“And, seriously, I want what you’re drinking because if you’re Sonia’s hubby’s mother, and you look like Sonia’s sister, then it’s got to be good,” Mabel noted.
“First-rate skin care regime,” Regan blithely replied. “I’ll write down the products I use.”
“Excellent!” Kerry cried.
“I’m Regan,” she introduced herself. “And I’d love a tour of the store.”
“I’ve gotta get back to my customers,” Kerry said, grinning as she walked away. “I’ll be back.”
“I’ll show you the store, come on,” Mabel offered and then hooked her arm through Regan’s and led her away as Regan threw a smile over her shoulder at Sonia.
The tall, dark-haired lady came forward and got close.
“My queen,” she said softly.
Sonia looked in her startling, clear, gray eyes, something she could do as she was wearing heels and the woman was in flats. If Sonia had not been in heels, she’d be looking up.
“Please,” Sonia replied quietly, “I’m Sonia.”
The woman’s gaze warmed and she nodded.
“And you are?” Sonia prompted.
“Diana,” she replied.
“Well, thank you Diana, for being here while I’ve, erm… been away. I appreciate it.”
“Anything for my queen,” Diana stated but when Sonia opened her mouth to speak, Diana quickly went on. “Though, your girls are such fun, it hasn’t felt like doing a duty for my king. It’s been a blast. More fun than I’ve had in ages.”
Sonia’s smile was not forced but genuine when she said, “They’re a bit nuts but you’re right, they’re a lot of fun.”
A customer approached the counter ready to check out and Diana turned to her as the customer said on a smile, “Obviously this is a special occasion, I can wait for you to ring me up.”
“It is a special occasion,” Mabel shouted from across the store where she was standing with Regan and Regan was examining a delicate glass decanter. “And after the tour, I’m running out to get champagne!”
“Yippee! Champagne!” Kerry cried from her spot and the customers she was with started giggling.
“Champagne for everyone, on me,” Regan declared to which both Kerry and Mabel yelled, “Yippee!”
“Definitely fun,” Diana commented on a chuckle and looked at Sonia. “I’ll ring this up. Your mail is stacked on your desk. I’ve dealt with everything that was urgent. Same with phone messages. Anything that hasn’t been seen to, I’ve written down for you. I was going to take them to Ki…” she stopped then went on, “um, Callum today.” She smiled again and finished, “You’ve saved me a trip.”
Sonia caught Diana’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Even if it’s been fun, seriously, thank you.”
Diana squeezed her hand back and said, “Delighted.”
Then Diana went around the counter to wait on Sonia’s customer as Sonia went to her tiny office in the back.
Within half an hour it became clear that Diana knew what she was doing. The books were done every evening. The orders had been placed that would keep them stocked for Christmas. And there was very little mail to be dealt with and most of it was junk mail that Sonia threw away. She returned the three phone messages she had and found she was completely caught up.
There came a knock on the door, Sonia called her welcome and Diana poked her gleaming, dark-hair-mixed-with-a-burnished-red head around the door.
“Regan and Mabel are off down the street to get champagne. They should be back in a second,” Diana told her.
“Come in a minute and take a load off,” Sonia invited and Diana gave her a grateful look.
“Things are quiet,” Diana remarked as she entered and sat down. “That is, until we have to ring up Regan’s purchases. She’s buying half the store. Says she’s doing her Christmas shopping in one fell swoop. We’ll have to reorder.”
This was good news. A good Christmas for Clear meant a good Christmas for Mabel and Kerry. Her girls didn’t know it but, every December, Sonia split every penny of the profits in half and gave them to the girls as their Christmas bonus, augmenting it from her own personal money if they had a bad year.
This year, evidently, she wouldn’t have to augment.
“I get the sense my mother-in-law likes to shop,” Sonia remarked on a fond smile.
“Why do you think Harrinton’s is so lucrative? Regan is our best customer,” Diana joked and they both laughed.
But Sonia couldn’t help but think about how Regan liked to shop. And about the thousands of dollars worth of diamonds Callum so casually slid on her finger. And the expensive way the cabin had been refitted. And Callum’s SUV which was an SUV but it was also a luxury SUV. Not to mention the opulence of the Territorial Mansion.
It hadn’t occurred to her before, considering she’d never seen Callum in anything but jeans and flannel shirts, but he truly must be loaded.
Then again, she reminded herself, he was a king and kings tended to be that way.
“So?” Diana said expectantly and Sonia came out of her thoughts with a start and looked at Diana’s beautiful, eager face.
“So?” Sonia parroted, confused.
Diana leaned forward and encouraged, “Tell me all about it. Every detail.”
Sonia’s head jerked, still with confusion, and she asked, “Every detail of what?”
“The claiming!” Diana cried and Sonia jumped.
“What?” Sonia whispered.
“Mine was wild. Oh my, you wouldn’t believe,” she shared, apropos of nothing, leaning ever forward. “I was just going about my business and then I felt him. And, all of a sudden, I couldn’t wait. I didn’t know for what but I was just excited, ready. Then Harrinton was there. He’d been running. Running for miles,” she sat back, fanned her face then grinned a saucy grin, “which meant he was sweaty. It was the best.”
Holy cow.
Was she…?
“He threw me to the ground right there and claimed me.”
She was.
“Thank God no one was around,” Diana went on and Sonia gasped but Diana didn’t notice or was so excited to tell her tale, she didn’t care and she continued, “He barely got the words out and the chain around my waist before he turned me to my knees and was on me.” She sighed and finished dreamily, “It was beautiful.”