Free Charlotte & Nate (Royals of Valleria #4) by Marianne Knightly

something to do with this?”
     
    Marcello nodded. “I do, and I think you were right when you suggested it. I’m going to look into his finances and also into his death. He was pretty young when he died; if it wasn’t an accident, I want to know.”
     
    “Jesus, you think someone killed him?”
     
    “I think if they did, and we can prove it, they’ll get a better prison sentence for it than he might for embezzling.”
     
    Nate shook his head as he reached for the breakfast tray; he had a standing order every morning so it was automatically brought up for him. “What the hell have I stumbled into?”
     
    Marcello walked over and put a hand on his shoulder. “ We’ve stumbled into it, brother. Don’t worry. We’ll make things right.”
     
    Nate nodded as he pushed aside the warm cloth of the bread basket. Nestled inside was fresh brioche, one of his favorites. He lifted the bread to his nose and took a deep breath; the soft, fresh scent reminded him of Charlotte, and he just knew she had baked it.
     
    “Should I leave the two of you alone?” Marcello smirked. “You look like you’re having a private moment.”
     
    Nate shrugged and barely managed to keep the blush from staining his cheeks. “I like to take time and enjoy the simple things in life, Marcello. Want to join me?”
     
    “No, thanks. I’d better get started; there’s a lot of people to investigate.”
     
    Nate nodded while he sliced into the bread and spread some freshly made jam on top of it; his mouth was watering already. “Do you want to meet for lunch?”
     
    Marcello shook his head. “No, let’s chat after dinner.”
     
    Remembering his late-night picnic, Nate suggested, “Before dinner. I’ll need to speak with Papa and Alex about the budget anyway. It’s best if we all touch base then.”
     
    Marcello quirked an eyebrow. “Got plans tonight?”
     
    Marcello never missed a trick, but he still wasn’t ready to reveal his feelings for Charlotte. It was too soon and they were both too unsure of the future. “I’ll likely be working.”
     
    “If you say so,” Marcello said, and Nate knew he didn’t believe him. As Marcello turned to go, he said, “Oh, Nate?”
     
    “What?”
     
    “Don’t forget to put on some shoes. No one’s going to take you seriously if you go barefoot.”
     
    Nate looked down, surprised to see his feet bare. When he looked back up, Marcello was walking away, laughing.
     
    This was going to be a very long day.
     
    ***
     
    Charlie was in the kitchens bright and early the next day. Her shift wasn’t due to start until nine that morning, but she arrived at six to get things in order. More than that, she wanted to be there first, before Pierre arrived.
     
    She’d called Coco that morning and told her what had happened with Pierre. Coco hadn’t seemed surprised and had said that she’d speak with Pierre about it. Charlie could only guess what that meant. Would Coco rescind the offer of promotion? Fire Pierre? Fire her? She just didn’t know.
     
    Charlie kept to ‘her’ kitchen that morning, and Coco came in to see her just after ten while she was kneading dough.
     
    “How long have you been in this kitchen?” Coco asked, her hands fisted on her hips. “This is more than an hour’s work.”
     
    Charlie finished with the dough and began to roll it out; it would make the basis for some lunchtime pizzas. “I had some things I wanted to get a jumpstart on, that’s all, so I came in early.”
     
    “And you worked late last night. I don’t know if I’ll get approval for your overtime, Charlie. Overtime’s only been approved for the state dinner in a few days.”
     
    Charlie’s heart – and wallet – sank a little at the news, but she wasn’t surprised by it. “I know, Coco. Don’t worry about me.”
     
    “I do worry about you.” Coco walked over and put a hand on Charlie’s shoulder; she stopped moving the roller across the dough. “You want to talk about what