The Prince's Christmas Vow. Jennifer Faye

It’s amazing.”

      “I guess so if you like old stuff.”

      Old stuff? Try antiques. Heirlooms. Rare treasures. “Are you part of the palace staff?”

      The young woman shook her head and her bobbed hair swished around her chin. “I was hired to work on the South Shore project.” She stepped farther into the room. “My name’s Annabelle.”

      “Nice to meet you. Looks like we’ll be working together.”

      “I’m looking forward to it. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I probably won’t know the answer, but I’ll be able to point you toward the right person to ask.”

      “You’re here. Good.” Both women turned at the sound of Demetrius’s voice.

      “I’ll let you get to work.” Annabelle made a hasty exit.

      Zoe wished she could follow her new friend. Suddenly, this very spacious office seemed to shrink considerably. Thankfully Demetrius appeared to be a very busy man. So once he welcomed her, he’d be off to another meeting, she hoped.

      Demetrius cleared his throat. “Sorry I’m late. I didn’t mean to intrude.”

      “You didn’t.” She couldn’t help but notice he looked immaculate with his short hair combed into submission and his tailored suit hugging his muscled shoulders and broad chest. Her heart kicked up its pace a notch or two. She assured herself that it was nothing more than nervousness. She swallowed hard. “We were just introducing ourselves. Annabelle seems really nice.”

      Demetrius’s brows rose as though her admission caught him by surprise. “Annabelle’s great. She’s the daughter of the Duke of Halencia.”

      The news that Annabelle was an aristocrat dampened Zoe’s excitement over having an ally behind the palace walls. For some reason she’d been thinking her newfound friend was just like her—a commoner.

      “I’m surprised she’d want to work here.” Zoe uttered her thoughts without realizing how it might sound.

      Demetrius cleared his throat. “It’s an arrangement between the duke and my father.”

      An arrangement? Could it be a marriage arrangement? Jealousy swift and sharp stabbed at Zoe’s heart making the breath catch in her throat. Not that she had any right to feel anything about Demetrius moving on with his life. Now that their marriage had been annulled—erased—wiped clean—he was free to do as he pleased. This is what she wanted, wasn’t it?

      Forcing herself to act as though this bit of news didn’t bother her, Zoe said, “I look forward to working with her.”

      “Good.” He walked over to the larger of the two desks. When he noticed that she’d followed him, he stopped and turned. “Um. This is my desk. Yours is over there.”

      “You mean we’re sharing an office?”

      His dark brows rose. “Is that going to be a problem?”

      The professional part of her knew the answer was supposed to be no, but her scarred heart said otherwise. It sounded like she had a frog in her throat when she choked out, “No. No problem at all.”

      A puzzled expression came over his face. “We ran out of offices. And with you being the newest member of the team, it was either fit you in here or move you to another wing by yourself.”

      She swallowed hard. “If I’m in your way, I don’t mind working elsewhere.”

      He shook his head. “I’m hardly ever in here, so it won’t be a problem.”

      She supposed his frequent absence was some small consolation.

      Zoe moved to the other side of the room and settled her laptop and day planner on the desk where she noticed a vase of fresh cut flowers. Red, white and purple blossoms beckoned to her. She leaned forward and inhaled their perfumed scent.

      All the while she could feel Demetrius’s gaze following her every movement. She needed to show him—show herself—that she was over him. She could be just as professional as him—even if his mere presence could still make her stomach shiver.

      She stepped around the desk and crossed the great divide. She stopped in front of his massive carved cherry desk and laced her fingers together.

      He glanced up from his computer monitor. “Did you need something?”

      “I wanted to thank you for this opportunity. I won’t let you down.” His eyes reflected a mixed reaction. Perhaps she could have worded it better. “I also wanted to tell you that I won’t let the past come between us.”

      His dark brows drew together as he shushed her. With long, swift strides, he moved to the door. He noiselessly pushed it closed before turning back to her. “If I didn’t think you could be professional, you wouldn’t be here.”

      She didn’t know whether to be complimented or insulted. “Grazie.”

      “As for the other matter, we do need to talk. We have some unresolved business to address. But I don’t want to get into it here. It’d be too easy to be overheard. And I don’t want rumors to start.”

      “Neither do I.” But obviously for different reasons than him. “You don’t have to worry, Annabelle won’t hear anything about the past from me.”

      “I hope not. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a meeting with the contractor.” And with that he swung open the door and set off down the hallway, leaving her to wonder what his cryptic comment had meant.

       What unresolved business?