Page 60 of The Prince Who Loved Me

And she chose him right back.

“This is…I have no words,” she said. “Thank you.”

“And the date’s just getting started,” he replied.

She’d never be able to do anything for him that compared even a little to this. But it was Sebastien, she told herself. He knew everything about her. And loved her anyway.

A few hours later, they landed on another field near the beach where a car and driver awaited them. Sebastien had already ordered at the restaurant, picking Brandi’s favorite foods from among the menu. They sat on the upper floor, overlooking Nantucket Sound. Gentle waves hit the coast, adding background music to their dinner.

The waitress put a bowl of steaming New England clam chowder in front of Brandi. The thick aroma mixed with the cool ocean breeze as she dipped her spoon in the soup. The chewy clams, crisp bacon, and small potatoes mixed in her mouth and she gave a hum of pleasure.

“Best. Date. Ever,” she said.

Chapter 14

Sebastien held back a laugh but raised an eyebrow when Brandi covered a burp with her napkin. “Okay, so I ate too fast,” she said. “What did you expect with what you were feeding me?”

“Can I get you anything else?” The waitress stood at their table, pen poised and ready.

“Want some dessert?” Sebastien asked.

“Ooh.” Brandi put a hand on her stomach. “I’m so full of lobster and melted butter that there’s no way I could eat anything else.”

The waitress nodded and left. Sebastien stood up. “Let’s take a walk on the beach.”

“Don’t we have to pay?”

“Already taken care of.” He held out his hand. “Shall we?”

The March air held onto the nip of winter, but Sebastien could feel the magic. The grainy sand wasn’t anything like the fine white of Georgia’s beaches, but the moon cast a glow on the water, and the waves crashing added a musical note to the night.

Brandi sighed and lay her head on his shoulder. It was a dream come true. With all the years he watched and waited, pretended happiness or leaving to avoid heartache, it was hard to believe she was here with him now.

“I was thinking about your art show,” Brandi murmured, as if she was also unwilling to break the spell cast by the sand and moon and waves.

“Yeah?” He nuzzled his lips into her hair.

“If you’re so worried that critics are going to find something wrong, then start at the beginning.”

“What do you mean?”

“Show your early work, with a progression through the years to the master artist you are now. Surely there are peopleout there who would love to get their hands on an early Casagnes.”

“I’m going with a nom de guerre, but that’s…an interesting idea.” He’d take some of the pieces he’d done in the past year, couple them with early sketches that never came to fruition to see the contrast, then layer in some of the good and the bad and the WTF from the in-between years.

Brandi had stiffened in his arms and raised her head. “You don’t have to patronize me,” she said. “I told you I’m not good at this stuff. You can just say you hate it.”

“But I don’t.”

“Oh, come on.” She stopped walking and pulled her hand away from his. “Calling something interesting has always been code for stand there and look pretty while the smart people talk.”

Sebastien’s mind had immediately jumped on the idea, but his mouth hadn’t caught up yet. “I love the idea, Brandi.”

Brandi’s eyes welled with tears. “Maybe you should just take me home.”

The reasons behind her uncertainty, her doubt, hit him with the fury of a storm. He thundered the words. “Don’t compare me to them.”

“To who?”