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“Thank you for your time, Molly. You always have such an eye for detail. You deserve a raise.”
“Oh, Your Highness! The generosity!” She clapped her hands over her mouth. “Really? It would help so much! If there’s anything more I could do, say the word and I’ll—” The high-pitched whine of the passage hinges stopped her midsentence. Bending to peer around me, she took one step in that direction.
Needing to save my skin and Michaela’s reputation, I took Molly by the shoulders and stared her straight in the eyes. “I’ll double your rate if you please just leave now.”
Shock took hold first, followed by happiness, but I definitely didn’t miss the faintest hint of suspicion. “Yes, Your Highness. Right away.”
I didn’t take a breath again until the door was shut and the lock firmly in place. Palm against the door, I inhaled slowly, concerned my heart couldn’t take much more.
“I take it you don’t have a lot of experience hiding girls in your room?” She stood facing me from the doorway of my bedroom, blanket over her arm.
Though she was clearly teasing, my male brain took over, sprinting full force in the wrong direction. Fantasies about hiding with Michaela under that blanket rushed my mind. Our joined hot breath refracting off our skin, bodies tangled together, her hands… I cleared my thoughts, shook my head, and crossed the space between us.
“Safe to say, no, I don’t.” My finger came up to interject a point. “But you have an alarming talent for staying hidden, and I feel like you’ve neglected to tell me about a few tales from your romantic history.”
“Oh, some stories are just too good to tell, Fitzy.”
“And how will this one rank?” I couldn’t help but ask, despite the way she profaned my nickname.
“Hmmm, sleeping over with the Crown Prince… that’s got to be in the top ten at least.”
My fingers linked with hers. The slightest tug was all it took to pull her closer. “Not even the top five?”
Her coy grin could be used to extract secrets from spies because it left me unhinged. “I’ve led a crazy life, I guess.”
“I’ll have to step up my game then.” My gaze dipped to her lips again, lost in the fantasy that had bled into my mind a moment ago. Reason gripped me like a hidden alarm. This wasn’t a date. She was my friend and I had to remember that. Clearing my throat, I tried to set things straight. “Thank you for last night. It meant a great deal to me.”
“Always.” Her delicate fingers grazed my jaw, making me want to turn into her palm. “Now, you have a date to get ready for. And she’s a catch, so don’t mess it up.”
“It’s not like I plan to—”
Another knock resonated a second before the knob rattled. “Your Highness, are you secure?”
Reginald. Couldn’t I have a moment’s peace?
I pulled Coco’s hand and half-hurried, half-jogged her toward the open mouth of the hidden passageway. I started to close the door when she stuck her head out, grinning.
“Tell me about everything later?”
The knock became more insistent.
“Yes, of course. Now, go.”
“Bye, Fitzy.” She winked and an overwhelming desire to kiss her goodbye took hold.
Thankfully, the painting that served as a door was secure before it became overbearing.
I stared at the frame, breathing hard.
What was wrong with me?
Blair waited by the car, in a thick woolen coat and furry boots. Thankfully, her father wasn’t slated to drive us. I got along well with him, but the idea of having her father along for our first date was enough to send me into panic.
The producers wanted me to play up her new title with a theme for the date, their compromise for my choice of a born-commoner, I suppose. Truth was, I didn’t know what ladies did to occupy their time, other than shopping and pampering themselves.
From that idea, the day took shape.
After a full afternoon at the spa and then a decadent lunch at one of my favorite cafes, we ventured to a jewelry shop that had created my mother’s favorite items in her collection. The bell jangled overhead as Blair entered with me.
