He smiled politely when I approached. My legs wobbled from the smile and I lurched forward. Karl caught me. “Are you all right?”
I don’t know how many times I’d fantasized about being in Karl’s arms. How we would connect, and no matter who I was in that moment, he would know I was ME and that I was the one he loved. But Karl was stiff with his embrace, making the contact far less epic than I’d hoped. The truth was, I wasn’t me. I was Floressa, Karl’s brother’s girlfriend. Floressa and Karl had probably never touched beyond a handshake. I tried to right myself again, but my legs were still two sticks of Jell-O. Barrett finally grasped my hand and wrapped me in his arms.
“Lay off my goods, brude.”
“I was helping her.” Karl’s face went red. “Please forgive the familiarity, Floressa.”
“Maybe you should learn to hold on to your own girl instead,” Barrett said.
“That wasn’t necessary.” Karl was so cute when he was uncomfortable! “I was only helping.”
“I’m kidding.” Barrett gazed down at me. “Now, you look delicious.”
I pinched a smile onto my face. Being flopped from one prince to another was beyond disorienting. “Thanks.”
“And you’re so adorable when you pretend to be embarrassed. As if you don’t know that you’re the most gorgeous girl on this island.” He squeezed me tighter. “I’m so glad we’re going to be together tonight.”
“Together?” I asked. “But Gina and I are meeting with the king.”
“I’m in on the invite. It’s not every day the Crown Prince of Fenmar rolls up to town. And I’m hoping your mom distracts the king so we can be alone.”
In the last five minutes I’d gone from text messaging to finding myself in Barrett’s embrace. And although he was hot (very, very hot), this wasn’t what I wanted or needed right now. I still had to wrap my head around the fact that Karl was here and…Floressa was going to freak. “Alone? Well, what is Karl doing?”
Barrett turned to his brother. “Karl will probably spend the night listening to Celine Dion, eating ice cream, and crying manly tears.”
“Why?”
“Ress, you should have seen it. He had a major falling-out with Olivia. And by falling-out, I mean she was throwing china at him while he sat there making his I-must-be-a-proper-prince face. Entertaining, but pathetic.”
“Hold on. It wasn’t like that.” Karl shuffled his foot on the deck. “We’re amicable. Olivia was simply heated in the moment.”
“Heated when she saw that tabloid picture. It’s so wonderfully sordid, isn’t it? Finally I’m not the prince on the cover. Finally Mum and Dad are giving lectures to Karl on proper behavior.”
“So, are you broken up?” I asked Karl, trying to keep the hope out of my voice.
“For now.” Karl ran a hand down his face. “Rather, we’re…taking a break. It’s not as dramatic as Barrett is painting it.”
“They’re done,” Barrett said. “Which is too bad because Olivia may have been crazy, but she was hot. Not as hot as you, though, babe.”
“I’d appreciate it if you don’t talk about Olivia that way.”
“Although, so is that Elsa chick. She’s got that whole farm-girl thing going for her.”
Karl cut Barrett an angry look. “Leave Elsa out of this, too. Truly, Barrett, you’re worse than the press.”
“I’m proud of you, brude. I was starting to wonder if you were human.”
Karl and Olivia broke up. If they broke up, then Karl was single. His brother mentioned the Elsa tabloid. Had he talked to Elsa? What would happen now?
Forget that. What about right now? Karl was standing directly in front of me. He would be alone tonight. Eating ice cream. Crying manly tears and…Oh, please, let the Celine Dion part be a joke.
“You should come with us,” I said, my words tumbling out before I could even consider them. Hey, it wasn’t entirely self-serving. Having another person around would be a great barrier between Barrett and me. “It is a royal thing and you are royal. Plus, no one should be alone right after a breakup.”
“Well”—Karl glanced at Barrett—“it would be nice to get out after being cooped up on that plane.”
Barrett squeezed my waist and lowered his voice. “But what about our alone time, babe?”
“Later! I’m still…seasick anyway.”
“You’re on land now.”
“Landsick then. Or I have sea legs.” I moved his hand off my waist. “We’ll have gallons of time together tomorrow. Gina won’t mind. Tonight, I’m lucky to have two royal escorts.”
Barrett tapped me on my nose. “You always want more, don’t you?”
I glanced back and forth between the two princes. If by more, you mean more drama, then yes. Apparently I do.
The palace was amazing. Of course. It’s a palace. What else would it be? But I was so nervous about having Karl appear out of nowhere, not to mention eating with my famous actress mother, my hot prince boyfriend, and some random king, that I barely took in anything. Oh, fancy chandelier. Line of servants. Expensive art and lots of breakable stuff, like a life-size bronze elephant statue in the entryway.
I didn’t have to worry about deflecting Barrett too much, because Gina insisted on holding my hand. She startled at every noise and her skin was cold and clammy. I found it oddly comforting that someone as famous as Gina would be nervous.
I wondered how big this night would be for Floressa. She’d had no clue her boyfriend was going to show up. Maybe she’d rather be on the island after all. At the very least, I could tell her about the changes in the schedule.
Surely Façade would approve of contact if it was in the client’s best interest.
I could find a way to talk to her. Floressa was all over the Internet.
I asked a servant to show me the bathroom before we met with the king. The pamper room—with a sitting area and four sinks—wasn’t as private as I’d hoped, so I sat down on the toilet and wrote a text to Meredith.
Desi: Barrett showed up as a surprise for Floressa AND we’re dining with the King of Tharma. Think Floressa might want to know. Can you make that happen?
I sat and stared at the screen for the next five minutes. Meredith had never taken this long to reply. I wrote another one:
Desi: URGENT!!!! ASAP!!! 911!! MEREDITH?
Another five minutes of “radio silence.” I couldn’t keep everyone waiting much longer. I scrolled back to Floressa’s page. No contact and no chat room information because she was a new client. Desperate, I Googled her name and found a social-networking account. She got hundreds of messages a day, and she probably wasn’t checking, but what else could I do?
Floressa,
I’ve been “skating” around things all day, but now I’m in “royal” trouble and can use your help before the “sub” sinks. Please contact me at [email protected] for further details. Not looking for money. Just want to help.
D
Our dinner party was small, even if the dinner table was not. Barrett sat to my left, with Karl and Gina across from us. We all stood when a servant announced the royal family’s entry.
The doors swung open, revealing King Aung and a nine- or ten-year-old girl with wispy bangs and small features. She rushed over to the seat on my right.
“Wow. Floressa Chase! I feel like I know you already.”
“Oh. Well, thank you…Princess.”
“Princess Isla. I want to be just like you. Where did you get that dress?”
I looked down at it, kicking myself for not checking the designer. “Um, from my closet.”
“Oh my gosh! Did you hear that, father? She’s funny. Floressa Chase told me a joke.”
“You must excuse my daughter’s enthusiasm.” King Aung smiled. “It’s an exciting dinner crowd, even for us. Please have a seat.”
“I bet you designed it yourself,” Isla chattered on as we all sat. “Did you design it yourself? I have everything from your spring season. Magenta is so hot right now, isn�
��t it?”
“Magenta? Uh, yes. Blazing.”
King Aung chuckled. There was something startlingly familiar about him, but I couldn’t figure out what it was. Well, he was a king, and handsome. For an old guy. I’d probably noticed his picture in the manual.
I watched each of the party guests, trying to gauge what they knew about each other based on their mannerisms and expressions. Gina seemed to agree about the handsome part—she didn’t take her eyes off the king once.
“I appreciate your accepting our invitation, Miss Chase.”
“Are you seriously going to use ‘Miss’ on me? Come on, Aung. It’s Gina.”
We all stiffened at Gina’s use of the king’s first name. He smiled graciously. “Of course, Gina. Old friends can be more…familiar, I suppose.”
Barrett cocked an eyebrow at me. Old friends?
Gina’s laugh tinkled, but there was something hysterical underneath it. “Yes, it’s been a while since I filmed Once Upon an Island. It’s a tragedy it’s taken me so long to return. I’d say about seventeen years.”
The king took a sip of water. “Remarkable. Time flies, does it not?”
“In some ways, yes. In others, no.”
They exchanged a meaningful glance. Barrett kicked me under the table and mouthed “What’s going on?” I shook my head. How would I know how Gina knew the king? She hadn’t mentioned any connection when we’d discussed the invite.
“Yes, Once Upon an Island was a joy to work on, especially since I took time off after to have Floressa.”
“This I know,” King Aung said. “And now, here she is.”
“Oh, sorry.” Gina beamed at me. “I forgot introductions.”
She introduced me, and I smiled despite the king’s somber gaze. Barrett and Karl knew the king from royal circles, and together eased into a conversation about their favorite golf heroes. The first course was brought out. Gina continued to gawk at the king, so I turned to Isla.
“I like your necklace.”
She grasped the chain. “You wore one like it to the Rose and Water premier. That was when you were dating Charles Voorhees, who I’m sure is nice, but he is no Prince Barrett. Don’t you agree?”
“You remember what necklace I wore?”
“I told you, I am your biggest fan. I’m actually in your fan club, but I used a false name to hide my identity. You don’t know what it’s like to meet you. You’re my idol!”
I played with my napkin. “Thanks.”
“I can’t tell you how excited I was when my dad said you were coming over. I mean, I knew he’d met your mom, because he has a picture of them together in his office—”
“He does?”
“It was taken when she did that movie. I used to play with it when I was younger, pretend like Gina was my aunt and we were cousins. I’ve been begging to meet you for months. Usually, father agrees right away—I’ve met many celebrities. But you, he always brushed away. Then when your mom’s manager called and said she was coming to visit…well, it was perfect. I asked my father to have a dinner as an early birthday present to me.”
“It’s your birthday?”
“In five months.” She grabbed my arm. “Do you want to see my closet? The palace?”
I snuck another glance at Gina, who was sneaking a glance at the king, who was sneaking a glance back at her. “Actually, why don’t you show me your dad’s office and that picture of my mom?”
Chapter
18
When dinner was over, Isla took us around the palace while the king showed Gina the outside gardens. I let Barrett hold my hand (um, yeah—held a royal heartthrob’s hand, another job duty) as Isla gabbed on about room after room, and Karl trailed behind us.
Barrett whispered in my ear. “Let’s ditch the third and fourth wheel and go explore on our own.”
“We can’t. Isla’s too excited.”
“I wish we were the ones touring the garden, not your mom and King Aung.”
I glanced back at Karl, who looked so cute and troubled. Was he thinking of Olivia or Elsa with that far-off expression? He caught me staring and covered up his anguish with a polite smile. I turned around. Last time I’d toured a garden, it had been with him. The garden tour, actually, was when I’d started to like Karl. What my mom said when we saw his magazine picture was true—Karl wasn’t drop-dead gorgeous like Barrett. But, for that one clear day in the Alps, he’d let his walls down, and I’d seen a guy who was funny, smart, and sweet. That’s what mattered.
Nope. Don’t go there. Right now I had the other garden tour to consider. Why did Gina and the king go off together? It couldn’t be proper. I mean, they were both single—the king widowed and Gina twice divorced—but this could lead to rumors, and Gina was usually so aware of her image. Then again, it could be a friendly stroll. They obviously knew each other. Maybe they just wanted to catch up.
We came to the study, crammed with towering bookshelves and a jungle of exotic plants. One table displayed photos of the king and the many political and entertainment figures he’d met.
“There’s your mom.” Isla pointed to a framed 5 x 7 print right in the middle. “She’s pretty there, but I think she’s prettier now.”
“They look friendly,” Barrett said.
I peered closer. I’d seen Once Upon an Island—in the photo Gina wore the dark blue Victorian-era dress from the movie’s famous ship-departure scene. The king’s white shirt was untucked and unbuttoned, his arm draped over Gina’s shoulders. She leaned into him as he looked down at her, grinning. Not the pose of casual acquaintances.
The autograph from Gina read “To My Love.”
My stomach lurched as the details clicked into place. Gina’s nerves about seeing the king. Her hints to Floressa about impeding big news. Their unescorted stroll through the garden, the informality, the secret looks, the photo, the inscription…
Floressa’s age.
No wonder the king looked so familiar. If you took those two beautiful people and mixed them together, you would have Floressa.
My voice caught in my throat. I looked wildly at Barrett, but he was busy analyzing a picture of Bruce Willis. Karl, however, caught my eye and whispered, “Are you all right?”
All right? ALL RIGHT? No, Karl. So. Not. All right. “This room is stuffy,” I said to Isla. “Can you show me another?”
“Sure. I can show you my closet!” Isla squealed. “I’ll put on a green dress, and it’ll be like we’re sisters.”
I swallowed. Sisters. You don’t know the half of it, girl.
Karl and Barrett opted to play pool in the game room while Isla showed off her wardrobe. It took ten outfit changes before I could form a course of action. All I had to do was ditch Isla and go find Gina and ask her the scoop—Was the king Floressa’s father?
While Isla changed, I buried myself behind a rack of dresses and thumbed through my manual for information on the king. My quick research revealed that King Aung had been married fourteen years ago and lost his wife to cancer when Isla was five. Originally the second brother in line to the crown, Aung’s older brother was assassinated during a time of political unrest, leaving the kingdom to Aung. This happened while the filming of Once Upon an Island was ending, and the crew quickly left because of the ensuing riots. Some of the last movie shots had to be filmed in California.
Aung was Floressa’s dad. Forget spiritual awakening; this was a big bomb, and Floressa had no clue it was about to go off. If I thought Barrett’s arrival was a reason to contact her, discovering a secret royal father was an emergency.
Meredith’s phone went right to voice mail, so I shot her another 911 text and checked my e-mail. Nothing from Floressa. Without a means to contact her, there was little I could do until I heard from Meredith. Best to gather more information. I needed to verify this discovery.
“Do you think this dress looks better in gray or plum?”
I shoved my manual into my purse and turned around. Isla held two identical-except-for-color d
resses against her.
“Plum.” I stood. “Although the gray is pretty too. You should put it on. I’m going to go find the princes. Why don’t you meet us in the game room?”
“Can you find the game room on your own? People are always getting lost in the palace.”
“Oh, yeah. I have, like, a built-in navigational system in my brain.”
Isla opened her mouth wide. “That is so cool.”
I hurried out of the closet. I did have a navigational system, but it was in my manual, and I needed it to guide me to the gardens. I didn’t have much time before Isla and the boys started to wonder where I was.
I heard Gina’s and King Aung’s voices after I crossed the sprawling lawn. The moon was full and the sky clear, which helped me see my way as I tiptoed behind the hedge of bushes circling the courtyard and fountains. The king and Gina sat on a bench with two bodyguards a respectful distance away. I crouched behind a bush close enough to hear, but far enough that they couldn’t hear me.
“Spielberg is a gem to work with,” Gina was saying. “Other directors lose their artistic edge when they reach that level.”
“Gina, enough of the preliminaries. Will you please explain why you decided to return to my country after all these years?”
Gina broke a leaf off a bush and twirled it in her hands. “Floressa and I aren’t as close as we used to be. I thought it’d be nice to bond with her, to help her connect to her spiritual side. I have such fond memories of the time I spent here before—”
“You didn’t tell her about us, did you?”
“And what if I had?” Gina sat up straighter. “Would you have been ashamed?”
“Of course not. But you know no good can come from our past being exposed.” The king glanced at his security guards and lowered his voice. “Our life together—it was an enjoyable time.”
“Enjoyable time? Aung, I loved you.”
“Did you? Because, as I recall, you left me when I was already at rock bottom. The only thing that comforted me when my brother was assassinated was knowing that you would be my queen.”
“But I’m not a queen! I couldn’t even play that role in a movie. And you weren’t the next in line when we eloped. I married the second prince, not a king. When your brother died, that changed everything. We couldn’t move to California. You had a duty to your country.”
The Royal Treatment Page 14