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Maisy took a sip of her margarita.
“I don’t want to talk about Lily.”
“What do you want to talk about?”
“Nothing. We’re supposed to be keeping our distance, remember?”
“Right. Because sitting down across from me to eat a dinner I’ve prepared is a great way to maintain distance.”
“Do you want me to leave?”
“No. I’d look like a total weirdo drinking and eating alone out here.”
For some reason, that made Maisy chuckle.
“Weirdo? This is how I can tell you’re not Niko. He would never say ‘weirdo.’”
“True. Once he said ‘LOL’ and looked uncomfortable for almost an hour afterwards.”
Maisy grinned. “I can’t believe he actually said that. Was he sick?”
“I think he was trying to be hip with the kids, as they say.”
“Hip with the kids.” Maisy chuckled again. “Another phrase Niko would never say.”
“How’s your fish?”
“It’s very nice.”
They lapsed into silence. There was still tension between them — Xander knew without a doubt that Maisy was angry and that her anger wasn’t going away anytime soon. But they were eating together and talking as if they didn’t hate each other, which was progress. And the view was breathtaking. As the sun slipped towards the horizon, orange and red and yellow spread across the sky and the waves like paint seeping across a canvas. It gave everything an almost magical feeling.
Maisy must have felt it too, because she paused to gaze out over the water. Her hair lifted slightly in the evening breeze.
“Have you ever seen such a beautiful place?” Xander asked.
“Aenicea is quite nice, too.”
“I’m sorry — again. I know you must have been looking forward to being the crown princess.”
Maisy turned to him with a slightly puzzled expression. Xander noticed that her margarita glass was almost empty — as was his.
“Why would you think that?”
“I don’t know.” Xander shrugged to emphasize his point. “Isn’t that what so many little girls dream of — marrying a prince and becoming a princess? Surely the thought of being queen someday was at least a little interesting.”
“Do you want to be king?” The question caught Xander off guard, and for a moment his thoughts spun through a whirl of wondering if Maisy was asking if he had meant to sabotage Niko and somehow take the throne during the wedding debacle. But when Xander looked into Maisy’s eyes, he saw that the question had been genuine.
“No.” Xander paused to gather his thoughts. To cover, he offered Maisy a second margarita, then poured one for himself. “I was always glad to be the younger brother.”
“Why?” Maisy pressed.
“The thought of being responsible for a whole country is terrifying,” Xander admitted. “And almost worse is the idea of all those eyes on me. When you’re the king, or even the crown prince, everyone is watching you all the time — like they’re waiting for you to mess up or step out of line.”
“Exactly.” Maisy raised her glass and took a long sip. “So, why would you think that’s something I want?”
It was a good question, and Xander took a moment to consider it. His head was slightly fuzzy from the alcohol — and based on Maisy’s lighter stature and the fact that he’d rarely seen her drink, he had to imagine that she was much tipsier. They needed to be careful.
“Well, Niko loves being the crown prince,” Xander said. “And you love Niko.”
