Page 43 of Royal Icing

“Let’s go.” She grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the community kitchen with a wave at Gus.

Gus gave him a thumbs-up before they exited.

“Okay,” Leo said after they had dropped off the supplies at the homeless shelter. The staff had been delighted to receive backups for what was sure to be a very cold night. “I’ll take you by the site.”

“I’m so intrigued. You’re being very mysterious.” Emma hopped in his truck, and they wound through the tight streets of Hollybrook.

They drove past the park, beyond a string of houses decorated with lights and snowflakes and inflatable Santas. Eventhe postboxes were topped with knitted scenes of Christmas trees and reindeer. So much fuss for one holiday.

They arrived at the edge of the village, where acres of empty snow-covered land butted up against the mountain that ringed the lake.

They got out and walked along the edge. She glanced at him, clearly waiting for him to speak.

He hadn’t told many people about the project. There was always a decent chance his parents would say no. It was a massive undertaking, but the royal philanthropy fund would cover the bulk of it, and they could always do fundraising.

“I have a plan,” he began. “I want to build a sort of complex with services for the community. A new library, a playground, a domestic violence shelter, a community garden. I’d like to relocate the community kitchen too, but I’m not sure if they’ll go for that.”

Some of the color had drained out of Emma’s face. Had he said something to offend her?

But in a minute, she spoke as if nothing had happened. “Wow. Are there are lot of domestic violence survivors in the village?”

“Not exactly, but the existing shelters in Avolis, the capital, are woefully outdated. We need a new space to bring people so the others can be renovated.”

“How awful.”

Leo nodded.

“Can I make a suggestion?” she asked.

“Of course.”

She averted her eyes and stared at the lot. “Make sure your shelter is pet-friendly. A lot of victims delay leaving when shelters don’t accept animals. No one should have to leave their pet behind.”

He stared for a moment. “I didn’t realize that. I’ll make sure it’s in the plans.”

“Good. Why were you so reluctant to talk about it?”

“I’m not sure it’ll be approved. My parents are often…reluctant to greenlight pricier philanthropy projects because they don’t provide income in the same way that tourism projects do. Most of our GDP comes from tourism,” he explained.

Emma nodded and surveyed the lot. “I think it’s beautiful. What a gift it would be to your community.”

Leo shrugged. “It’s the least we could do. We have a duty to protect and provide for our citizens, and sometimes I think they—we—forget.”

A snowflake landed on the end of his nose. The storm would be upon them soon.

She turned her gaze to the sky. “You have such a beautiful country. I love it here. It feels a little bit magical.”

“You should see it in the spring,” he said. “The foothills are covered in wildflowers, and there’s great hiking.”

“Cooper loves to hike,” Emma said, but it sounded like her mind was far away.

She wouldn’t be here in the spring.

“I can threaten to withhold the gingerbread display unless your parents agree to your plans,” she said with a cheeky smile.

“Then they’d have you tossed in the dungeon. We can’t have that.”

“Would you visit me? And slide baguettes through the bars?”