A Nordic King

Another quirk of his brow, his mouth firm for a moment. “Because of my daughters. They like you. And when it comes to them, it usually doesn’t matter how I think.”

“What makes you think I can’t handle it? You don’t even know me. You have no idea what I’m capable of.”

He looks me up and down, completely unimpressed, and yet I can feel every icy drag of his gaze over my skin. “I know that you’re uneducated. That you’re full of false confidence and silly bravado. And that you have no idea how to behave in front of a king.”

I straighten my shoulders, finding my backbone. “You’re right. I never went to university and sometimes it may seem like I have confidence when I shouldn’t. But let me get one thing straight. I respect that you’re doing this for your daughters and I respect your crown and title. But I won’t be talked down to like I’m some lesser being, the gum beneath your shoe. If you want me to treat you with respect, you have to offer that same respect to me. I don’t care who you are.”

My heart is pounding so loud in my ears at this point that I can barely realize what I just said. Holy shit, I think I totally just blew this whole job.

King Aksel’s hands unfold from behind his back and he moves in front of me, to sit on the edge of his desk. His long fingers wrap around the edge, tapping, his jaw muscles tense. Yet there’s no anger in his eyes, not that I can tell anyway. Just a cool curiosity.

“Did you talk to all your past employers this way?” he eventually asks.

“I would have if they were as rude as you.”

Both of his brows shoot up and I’m prepared for him to start shouting to his secret service and have me dragged off to the guillotines.

Instead, he gives me a tight smile. “I’ll be paying your salary. That doesn’t mean I have to like you.”

“And I’ll be earning that salary. That doesn’t mean I have to like you, either.”

“So then, Aurora, tell me why you still want this job since you’d be working for such a rude man as me? Surely there are other jobs that are easier and that pay well? I see that you used to work for CEOs of wineries and software companies. Why not go back to them?”

This is a good question. Why am I here? Why put up with this when it’s already put a bad taste in my mouth?

“Do you want the truth?” I ask him.

“Are you even capable of lying?”

Oh yes.

“Because, now I feel like I have something to prove.” I pause, aware that our gaze is locked together. “I’m sure you can imagine what that’s like. People telling you that you can’t do something, that you’re unfit for it, that you’re not ready for it. For me, it just makes me want to rise to the occasion and do everything I can to prove them wrong. Plus, I really like Clara and Freja.”

He looks away first and I feel like I’ve won some sort of victory, even though I’ve been anything but cold and indifferent.

“Why do I have the feeling you’re about to make my life harder, not easier,” he says, almost to himself.

“Does this mean I have the job?”

He taps his fingers along the desk and stares off into the distance, lost in thought. Then he nods. “Yes.” He glances at me. “But please don’t make me regret this. I’m doing this for them. I do everything I can for them. They will always come first, do you understand?”

I nod, feeling hope and excitement prickle through me. “I do.”

He exhales and then stands up. “There will be many forms to fill out. A background check done by police.” I try not to stiffen at that. “Health checks. Special insurance. You’ll have to sign confidentiality agreements, take an oath to uphold the royal house, take defensive driving lessons and escape tactics in the event of kidnapping.” He holds out his hand. “But for now, this should make it official.”

I breathe in deeply through my nose and give him a small smile as I place my hand in his. His grip is warm and very firm. I do my best to give a confident shake right back at him. “I accept.” I pause. “Your Majesty.”

He doesn’t smile at that but gives my hand a quick squeeze before dropping it. He walks back around the desk. “You start tomorrow, by the way.”

“Tomorrow!” I exclaim. “On a Saturday? I can’t start tomorrow.”

“Why not?” He looks annoyed again.

“Because this job interview was so last minute and I didn’t assume I’d get it. I still have to pack everything up in Paris and—”

He sits back down and starts going through the rest of the papers on his desk, setting my resume aside. “Then go and pack everything up. You’ve been jumping around France for seven years, I’m pretty sure everything you possess can fit in a suitcase.”

He’s right but screw him for being so presumptuous.

“And since you’re in-between jobs,” he continues, “I’m betting you’ve been staying at a short-term rental or Air B&B, and whatever it is, I assure you any money you lose will be properly compensated by us.” He glances up at me, forehead wrinkled. “Maja will handle all the logistics, don’t worry.”

I know I’m currently in an Air B&B that I’ve already paid the rest of the month for, and I don’t have anyone to say goodbye to except for Amelie, but this weekend will be my last weekend of freedom before everything in my life changes. I need to hold on to that.

I swear I see him roll his eyes. “Fine,” he says, as if he can hear my thoughts. “Be here Sunday night then. That will give us enough time to sign everything and then you can start Monday by taking Clara to school.”

“Deal,” I manage to say. Then I stand there for a moment, wondering if there’s something else I should say or that we need to discuss.

He slowly glances up at me, and after a furtive look, says dismissively, “You may go.”

I nod. “See you Sunday night.”

“You may want to brush up on your royal protocol while you’re at it,” he calls after me as I head to the door. “Picking up some basic Danish phrases won’t hurt either.”

“Yes sir,” I say to him before opening the heavy door and stepping out into the hall.

Maja is standing there patiently, hands folded in front of her, a slight wince to her expression. “And how did it go?” she asks carefully.

I attempt to play it cool with a shrug before I break out into a grin. “I got the job!”

Her smile is small but it’s good enough. “That’s wonderful. He wasn’t too hard on you?”

“Oh, he was hard on me,” I tell her. “I believe he called me uneducated and silly at one point. But I’ll manage. I always do.”

She presses her palms together. “I’m so glad. The girls will be delighted.”

“And it’s a lot of weight off your shoulders too. You don’t have to search anymore.”

She nods primly. “Yes, well, hopefully you’ll last the full year.”

Damn, that took the wind out of my sails. I brush it off.

“I have no doubt I will,” I tell her.

Of course, on the other hand, I have no idea what I’m getting into.

And as I follow Maja down the hallway as she gives a quick tour past gilded paintings and marble statues and large, velvet-accented rooms with Baroque floors, rattling off a million different things before she takes me back to the airport, I realize how in over my head I really am.

Even though I haven’t signed anything yet, I feel like when I shook the King’s hand I was agreeing to something beyond my wildest dreams or nightmares.

I hope I didn’t just make a deal with the devil.

A handsome devil, of course.

They usually are.





Chapter 4





Aurora





“Salud,” Amelie says, raising her glass of champagne to me. “Or what do they say in Denmark again?”

I grin and tap my glass against hers before taking a sip, the bubbles tickling my nose. “I believe they say sk?l.”

“Sk?l. Why not?” she says with a dainty shrug. She takes a large gulp of her drink but manages to make it look elegant. Even when she’s plastered she appears completely refined. Must be the French way, je ne sais quoi.