Page 27 of Christmas at the Castle
“We tend to use jails these days.”
His playful tone caught Kat off-guard. Maybe he did have a sense of humor.
“Good to know.” Kat yawned. “Excuse me.”
“You should be asleep.”
Nodding, she lay on her side facing the dog. She could reach Maximillian better that way.
“I thought if I could stay awake longer, I’d adjust to the new time zone faster. But doing that has made for a long day.” She must be tired to be rambling. Gill didn’t care what she had to say. “I was about to go to bed when I heard a bark. I wanted to see if the mysterious Max had showed up.”
“His name is Maximillian.”
The dog likely had a fancy name that rivaled Sophie’s full name, but many dogs—including champion show dogs—had call signs or nicknames. Max seemed to fit this one better than a multi-syllable, pretentious-sounding name. “That’s a big name for such a cutie.”
“Handsome, not cute.”
“Are you going to disagree with everything I say?”
A beat passed. “No.”
His slight hesitation made her wonder if he had to think about this answer. Probably.
She had to laugh. “It’s okay if you do.”
He drew his brows together. “Why is that?”
“Because we’re so different. I can’t imagine us agreeing on much, if anything.”
“We both want what’s best for Sophie.”
She nodded. “But that doesn’t mean you agree with me about what I think is best for her.”
“Like the wedding diet?” he asked.
“That’s just crazy.”
“I agree.”
That was a first. She might as well try for more. “Do you agree that Sophie isn’t a child?”
“Sophie will always be my baby sister. Age won’t change that.”
“True. She’s young at heart, the kind of person who loves to laugh and have fun, but she’s also an intelligent woman. She doesn’t need to be told what to do or eat or who to fall in love with and marry.”
His jaw jutted forward. “We support her marriage to Bertrand.”
Months of long calls and video chats rushed back to Kat. Sophie had been beside herself when Bertrand proposed, yet her family had been indifferent. That was the word Sophie had used while mascara-stained tears streamed down her face.
“How long did it take for that to happen?” Kat asked.
Gill didn’t say anything.
She had him there.
But this wasn’t a game with a score. He was correct. She only wanted what was best for Sophie.
“Perhaps our support wasn’t instantaneous,” he admitted finally. “But that’s only because she’s a princess, second in line for the throne, and Bertrand is the second son of a duke.”
