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Also by Whitney Dineen  The Mimi Chronicles  The Reinvention of Mimi Finnegan  Mimi Plus Two  Kindred Spirits   Relatively Series  Relatively Normal  Relatively Sane  Relatively Happy   Creek Water Series  The Event  The Move  The Plan  The Dream   Seven Brides for Seven Mothers Series  Love is a Battlefield  Ain't She Sweet  It's My Party  You’re So Vain  Head Over Feet  Queen of Hearts  At Last   She Sins at Midnight  Going Up?  Love for Sale   The Accidentally in Love Series (with Melanie Summers)  Text Me on Tuesday  The Text God  Text Wars  Text in Show  Mistle Text  Text and Confused   A Gamble on Love Mom-Com Series (with Melanie Summers)  No Ordinary Hate  A Hate Like This  Hate, Rinse, Repeat   Conspiracy Thriller  See No More   Non-Fiction Humor  Motherhood, Martyrdom & Costco Runs   Middle Reader  Wilhelmina and the Willamette Wig Factory  Who the Heck is Harvey Stingle?   Children’s Books  The Friendship Bench  At Last    Whitney Dineen  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, locales, and situations are the work of the author’s overactive imagination and the voices in her head. Any resemblance to people living or dead, events, etc., is purely coincidental. And I don’t mean maybe.  Copyright © by Whitney Dineen in 2023; all rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, copied, scanned, photographed, or distributed in print or electronic form without express permission of the author. But let’s face it, if you love it, she’ll probably let you share small portions. You still have to contact her first.  Made in the United States. February, 2023  ISBN: 9798355359225 Ebook Edition ASIN: B0BG34DPLS  https://whitneydineen.com/newsletter/ 33 Partners Publishing Contents  Chapter One   Chapter Two   Chapter Three   Chapter Four   Chapter Five   Chapter Six   Chapter Seven   Chapter Eight   Chapter Nine   Chapter Ten   Chapter Eleven   Chapter Twelve   Chapter Thirteen   Chapter Fourteen   Chapter Fifteen   Chapter Sixteen   Chapter Seventeen   Chapter Eighteen   Chapter Nineteen   Chapter Twenty   Chapter Twenty-One   Chapter Twenty-Two   Chapter Twenty-Three   Chapter Twenty-Four   Chapter Twenty-Five   Chapter Twenty-Six   Chapter Twenty-Seven   Chapter Twenty-Eight   Chapter Twenty-Nine   Chapter Thirty   Chapter Thirty-One   Chapter Thirty-Two   Chapter Thirty-Three   Chapter Thirty-Four   Chapter Thirty-Five   Chapter Thirty-Six   Chapter Thirty-Seven   Chapter Thirty-Eight   Chapter Thirty-Nine   Chapter Forty   Chapter Forty-One   Chapter Forty-Two   Chapter Forty-Three   Chapter Forty-Four   Chapter Forty-Five   Chapter Forty-Six   Chapter Forty-Seven   Chapter Forty-Eight   Chapter Forty-Nine   Chapter Fifty   Chapter Fifty-One   Chapter Fifty-Two   Available Now: The Event   About the Author  Chapter One  Queen Charlotte Charlotte pauses while putting on her earrings to stare into her dressing table mirror at her husband’s reflection. “Sophie has received seven of the most gorgeous floral arrangements I’ve ever seen, and they’re all from the same man.” “That’s good, isn’t it?” “I don’t know. She won’t tell me who he is,” Charlotte complains before dabbing her signature grapefruit-scented perfume behind her ears. Buttoning the jacket on his navy-blue suit, the king inspects his attire for flaws. “I thought his name was Arlo Hammond.” “I know his name. What I don’t know is how he and Sophie know each other. Every time I ask her, she gives me an evasive response. Then she either rushes out of the room or changes the subject to something she knows I can’t resist talking about.” Alfred’s eyes twinkle with merriment as he runs his hands through his thick graying brown hair. “Ah, yes, your love of conversing about our children’s upcoming nuptials.” Crossing the room, he takes his wife into his arms. “Let Sophie have her secret. She’ll tell us who he is if and when she considers it important.” Charlotte rests her head against Alfred’s chest. “You can’t tell me you’re not dying to know.” Shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly, he offers, “Maybe I already know.” “Excuse me?” “I don’t know everything, but I’ve had a preliminary investigation done on the man.” “And?” Charlotte demands. “On paper, Mr. Hammond appears to be on the up and up.” Before Charlotte can insist on more information, he clarifies, “He owns a reputable business, he doesn’t hold a significant amount of debt, and he’s unattached.” “What’s his business?” “A floral company called Floribunda.” Furrowing her brow in contemplation, Charlotte says, “That’s the name of the shop that keeps sending the flowers to Sophie.” “It is, indeed.” “And they’re located right here in town?” Alfred nods his head but doesn’t offer any further comment. “There’s something you’re not telling me.” Kissing her on top of the head, he mumbles, “It’s just a feeling I have.” “Alfred …” “You’ll be the first person I come to if I find out there’s more to the story. Until then, let’s trust Sophie to know what’s best for herself.”  Princess Sophie/Present Day Arlo Hammond has sent me a flower arrangement every month for the last seven. I’ve gone years without even thinking about the man, and then, boom! Out of nowhere he shows back up. Well, not in person, but the emissary bouquets he dispatches certainly make it impossible not to think about him. Instead of joining my parents in the dining room for breakfast, I call down to the kitchen and ask them to