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It was August.
His face was contorted in a mixture of shock and pain, his hands defensively covering his royal jewels I had apparently smacked. Again.
“Veronica,” he gasped from the floor, his voice strained and a few octaves higher than normal. “That’s quite the welcome.”
Chapter Ten
Prince August
I attempted to hide the pain from the unexpected blow to my dignity as Veronica reluctantly reached down to help me stand upright. I then turned my attention to the two men standing defensively in front of me, particularly the taller one with the amusing mustache and a fashion sense that would be more fitting for a circus performer. He had been overly friendly with Veronica on the dance floor, and I didn’t like it one bit.
“Who is Veronica?” he asked me just after I’d blurted out her name, then he continued to scrutinize me as if I were an artifact in one of Stone Town’s many curious shops.
“It’s one of my many aliases,” Veronica quipped with a forced smile before I could answer. “I’m also known as Stephanie, Maggie, and Mrs. Peabody.”
She must have had a reason for telling him that, and I guessed I would find out soon enough, but something weird was going on here.
“August, Caleb, meet Scum and Turd,” Veronica added, gesturing to the two men, her bottom lip quivering.
Okay, it just got weirder.
Was it really their names?
The taller one froze momentarily, then cleared his throat. “We don’t go by that anymore, I told you. I’m Kenny and this is my close confidant, Denny. And who might this gentleman be?” He eyed me again, but this time with his nose raised high in the air. “Is he bothering you, Frannie?”
“Frannie?” I said, glancing at Veronica. “Seriously? Don’t tell me, another alias?”
She nodded proudly. “You guessed it, Auggie.”
Scum chuckled. “Auggie? What kind of name is that?”
I glared at him. “I don’t know, Scum.”
His nose twitched, then he said, “It’s Kenny. And you still didn’t answer my question; who are you?”
I grasped Veronica’s hand with more assurance than I felt, but hoping she would go along with my ruse. “I’m her fiancé.”
Veronica stiffened, but she didn’t object.
Scum’s gaze shot down to her other hand I wasn’t holding. “I don’t see a ring on that finger. How do you explain that?”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but I sent it back to the jeweler,” I improvised. “The diamond was absurdly large, and her hand kept dragging on the ground from the weight.”
Veronica laughed, which was a good sign.
Scum’s eyebrows raised as he crossed his arms. “Think you’re funny, huh?”
“I know I am,” I shot back, my patience quickly thinning.
Turd turned to Daphne, then tilted his head toward Caleb, attempting to include her in this awkward tag-team interrogation. “And what about you two? Am I supposed to believe you’re also a couple?”
Stepping forward, Caleb copied the actions I’d had with Veronica and grasped Daphne’s hand. “That’s right. She’s with me. Not engaged, though. Not yet.” She squeezed his hand hard, causing him to wince before he chuckled. “That’s my girl. She knows I like it rough.”
Scum shifted his weight from the left leg to the right leg, analyzing the four of us. “Why don’t we let the ladies speak for themselves? Are you really with these men or not? You look uncomfortable.”
Veronica let go of my hand and then ran her fingers slowly along my lower back, sending tingles shooting through my body, then she gripped my side and pulled me closer. “You heard him. We’re engaged to be married.”
I was happy she was playing along, but I wanted more than anything for it to be real.
