For @thedepthsremember. Maxwell has a great idea.
“Liam!”
Striding down a sunlit hall, Liam slowed his steps. Turning, he saw Maxwell running to catch up, a wide grin on his face. A passing count tutted. Liam smiled warmly at his friend.
“I didn’t know you were coming. Everything all right?”
“Yep! I’m actually here on top secret Beaumont business. Strictly need-to-know.” At Liam’s raised eyebrow, Maxwell dropped the pretense. “Okay, Bertrand asked me to drop off some things for him. But since I’m here, I thought I’d come find you! I feel like we haven’t hung out in forever.”
Months, in fact, since Liam had last visited the Beaumont estate on Bertrand’s invitation, and then briefly. Between meetings and preparations for the upcoming social season, Liam barely had time to breathe, much less keep in contact with his friends. Still, guilt colored him.
“I’m sorry, Maxwell, I’ve been so busy—”
“Eh, don’t worry about it,” Maxwell interrupted. He fell into step next to Liam. “It just gives us more to catch up on now! So, come on, tell me. What’s been going on? Have you engaged in a Twitter feud for the good of Cordonia yet?”
Liam chuckled at Maxwell’s logic, but didn’t refute him. “No feuds, Twitter or otherwise.”
“That’s too bad because I’ve been studying all of the great online feuds and I’ve come up with a foolproof plan to emerge triumphant every time.”
“Oh, really? Anything you can share?”
“I don’t normally share my wisdom for free, but in light of our long friendship, I guess I can make an exception. Have your people call my people.”
Liam smiled. “So Bertrand.”
Maxwell held up two finger guns and clicked his tongue.
Shaking his head, Liam pushed open a door outside. The grounds were resplendent in the daylight, the sky a magnificent expanse of blue with hardly a cloud.
“How is Bertrand?” he continued. “Last I heard, he was traveling.”
“Bertrand’s the same as ever.” Maxwell led the way to the fountain. Hopping over the short fence, he took a seat on the lip. “He’s meeting with a few houses so I’ve been helping him out.”
“Oh?” Liam took a seat next to him. “Is there anything I can do?”
“Nah, we’ve got it covered. It’s just a little of this, a little of that. Nothing all that interesting.”
“That’s it?” Liam could not resist the urge to dig at him a little. “After so much time, all I get is ‘this and that’?”
“I told you it’s a need-to-know basis. Top secret. The very integrity of the plans could be compromised.”
“In that case…” Liam made as if to stand and return to the palace.
“No!” Maxwell jumped up, dismayed. “I’ll tell you everything!”
Liam resumed his seat. “Go on.”
“Fine, fine. But this can never be shared with another soul.” Maxwell held out his hand. Liam followed him in a complicated handshake he, Maxwell and Drake had come up with as children. By the end of it, Liam was grinning.
“I can’t believe you still remember that.”
“I never forget secret handshakes,” Maxwell returned solemnly. “So you know I’ve been experimenting with photography.”
Liam didn’t, and the previous prickle of guilt returned. Maxwell did not seem to notice.
“So I wanted to get a selfie stick thinking I could use it for some good group shots when we all get together. Except I wasn’t sure which one was the best one so I ordered a few different ones, figuring I’d keep my favorite and return the others. Turns out the place I got them from has an exchange-only policy.”
“Well…that’s not so bad.” In the grand scheme of Maxwell ideas, this ranked below ‘make a bacon and sriracha ice cream’ and didn’t even come close to ‘repaint classic statues in their original colors.’
“Yeah!” Maxwell grimaced. “But then Bertrand found the roomful of film rolls.”
Liam opened his mouth, then abruptly closed it. Some things he was happier not knowing.
They fell into a companionable silence looking over the palace grounds. Maxwell knocked on the fountain.
“Remember last time we were out here? It was before your birthday. We had to sneak away and almost got caught. ”
“You wanted to climb into the fountain,” Liam remembered with a brief laugh.
“And Drake dragged me back to the palace because he said if I drowned I’d just cause a bigger problem.” Maxwell joined in the laughter before growing uncharacteristically serious. “Guess it’ll be even harder for you to get away with us soon.”
Liam didn’t sigh. In the distance, he caught sight of a bird rising from the maze. His eyes followed it until it vanished against the perfect blue of the sky. In his distraction, he missed whatever it was Maxwell said next.
“I’m sorry, what was that?”
“I said we should throw you a bachelor party,” Maxwell repeated. His expression and manner grew more animated with each word. “These are your last days of freedom. You need to celebrate in style! Even Drake was saying we should throw you one.”
“Drake said he wanted to throw a party?” Amused skepticism underlined the question.
“Well, Drake said something about getting you a lot of whiskey to get through it. Or maybe that was for him. But we can do something just us before the season starts! Drake and I can plan the entire thing. All you have to do is show up!”
Liam made a small moue. “I don’t know. I’d hate for you to go to the trouble.”
“A party is never trouble,” Maxwell declared as if mortally offended. He moved so he was in front of Liam. “Come on, Liam. Think about it. It’s your last chance to kick back with us, your bestest buds, before you turn into a stuffy old king of Cordonia.”
“Thank you, Maxwell,” Liam responded drily.
Maxwell grinned. “So that’s a yes?”
Liam looked away helplessly. The idea had its merits: not so much the bidding goodbye to his bachelor days—there was nothing there to say goodbye to—but being able to spend time with his closest friends before the chaos of the social season. Glancing again at Maxwell’s hopeful expression, Liam found himself giving in.
“Fine.”
“Yes!” Maxwell punched the air in victory. “Because I already have an idea of what we’re gonna do!”
Liam raised his eyebrows. “Do I get to know what that is?”
“You’ll find out in due time!”
“I could order you to tell me.”
It was a bluff, one Maxwell called immediately.
“But you won’t.” Maxwell looked entirely too pleased, and his sheer enthusiasm proved contagious. Liam found himself grinning in return.
“Do I at least get a hint?”
“Nope! Not until after I talk to Drake.” Maxwell threw an arm around Liam’s shoulders. “But I promise you this will be an unforgettable bachelor party. Or you might forget it. Depends on how much alcohol there is. But Bertrand used to say it’s not a real party unless someone has no recollection of trying to joust in the fountain at midnight.”
That was too specific—and the Beaumont bashes infamous enough—for Liam to doubt. “Who did that?”
“I can neither confirm nor deny that a second cousin once removed lost that match.” Maxwell winked. Liam laughed.