Page 58 of Reckless Princess (Knight's Ridge Empire 8)

Concern swirls in my belly.

Jodie: I’m sorry. I was wrong this morning. Thank you for everything you did last night. x

With a sigh, I slide my phone into my pocket and head out. The scent of Mum’s coffee hits me and I make quick work of using the bathroom and heading down.

The second I’m in the kitchen, she throws her arms around me and holds me tight.

“I’m fine, Mum. Really.”

“I know. Just let me have a moment.”

I hold her tighter as we stand there, soaking up each other’s strength.

“Is Toby still sleeping?” she asks when she finally releases me.

“No, he left,” I confess.

“Oh, why? Did he—” She must read something on my face. “Jojo, what did you do?”

I fall down onto one of the dining chairs as if I’ve got the weight of the entire world on my shoulders before relaying the story for the third time this morning.

* * *

I’m sittingat my dressing table, putting my makeup on with Bri on loudspeaker as she leaves her flat, letting me know she’s on her way to collect me for the shopping trip I finally agreed to when the doorbell rings through the house.

“You figured out how to time travel now or something?” I ask lightly, admiring the impressive job I did of my eyeliner flicks. I figure that if I’m going to spill my heart to Toby, I need some solid warpaint on.

“If only,” she mutters. “Oh, maybe it’s him.”

My heart races at the thought of him standing on the other side of the door. That excitement only increases when Mum shouts my name up the stairs.

“It’s him,” Bri says, clearly having heard her down the line.

“You’re coming with me,” I say, standing and walking to the door.

The second I pull it open, my heart sinks, because it’s not the deep rumble of Toby’s voice that floats up to me but the lightness of an unfamiliar female one.

“It’s not him,” I tell Bri, my disappointment obvious as I begin descending the stairs.

“He’s playing hard to get,” she says in my ear.

“Or actually doing as I asked.” That should make me happy, but really, I wanted it to be him standing in the hallway right now fighting for me, telling me that I was wrong for making him leave, and proving everything he told me last night by totally sweeping me off my feet.

Shit. I need to put my fickle heart back in her box where she belongs.

I’ve never been a sappy romantic. I’ve always been more of an action girl. But everything seems to have changed since Toby helped me down off the stage in The Spot that night.

My eyes widen when I hit the bottom step and round the corner, seeing the girl who brought me home the night I ran from Toby’s flat along with an older woman at her side.

“Bri, I think I’m going to have to cancel our shopping trip,” I say despite not knowing why they’re both standing there, but I sense it’s important.

“Okay, sure. What’s going on?”

“I don’t know. I’ll call you later, yeah?”

She doesn’t get a chance to reply. I hang up on her the second I’ve finished talking and close in on the women standing in the doorway.

“W-what’s going on?” I ask, looking between them.