she said, and he did as he was told.
“I love how the spout is a rosebud,” he said and looked up at her.
“I do too!” she said. Maybe he did get it after all. “Anyway, I decided to keep one thing and then another, and the collection just sort of spiraled into this.” She gazed around the room then allowed her eyes to pause inside of his.
“You’re the only person I’ve ever shared this with,” she told him.
He took her hand and squeezed it.
“I’m honored,” he said, and she believed him.
Dizzy with desire, Clem felt herself collapsing under the weight of her attraction to Edward. She knew she had to break the mood before she ended up wrapped up in his arms again.
“Look,” she said, pointing to a piece at the far end of the room. “This is the material I was telling you about. I think it will work to fix the mantle.”
“If you think it’ll work, then it will,” he said, and her confidence grew at his words.
They drove back to the castle, where she gave directions to the workers to piece the newer material through the broken places in the antique mantle.
Old spliced with new.
Late that evening, Clem stood in the doorway to the dining hall, out of sight but keeping an eye on the reconstruction work. She was amazed at how perfectly the materials came together to make something altogether unique. And quite beautiful.
“Satisfied?”
She turned to see Edward standing just behind her in the deserted corridor, and she smiled at him.
“It looks lovely.” Her eyes moved to the mantle, and his followed suit. His body was just inches from hers as he looked over her shoulder. “What do you think?”
“Everything you do is lovely,” he said, and she turned to him. His eyes were hungry as he placed a warm hand on her bare shoulder.
Heat seized her senses, drowning out her care for propriety. A longing pulsed deep in her core as she leaned into this man with whom she had so little in common.
His lips crushed hers, his fingers found their way into her hair. She ignored the warning signals that sounded in her brain and let herself be swept into the moment. His tongue flicked against her lips, and Clem’s toes curled.
Edward drew her body close, and she melted into him until there was no empty space between them. When he pulled his face back and looked at her with hooded eyes, she felt a fire on her lips, a need for him to put it out with kisses.
“Clem,” he said, his voice raspy with desire. “We’re good together.”
She raised her eyebrows at this strange comment. It reminded her of how different they were. How could two opposites be good together?
An image of the new and improved mantle crossed her mind, its artistry made perfect by the contrast of its materials. Old and new. Opposites—but beautifully compatible.
Instead of replying to Edward, she leaned into him for another kiss.
Maybe this prince knew something she didn’t. Time would tell. But for the next few minutes, she didn’t want to worry about it. In the near-dark corridor where no one could see them or judge them for breaking the rules, she let herself smolder under his lips.
For a moment that lasted as long as a kiss, neither past nor future mattered but only now. And only him.
7
The road ahead rose and fell, winding around the rolling hills that Edward was proud to call a part of his family’s great kingdom. He was usually in the capital and rarely got the chance to take excursions into the Sovalon countryside but when his brother Marcus called that morning, inviting him to look at an old mill that he said was “ideal for redevelopment,” Edward was glad for a day away from the castle. With Clem managing things, work was getting done on time. She was still insistent on doing things her own way, which made him nervous, but it looked like they were on schedule and closing in on a grand finish. It wouldn’t be much longer now until the castle was finished. This was the perfect time to find another project. Maybe this time it would be something more his speed—a condo community.
Today was Lance’s day off, and Edward was glad for the opportunity to drive his own car and be alone with Clem for a change.