Read Online Royal Hearts by Ruth Ann Nordin - Free Book Online Page A

for
her, he’d never have the courage to face this. “You’ve done
everything already,” he whispered.
    She returned his hug then rose to her feet.
“I’ll get your uniform while you eat.” She walked over to their
closet and pulled out his metallic blue suit with the Leader’s mark
sewn into it.
    He took his time in eating his meal. He knew
he’d better eat now because it would probably be a long time before
he would have the chance to eat again.
     
    ***
     
    Six years in the past
    Lisa’s front yard
    Beavercreek, Ohio
    Planet: Earth
     
    After Ann, William, Carson, and Lisa got
back, they decided to throw Lisa’s Frisbee around in her front
yard.
    William was amazed at how well he remembered
everything that had happened the first time he went through this.
He knew when Carson would jump up to retrieve the Frisbee only to
miss and fall on his rear end. He remembered how Ann felt so
self-conscious about running that she’d just walk after the
Frisbee. He remembered the way Lisa threw the Frisbee so it went in
the opposite direction. It was so uncanny because it seemed like it
had happened yesterday instead of six years ago.
    “I’m tired of this game,” Lisa finally said.
“Can we go into the house?”
    “It is starting to get chilly out,” Ann
agreed. “I forgot to bring my jacket.”
    “Good idea, Ann. Let’s go in,” William
said.
    “Is this because I was winning?” Carson
asked.
    “Yes, Carson. We’re all intimidated by the
way you fell flat on your butt,” William joked.
    “I slipped! It wasn’t my fault the ground is
wet.”
    “It hasn’t rained in days.”
    “The sprinkler must have been on.”
    “Sure it was.” William rolled his eyes. He
had forgotten how easily embarrassed Carson got over the silliest
things.
    “Okay, you two. Break it up,” Lisa
interrupted. “My mom made her famous lemonade, so if you want it,
stop your bickering and get into the house.”
    “And they say men lead the women in
relationships,” Carson whispered good-naturedly to William.
    “Oh, I bet there are some planets out there
where women are the leaders and men serve them.” William smiled,
enjoying his insight into the universe.
    Carson gave him a strange look but didn’t say
anything.
    The four friends sat in Lisa’s living room.
William sat next to Ann on one couch, and Carson sat on the other
couch, waiting for Lisa to come back with the lemonade.
    “You’ll love this lemonade,” Carson told
William.
    “It is delicious,” Ann agreed. Then, turning
to William, she asked, “You go to school with Carson, right?”
    Lisa brought four tall glasses of lemonade
into the room and handed them out.
    “Yes,” William replied. “I’m a senior. I’m
thinking about going to college in Florida.”
    Carson, who was taking a drink of lemonade,
swallowed it the wrong way and coughed. “Since when are you going
to college? I thought you hated school.”
    William hid his amusement. He didn’t realize
his friend was so easy to throw off guard. “All I can say is that
this is a whole new me.”
    “Are you serious?” Ann asked. “Where in
Florida are you planning to move to?”
    “The panhandle area. Pensacola, to be exact,”
he said, knowing full well this was where her family would soon be
moving to.
    “Wow! What a coincidence,” Lisa said. “Ann’s
moving there.”
    “Oh?” William asked Ann. “When?”
    “I don’t know yet,” she replied. “We’re
waiting for my dad’s boss to tell him.”
    “It’s been about a year since she expected to
move, so it could still be another year yet,” Lisa added. “With any
luck, that will be the case, and she can graduate up here.”
    He, of course, knew she would be moving in
September, but he didn’t say anything.
    “Moving in my senior year isn’t something I’m
looking forward to,” Ann admitted. “It would be nice to finish high
school with my friends.”
    “If she does stay here, are you still going
to go to college in Florida?”