The Alpha King Call Boy
Chapter 215

Fiona

The interior decorator was a slight woman with shiny, shoulder-length black hair pinned back on one side with a neat bronze hairclip that matched her stylish blazer. She greeted me with a gigantic smile, "I'm sorry," she said instead of hello. "I am quite nervous about meeting you, Your Highness."

"Please, call me Fiona." I could see those nerves in the way the woman's hands were slightly trembling. I hoped she was not about to try to shake my hand. I did not need to catch a dose of her energy, though it is difficult to be polite about declining an offered handshake.

Fortunately, the woman gave me a small bow instead. I still felt awkward when people did this, but in this moment I was grateful for the alternative to handshaking, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Fiona. I'm Isabel."

I'd woken up today very excited to start on my new project of redecorating Scarlet's old rooms in the palace. The baby had roused me only once throughout the night, a new record. And a good night's sleep had allowed me to open my eyes in the morning with a rush of inspiration for my new endeavor. I read up on some top interior decorators on line and found one with pictures on her website that excited and inspired me, and I reached out to her right away.

Now I took my newly hired decorator on a little tour of the East Wing, It was a place I was not familiar with myself, having never traveled to this part of the palace while it was occupied by Alexander's father, stepmother and stepbrother, so Isabel and I were sort of finding our way around together, just exploring. Shetook rapid handwritten notes in a little moleskin journal while I talked through my ideas, writing in some sort of personal shorthand that looked to me like loopy scribbles.

It was very odd indeed to set foot into Scarlet's now long-abandoned bedroom suite. Everything in here was crimson and gold, from the wallpaper to the furniture to the floors. The décor was cluttered; the theme of it all was needless opulence.

After our walk and discussion about the big-picture planning for the East Wing renovations, Isabel and I moved our meeting to my and Alex's dining room, where we enjoyed some coffee and treats while talking about next steps for hiring contractors, painters, and all the many other professionals that would be participating in the project.

Then we split up; I went to check on and feed the baby, whom Nina had been watching, while my decorator returned to the East Wing to take measurements and do more planning. A couple hours later, I headed back over there to check on her progress.

It turned out that Isabel had gotten junk haulers hired and started working quickly. I rolled up on the scene just in time to enjoy the sight of all Scarlet's furniture being carried out of what used to be her bedroom. "Make sure this all gets donated," I told the man in charge of the group. "We won't be needing any of it here, but it is all usable, of course."

The man confirmed he had a church where he could take donatable items. And boy, his employees made very fast work of clearing out all the rooms. I had a big smile on my face as I surveyed the empty spaces left behind. There was so much potential here, and I couldn't wait to bring my vision to life.

I had brought the baby with me this time. She was wrapped to my chest in her sling. Isabel was smitten with Lexi the moment she saw her. For the second time today, I found myself appreciating this woman and happy I'd chosen to hire her. She was friendly but courteous and respectful of boundaries, content to smile and wave at and compliment my adorable baby without making any inappropriate attempts to touch her.There was so much planning to be done for this project. The more I talked with Isabel, the more I realized that supervising the renovation could be a full-time job of its own. I was just going to need to hire a few more people to help out, I determined. So I called Alexander's chief of staff, Brandon, and spoke with him about hiring me some sort of executive assistant.

The word Brandon had used was "secretary," but assistant sounded better to me. Hiring an assistant was something I'd been planning on doing at Crescent, before I left, and I'd been excited about it. I no longer worked in an office, but as Alex's Luna I still had a big job to do. An even more important one than I'd been doing at the firm.

While chatting on the phone with Brandon, I'd been idly pacing around the East Wing. Now that the junk removal guys were gone, the rooms were all empty of both furnishings and people. It was just me and Lexi meandering around big open spaces, my voice echoing on the bare walls and ceilings. I hung up with Brandon but kept wandering, because now I was turning over a new idea in my mind...

With all the resources available to me, and all these open rooms... If I wanted to, I could move Grandfather into the palace with us. We could make him a space fully equipped for all of his needs and hire on -site medical staff for his care.

It made some sense. I needed to see more of my beloved grandfather before his time ran out, and that could happen at any moment now. And visiting him in the nursing home had gotten increasingly complicated. It would be so much easier to spend timewith him in his final days if he were here in the privacy and security of our own home.

But was it wise to move an already chronically confused man into an unfamiliar environment? I'd have to consult with Grandfather's doctor about that to be sure, but I suspected it may not be the best move.I sighed heavily and took hold of Lexi's little hands. She was wrapped to my chest facing outward. When I slipped my index fingers under her tiny fingers, she gripped tightly with both hands and babbled happily, making me smile.

"Oh, Lexi," I mumbled. "I just don't know what is the right thing to do. I wish there was an easy answer. What do you think, hmm?

Would it be better for your great-grandfather to come here and live with us? Or should we keep him where he is? They take good care of him there. They know his routine. I don't want to cause a disruption to his life if it's just not necessary. Perhaps my idea is a selfish one. I just miss Grandfather so much. I wish my opportunities to see him, to hold his hand and tell him I love him, were not so limited..."

A gentle, comforting voice sounded from behind me. "Feel like sharing with someone who can answer back?"

I startled a bit. Alex's approach had been so stealthily silent. I swiveled around to find him pacing slowing into the empty room Lexi and I were wandering. He had a small half-smile on his lips, andl knew he was amused at the way I'd been talking to the baby. "Hi," I said, meeting my husband in the middle of the room.

"Hi." He kissed me on the lips, then Lexi on her forehead. "You doing okay, Fi?"

"Oh, yes. Just thinking. And overthinking."