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“How much more time do you think you need?” he asked.

“If I don’t hear from my contact by the end of this week, I’m not going to hear from her at all. I’ll come back then and write from the office.”

“And if you get the interview?”

“Bigif, but if I do, it depends on what she agrees to. I’d like to set it up so we can talk multiple times.”

“A get-to-know-you meeting, then a touch-the-surface meeting, a dive-a-little-deeper meeting, and–”

“Yeah, you get it,” Palmer cut him off, smiling at a woman who had been looking her way for most of the night.

“If you’re there beyond next week, we’re moving you out of that hotel, Palmer. That place is expensive as hell.”

“It wasn’t when I booked it,” she replied.

He chuckled at her and said, “Just get the job done quickly so I don’t have to have Cynthia find you a Holiday Inn Express.”

She disconnected the call and thought about walking over to the woman who was attractive and alone, sitting by the window that overlooked an amazing view of the city. Anna had been a mistake; Palmer had known it when she’d first asked her out. Anna was young but mature, and she’d liked her immediately. So much so that she’d given into Anna’s persistent advances at the end of their first date and they’d slept together. Two months later, they’d told one another they’d loved each other and started talking about next steps. They’d done the weekend-away thing, choosing to spend time in Vermont skiing. They’d gone to Palmer’s cousin’s wedding together. Anna had also met her parents. Everything was going well, and Palmer had planned to ask Anna to move in together at the same time Anna had decided she needed to open up their relationship. Suddenly, things werenotgoing well.

Now, it was over, and Palmer was drowning her sorrows at a bar in a tiny, forgotten-about country. She could go over to that woman who still had her eye on her, strike up a conversation, and ask if the woman would be interested in going to her room and having a little fun just for the night. Shecoulddo that, but she didn’t want to, knowing she would only wake up with regrets later. So, she asked for her bill to sign her wine to her room, and just as she was about to leave, her phone rang for the second time that night.

“Honeycutt,” she greeted tersely as she reached for the jacket, which she’d hung over the back of the chair.

“Miss Honeycutt, this is Rebecca Watt.”

“Miss Watt,” she said, taken aback. “Hello.”

“Yes, hello,” Rebecca replied.

“What can I do for you?” Palmer stood frozen in place.

“Her Majesty has agreed to a meeting.”

“She has?”

“Yes. But please be advised that she’s only agreed to a meeting, not an interview.”

“I see.”

“It will be entirely off the record, and if she decides after the meeting that she’d like to talk further, we will let you know.”

“So, this is a get-to-know-me kind of a thing,” she stated.

“Yes, you understand.”

“I do.” Palmer nodded as if Rebecca would see it through the phone. “When? Where?”

“A car will pick you up at your hotel tomorrow. You’ll be driven to an undisclosed location; for the Queen’s safety. There will be a heavy security presence. You understand.”

Rebecca kept saying those words, ‘You understand,’ as a way of saying Palmer had no choicebutto understand.

“I do.”

“The car will be there tomorrow night at seven.”

“Tomorrownight?”

“I assume that won’t be a problem. The Queen is very busy. She was only able to–”