Royal Mate

by Juniper Hart

  It was smoldering hot, only enhancing Sarah’s already foul mood. She parked the car and scowled at the sea of green assaulting her eyes.

  This is ridiculous. It’s July. It’s offensive, she silently grumbled, but she willed herself to get out of the vehicle. She also stifled the urge to fly out of the parking lot and run for the hills. This should be illegal until after Thanksgiving

  “Sarah!” Justine cried, and Sarah cringed internally. She had not even made it inside the building without being recognized.

  Why did I agree to this? she wondered, even though she knew the answer; beggars could not be choosers. She needed the job, and in the town of Cashmere, the pickings were slim.

  Sarah plastered a smile on her serenely pretty face and waved at the manager, who seemed unreasonably pleased to see her.

  “You’re early!” Justine called, closing the short space between them.

  “Better early than late,” Sarah chirped, trying not to show her utter disdain for the situation. After all, it wasn’t Justine’s fault.

  “Come on inside! I’ll introduce you to Ever and Lexa. They’re going to be relieved you’re here.”

  Sarah nodded, taking a deep breath as Justine turned to lead the way into the brightly-lit cottage that served as the shop. Everywhere she looked, her eyes were met with reds and greens, elves and Santa in various stages of work or play. The Christmas store was dream come true for anyone who loved the holiday. The store consisted of eight different rooms—each decorated with a specific Christmas theme. After Thanksgiving, Justine had told her that is was the go-to place for everyone within a hundred miles to get their Christmas trees.

  Sarah had always despised garish Christmas decorations. In her mind, it was not a religious holiday, but rather a commercial event filled with forced cheer and insane people.

  And here I am, Sarah thought, working at a Christmas tree farm in the middle of the summer. I am an enabler.

  She walked inside the wooden cottage, the scent of cedar and pine wafting up to meet her nostrils, and for a fleeting second, Sarah did not feel so grumpy. It was almost impossible to be in a bad mood with the fresh aroma of coniferous trees in the air.

  I’ll find a way, she vowed to herself.

  “Ever! Lex! Sarah’s here!” Justine called, her voice reaching a nasal pitch, which sent Sarah back into her dark place.

  Sarah removed her mirrored sunglasses and looked around the small store, wondering how such a business survived in the summer.

  Not only is it sustaining itself, she thought incredulously. It’s actually in need of extra employees. Unbelievable.

  Sarah didn’t have time to ponder on the strangeness of a Christmas business thriving during the summer—she was distracted by a handsome man who wandered out from the shop’s back room, a slightly sardonic smile on his face.

  Someone who exuded that aura of arrogance—someone with such a cocky profile—would usually repel Sarah, but she was surprisingly transfixed by his swarthy complexion and glimmering black eyes.

  “Ah! Another glutton for punishment,” he declared, sauntering toward her. “Let me guess, you’re one of those impossibly happy people who thinks working on a Christmas tree farm will put you on the good list and off the naughty?”

  Sarah blushed under his scrutiny and shook her blonde curls, lowering her blue eyes.

  “No,” she mumbled. “I just need the job.”

  The man whooped and glanced at Justine. “At least she’s honest,” he said. “I guess you didn’t tell her who I am.”

  Sarah wondered what that had to do with anything. She looked up at the manager, who shook her head ruefully.

  “No, I did not,” Justine admitted. “Sarah, Ever is the heir to this place. His father is the owner.”

  Oh, you have got to be kidding me, Sarah thought, her eyes widening in panic.

  “I-I mean, of course I like Christmas!” she stuttered, and Ever chortled.

  “Don’t worry. No one likes Christmas so much that they want it in their face 365 days a year,” he quipped. “We’re known around the world for the unique holiday décor we carry. We stay busy in the summer months because it’s when professional tree decorators and interior designers who specialize in Christmas place their orders for their busy season.”

  “Professional tree decorators? Who would want to do that?” Sarah inwardly chastised herself again for talking down the holiday.

  Ever laughed again. “You’d be surprised. It’s a big business for hotels, corporate buildings, and people with mansions who can’t be bothered with the arduous task of decorating.”

  “Interesting,” was all Sarah said, wanting to keep her response short so she didn’t risk saying anything else she’d regret.

  Sarah hoped he would not relay her words to his father. Otherwise, she might lose her job before it even began

  The front door opened, and Sarah whirled, grateful for the distraction.

  A stunningly beautiful brunette walked inside, work gloves covering her hands. She was wearing khaki shorts, and her legs seemed to be impossibly long beneath them.

  “I need help,” the girl announced, bushing her hands against her sultry hips. Her eyebrows rose when she noticed the other three occupants of the room all staring at her. Her eyes rested on Sarah for a moment; then she turned to Ever and Justine. “What are you both doing in here?”

  “Lexa, this is Sarah,” Justine offered. “She’s starting today.”

  Lexa glanced at Sarah and grinned disarmingly, a brilliant display of ivory teeth.

  “Hey! That’s great!” she declared, ripping off a glove to extend her hand. “We could definitely do with some help!”

  Sarah quickly accepted the outstretched palm before pulling back, sure that her own hand was slick wet with sweat. She was suddenly feeling self-conscious.

  “Come on, Sarah,” Justine instructed. “I’ll give you the layout and put you to work. Will one of you mind the front while we’re gone?”

  It was more of an order than a request, since Justine didn’t bother to wait for a reply, gesturing for Sarah to follow her.

  “Is he going to tell his dad what I said?” Sarah asked worriedly when they were out of earshot.

  Justine chuckled loudly. “I wouldn’t worry about that. I like Carlos more than Ever does,” she replied, and Sarah caught the sly note in her voice.

  She couldn’t suppress a groan from escaping her lips, but to her relief, Justine only laughed. “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me. Anyway, you might find this place growing on you. It has all the magic of Christmas, you know.”

  Sarah clamped down on her lip to keep from responding.

  If that isn’t a terrible foreshadow, nothing is. I should run while I have the chance.

  But of course, that wasn’t an option. She had started looking for a summer job even before she left school, sending out resumes online to every job she had the ability to do. Every year, Sarah tried to get a job for the summer, and every year, she faced the exact same problem: the job market in Cashmere simply didn’t seem to need someone like her.

  After months of futile searching and job-hunting, her father had finally managed to get her this job, and so Sarah tried to reassure herself that she could do it.

  It was only a couple of months before she left the beauty of Washington and traded it in for Colorado. Even so, she was already dreading what lay ahead.

  Justine chirped away in her ear, explaining her job, and Sarah did her best to listen. The more the manager spoke to her, though, the tauter Sarah’s nerves became.

  She found her mind drifting toward Ever, and she wondered if he had a girlfriend.

  As if you would have a chance with Lexa around, she thought wryly. Hell, maybe Lexa’s already his girlfriend.

  Still, she couldn’t stop her thoughts from traveling toward his smirking mouth. There was something about him she could not help being drawn toward, but try as she might, Sarah couldn’t pinpoint was it was exactly.

 
“And that’s basically it,” Justine finished. “Any questions?”

  Sarah shook her head, even though she hadn’t really been paying attention.

  It’s not exactly brain surgery, she reasoned. I’ll figure it out.

  She just wasn’t sure if she was going to survive it.

  Sarah slipped quietly into her house, dropping her purse on the hall table.

  “Hey, hon!” called her dad, Jack, from the kitchen. “How was your first day?”

  Sarah closed her eyes, willing forth a happy face before she met with him. It’s bad enough that you had to get him to get you a job. He doesn’t need to know you’re miserable there.

  “Hey, Dad,” she replied, entering the tiny galley and giving him a kiss on the cheek. She glanced around to see if Bernice, their Maine Coon, was in the kitchen as well, but the house pet was nowhere to be seen. “It was fine.”

  Jack looked up from his coffee mug and studied her fair face. “That bad, huh?” he asked.

  “No!” Sarah protested. “It was great!”

  The forced note of cheer in her voice was enough to make her cringe, and her father picked up on it right away.

  “I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he sighed. “I know how you feel about Christmas. Ever since your mother left, we all find the holiday stressful…”

  He trailed off, and Sarah was immediately overwhelmed with guilt.

  “No!” she repeated, this time more firmly than before. “It’s fine, it really is! It’s actually growing on me!”

  She wondered if she was trying to convince her dad or herself, but the day had been unbearably long. There really was no escaping reminders of yuletide cheer in any direction.

  Sarah had hoped to find herself lost in the pine forest, but Justine wanted her manning the store on her first day. Not only was she trapped among the Christmas explosion inside the shop, but she was also left to deal with too-happy customers all day long. It seemed to Sarah that everyone in Cashmere had come to the tree farm that day, and she could not fathom why anyone would want to be reminded of December in the blazing heat of July.

  “I promise I will keep my ears open for another job,” Jack assured her, and Sarah nodded.

  “I have no reason to complain,” she insisted. “Everyone is super nice.”

  Sickeningly nice, she added to herself, but her father did not need to know her innermost thoughts.

  When she volunteered to make dinner, Jack shook his head.

  “No, it’s poker night,” he told her. “I’m going over to Eddie’s, so don’t fix anything on my account.”

  Sarah was slightly disappointed to learn that she was going to be alone that night. She had been looking forward to spending the evening with her dad.

  It was strange being back home, almost as if she had been reverted to her childhood, to the place where she was cut off from the world. Of course, she wasn’t actually cut off from the world. Sarah had lots of friends, but most of them had plans for the summer or had remained at their respective colleges. Moreover, she could only handle crowds in small doses. She much preferred the quiet to parties.

  “Are you going to be okay tonight?” her dad asked. “I can cancel—”

  “You will not do such thing!” Sarah laughed, shoving him playfully. “I don’t need to be babysat by an old man.”

  Jack chuckled and put his arm around her shoulders, drawing her close to kiss the top of her forehead.

  “I’m glad you’re home, Sarah.”

  She turned and looked up at him with wistful blue eyes. “I’m sorry you’re home by yourself all school year,” she sighed. “But soon I’ll be home for good.”

  Jack smiled tightly. “And then you’ll be off and married before I can blink,” he sighed.

  Sarah knew he did not mean to sound self-pitying, but as she returned his embrace, she was once more consumed by shame.

  “You have nothing to worry about there,” she replied lightly. “No one is going to marry me.”

  Jack snorted and lovingly peered into her face.

  “You don’t know how wonderful you are,” he told her gruffly. “Don’t you settle for just anyone, all right? And you make him work for your affections.”

  Sarah laughed and squeezed him again. It was a conversation she’d had many times with him.

  He’s my dad and I’m all he has left, she reminded herself. It’s his job to boost my ego. But really, he doesn’t have to worry about me—I’m not interested in getting married anytime soon.

  After Jack left for his poker game, Sarah sat in the den trying to read a book, but her mind kept floating from the words on the page. Bernice, the Main Coon, was taking a nap in the middle of the den, keeping her some company.

  Although she was hungry, she didn’t want to cook for just herself.

  I should have thrown something in the crock pot before I left for work, she mused.

  As she put the book down and stared into the picturesque landscape out the backyard, she realized that she was wasting away inside on a beautiful summer night.

  I’m going to go back to school and everyone is going to regale me with tales about their amazing summers of parties and friends, Sarah thought. And I’m going to tell them I worked at a Christmas tree farm and hid from the sun.

  Thinking about her friends and classmates made her remember the meeting in MJ’s room on the last day of exams, when she and the rest of her sorority sisters had heard the craziest story about “shifters” and other such mythological creatures.

  Sarah giggled to herself at the silliness of it all.

  I don’t care what magic tricks Sylvie did, there’s no such thing as werewolves and vampires. Then she let out a soft sigh. But imagine if there were…

  She stood abruptly, tossing her book aside and shaking out her shoulder length tresses.

  “You are losing your mind,” she told herself aloud. “You need to get out of the house and be around other people.”

  Bernice woke up and stretched with a soft growl, as if Sarah had interrupted her nap. Then the cat shifted her lumpy body to deliberately block out Sarah, facing away from her.

  “What?” Sarah demanded. “You’re too good for me?”

  Bernice did not acknowledge her.

  I have resorted to conversing with a house pet.

  “Yep. Cat lady,” Sarah muttered. “That’s me.” She grabbed her handbag and hurried out the door.

  Joe Dawg John’s was packed, and as Sarah entered, she wished she had remembered it was a Friday.

  I’m not even going to get a table, she thought, turning to leave before the hostess even caught sight of her. Before she could take a step, someone grabbed her arm, and Sarah turned to see Ever standing at her side.

  “Are you following me?” he asked, a teasing smirk on his face, and she shook her head, eyes wide with protest.

  “I—no!” she replied. “I was—I mean, I’m leaving.”

  Ever laughed. “I’m just kidding, Sarah. You ate already?” he questioned, gazing about the overpopulated restaurant.

  “No,” she faltered. “But I don’t want to wait for a table.”

  Ever flashed her a dazzling grin. “Lucky for you, we already have one,” he said, grabbing her by the hand.

  Sarah felt a quick sweat break out over her body as she allowed herself to be guided toward the rear of the establishment, weaving through the already occupied tables.

  Ever seemed to smile at everyone while Sarah felt like a shadow at his side.

  “I don’t really…” she tried to call out, but he didn’t seem to hear her. They finally came to a halt at a booth near the back.

  Sarah’s face turned crimson when she saw Lexa and another couple sitting there. Her eyes widened, and she barely managed to bite back a groan of embarrassment.

  Oh, my God! I’m crashing a double date!

  “Shove in there, you guys,” Ever said. He then turned to the other couple. “Chris, Lena, this is Sarah. She works at the tree farm,” Ever introduced, gently pushin
g her along the red vinyl seats.

  “Hi, Sarah!” Lexa cried, and Sarah could see she was slightly drunk, her eyes slightly hazy.

  “Hey, Sarah,” the couple chorused.

  “Hi,” she almost whispered, biting down on her lower lip. This was humiliating—she had to get out of there. “Listen, I really have to go,” she muttered, her blue eyes darting from friendly face to friendly face, her heart sinking.

  She could tell they would have made great friends, but she would be damned if she was going to be the fifth wheel.

  “What do you mean?” Ever asked, his dark brows raised in confusion. “You just got here.”

  Sarah swallowed, not wanting to lie.

  “We haven’t eaten, either, so don’t worry,” Lexa piped up, and Sarah stared at her in slight disbelief.

  How can she be so nonchalant about me being here? she wondered. If my boyfriend brought another girl to our table when we were on a date…

  Sarah reasoned that Lexa had no cause to feel insecure. Still, she seemed to be handling her presence with too much grace.

  It only served to make Sarah more nervous.

  “Are you from Cashmere, Sarah?” Lena asked politely, seeming to detect Sarah’s discomfort.

  She cleared her throat and nodded. “Uh, yes,” she answered, nervously licking her lips. “I go to college in Colorado.”

  Is it dry in here?

  As if reading her thoughts, Ever waved a server over to their table.

  “Sasha, we have a newcomer,” he told the smiling blonde waitress. “What will it be, Sarah?”

  “Oh… uh, just a Diet Coke,” she mumbled.

  The others seemed taken aback by her order, and when the waitress turned to fulfill her order, Chris leaned forward, smiling.

  “They won’t card you here. They can’t afford the loss,” he told her jokingly, but Sarah shook her head.

  “I’m not much of a drinker,” she replied.

  She was rewarded by shocked and impressed glances from the other occupants of the booth.

  “Good for you!” Ever cried, and at first, Sarah wondered if he was making fun of her, but his eyes were sincere instead of mocking.

  Why is he looking at me like that? she thought, anxiety lining her stomach. She cast a sidelong look at Lexa to see if she noticed, but the beautiful brunette was reading through the menu.