~C~
I was supposed to meet Marie and Barbara at the gates of the palace at six. It was now five-thirty. Tonight would be princess Paisley's twenty-third birthday party, the party that Cups & Cakes would do the catering for. I would help them set everything up before I was supposed to meet Ethan at eight.
He'd invited me unofficially as his boyfriend and officially as his friend.
Tonight would also be the night that I'd meet his siblings properly. As his boyfriend.
So I was nervous. Valerie had already shouted at me to get my act together seven times and threatened to go in my place four times. So things were going great. Perfect. If only I could find my tie.
"Honestly, Corey, you're gonna have to take another shower if you keep running around like a chicken without its head," Valerie commented when I once again ran into the living room, trying to locate my tie.
"I wouldn't be so stressed if you'd help me look for my goddamned tie," I muttered, rummaging through one of the drawers in the TV cabinet.
"Hey now, no cursing." She teased. "Have you checked your bedside drawer? God knows what random junk you always stuff in there."
"You're just useless," I grumbled, storming back to my room.
"I love you, too!"
A sigh of relief left my lips when I found it, stuffed in the drawer Valerie mentioned. Not that I'd tell her that.
I put it by my suit and grabbed my coat. "I'm going!" I yelled, holding the bag that held my suit and the box with my shoes in one hand as the other opened the door.
"Bye! Have fun!" She yelled back before the door fell shut behind me.
There was a taxi waiting for me at the curb and I wasted no time in climbing in.
"Calbridge palace, please," I said to the driver.
Calbridge palace was a little way outside of London. Ethan had told me that that was where Paisley usually spent her time and because it was in a more remote location it would be easier for guests to arrive and to keep the press out.
The drive there was fairly quick. I sent a text to my bosses to let them know I was almost there and then texted Ethan to see how he was doing.
The party would start at eight but he'd told me that he and his family would all have dinner together before.
I arrived at precisely six o'clock and was escorted to the palace's kitchens by a guard. The hallways reminded me of Buckingham's halls but these were wider, with floors made of dark grey tiles and white walls. There were paintings hung up to fill up the walls, ranging from portraits to landscapes. I figured they'd be worth more than a fortune all combined. On the ceilings were chandeliers with lightbulbs and crystals that illuminated the halls beautifully. Small shapes were reflected off it on the ceilings.
The feeling this palace gave me was so different from the one at the centre of London. There I had felt like an outsider, an intruder. I'd felt afraid to even walk in the hallways, scared of breaking something. But here I felt welcome. It helped cease some of the nerves that were beginning to make themselves known.
Upon entering the kitchen I immediately noticed Marie and Barbara in the centre. They were both instructing other workers, probably about where to put what and what had to go with each other.
"Thank you." I smiled at the guard who nodded and left the kitchen.
"Corey!" Marie was the first one to notice me as I walked closer. She kissed my cheek as a greeting. "Your timing is impeccable. Can you help Ben here unload the van? Most of it is already here but there are a few heavy coolers left."
YOU ARE READING
Crowns and Pastries
RomanceCOREY had only one thing on his mind when he agreed to work in the local bakery during his summer. He was going to graduate university and open his own bakery in London. That had been his dream ever since he was a kid and he was determined to show h...
