A Princess in Theory (Reluctant Royals #1)(26)

She’d told Jamal about her parents. It didn’t seem like much in the current terrain of social media overshare, but it was way more than she’d ever told a stranger who didn’t work at Child Services. And it hadn’t felt like talking to a stranger, which made it all the more uncomfortable for her.

Her phone vibrated in her hand and she fumbled it, watching with horror and then relief as it landed on the less-hard-than-the-floor surface of her bed.

Hey! I’m on my walk of shameless. Your date with guy next door went well?

Ledi smiled.

It was fine. I ended up bringing my dinner back to my place, so not much of a date.

Wait. What? Was he a weirdo?

He was cool.

Cool enough that you left before sitting down to eat with him?

Yeah.

Did you guys talk?

Yes.

. . . and you liked talking to him?

Yup.



You see what? Ledi began unbuttoning her tuxedo shirt, passed her phone from hand to hand as she tugged it off by the sleeves. She wondered what Jamal was doing across the hall, and then reminded herself she didn’t care.

You’ve sucked it up through some of the shittiest, most boring dates known to humankind. But you left before eating with a cool guy last night.

Ledi rolled her eyes and tapped out her response.

I worked at the lab all day and then the Institute. I was tired.

Suuure.

In other news, I have off from work today.

Wait. What? Which work?

Both. Oh my god, I can go back to bed.

She eyed her textbooks and notes.

Yes! Don’t even think about studying. Go get some sleep.

Ledi felt a little giddy at the possibility of a block of time with nothing to do but recharge.

Maybe we can get lunch at that Brazilian restaurant you mentioned when it opened? My treat! And my former coworker at the Museum of New York City posted that they have an exhibition about historical epidemics. Friend date?

Ledi knew this was, in part, Portia’s way of making up for her late-night wake-up call, but also because despite her flaws, Portia was a caring friend and wanted to give her a reprieve from her daily grind. Ledi wanted to see her—to actually have a conversation that was coherent and would be remembered by both of them—but it was always uncomfortable when Portia made offers like this. The Brazilian restaurant was Michelin starred—lunch there would cost way too much. But Ledi thought maybe that was the point. She wasn’t the only one who confused being useful with being indispensable.

How about we get some pizza? That’s more in my budget.

Hey, you can take free food from some weird guy but not your best friend? I got you. I’ll pick you up at your place.

Ledi sighed and brushed away her annoyance. She had a nap calling her name.

LEDI HAD CHANGED into less formal attire by the time Portia arrived: straight-legged jeans, bright pink slip-on sneakers, and a black scoop neck sweatshirt that hung off of her shoulders. She had nice shoulders, and she suddenly had the urge to show them off.

“Look at you!” Portia gave Ledi a pleased once-over paired with an encouraging nod. “You look so pretty! Is that mascara? And lipstick?”

“It’s lip stain,” Ledi said. “I actually found it on Regina’s website. GirlsWithGlasses has a great ‘makeup for all shades and budgets’ section. The site has really blown up. You must be proud.”

“Yeah, Regina always succeeds when she puts her mind to something,” Portia replied, her gaze becoming distant as it always did when Ledi brought up her twin sister. Ledi knew twinhood could be a fraught thing, but when your sister ran one of the most popular geek sites, it was bound to come up from time to time.

“Do you want to do the museum or get drinks instead?” Portia asked suddenly.

“The museum. It’s like noon,” Ledi said. “Your liver sent me a text asking for the day off, too.”

Portia was silent for a long moment, apparently not appreciating the not-quite joke, and the fun day that Ledi had imagined began to slip through her fingers. She didn’t feel like arguing. She wanted to enjoy her brief window of freedom.

Portia seemed to shake off whatever was bugging her and smiled. “You’re right. And I’m kind of excited about this exhibit. I can introduce you to the curator afterward if you want, and you can talk about science shit. Oh! Maybe they’d want to have you come in and do a talk!”

Ledi’s tension disappeared as Portia launched into some grand plan for Ledi’s future as a world renowned public scientist. She was always trying to push Ledi toward better things, even when she seemed to have no idea what she wanted from her own life.

Ledi grabbed her favorite purse, which was shaped like an amoeba, and declined to tell Portia which website she’d spotted it on as they headed out into the hall and she locked up behind them.

Ledi had always been extra perceptive of her surroundings, or for as long as she could remember at least. It was a necessary skill when you moved from one stranger’s house to another and had to adjust to new guardians and siblings on a somewhat-regular basis, no matter how caring they were. Maybe that was why she was already staring toward 7 N when the door swung open.

Jamal stood still for a moment, looking as good as ever in a V-neck tee patterned with swirls of black and gold, a dashiki of sorts, and those perfectly fitted jeans of his, in dark blue this time.