by Cate Remy
“I was born in D.C. I came here to go to undergrad.”
The room suddenly erupted in laughter. She looked around and realized the comedian finished a short skit. She and Donovan had been talking to each other the whole time. She sipped her Coke and watched the next act go onstage. “Maybe we can find someone here to bring their talent to the fundraising gala.”
“Perhaps. I don’t want to think about work for the rest of the evening.” Donovan leaned back in his seat.
She listened to the comedians with him. Seeing new acts as well as a few familiar ones put her in a relaxed mood. She ate the burger when it came hot and ready from the kitchen. Towards the end of the show, she and Donovan slipped out of the comedy club and to his car. He drove her to her apartment. They arrived at ten-thirty.
Donovan parked the car. “I can walk you to your door. My chaperones hate climbing the stairs.” He joked about Giles and Murphy, who trailed somewhere behind them in their car.
Shae unfastened her seat belt. “My roommate might be home. It’s probably better that you stay in the car.”
He turned the car off. The lights came on, and he looked amused. “You make your roommate sound like she’s over the top.”
“She’s a very friendly person, but if she saw you, she would act that way.” Shae studied his profile. He had the handsome, aristocratic looks of a prince, yet there was a ruggedness about him, too, with his beard and in the way his thick hair refused to lay flat on his head. “You know how some of us Americans are royal-obsessed.”
“But not you.”
Was he teasing her? She looked for the little telltale gleam in his eyes. She didn’t find it. “I don’t know how to respond to that.”
“No need.” A slow smile crossed his face. “I like how reserved and thoughtful you are, Shae. It’s refreshing.”
In all her life, she had never been complimented for being a quiet person. He rested his arm on the arm rest between them. His shirt sleeve brushed against her arm. She felt the tiny hairs stand on end. “I should get inside. See you bright and early tomorrow?”
“Early, but not so bright. I’m still not used to the time here.”
“I had fun tonight. I’ll research those acts we liked at the improv club to see if they’re good for the gala.”
Donovan made eye contact, though he didn’t appear to be interested in the gala. He focused on her. “Thanks for accepting my invitation. Have a good night.”
She left the car and went upstairs to the second floor of the apartment building. Chelsea was already home when she came through the door.
“Aha. I knew you skipped out on me at the improv club.”
“Chelsea, we decided to leave and go somewhere else.”
“Who’s we? I saw you get out of a black Benz. Whoever you’re dating, this guy isn’t cheap.”
“You were watching from the window? You can’t be serious.”
“Who is he, Shae?”
She had to make her roommate’s game of Ninety-Nine Questions come to an end. “I wasn’t on a date.”
“Was it Prince Donovan? Just say it.”
She gave in. “He wanted to see some Atlanta local hotspots so I told him about where I used to go in undergrad.”
Chelsea crossed her arms and gave her a once over.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Because the happy glow on your face and what you’re wearing says it all. You say it wasn’t a date, but I know it wasn’t work, either.” Chelsea went to her own room, giggling.
Shae shook her head, then thought about her night out. She enjoyed spending it with Donovan. And it was for work.
What else would it be?
Donovan woke up the next morning feeling refreshed. It was only the middle of the week, but he was energized and ready to go to work. Part of that had to do with Shae.
He had fun going to the comedy clubs with her last night and listening to her talk about her favorite college hangouts. She was pretty in her gingham dress. She wore her hair up in a bun, and he couldn’t help wondering what it would look like if she wore it down. The more she revealed about herself, the more he learned how she enjoyed the small pleasures of life. He also enjoyed being in her company without paparazzi and royal fanatics waiting in the wings to catch him in a candid moment.
Too bad it was a weeknight and they couldn’t remain at the comedy club much longer. Then again, he doubted Shae would’ve spent more time out with him. She made it clear she was there on business. Did she like making conversation with him, or did she simply consider it as part of her job?
He got up and dressed to meet with the hotel’s contractors. This morning, they’d begin installing new fixtures in one part of the Kleghorn. Then over the course of the next two months, the contractors would cover every floor. It was important to keep to schedule. He couldn’t believe he had already been in the United States for nearly three weeks.
He walked out of his suite. His security waited right outside the door, ever ready and up to the minute with his itinerary. “Morning, Giles. Murphy.” He nodded to them on his way to the elevator. The three of them traveled down to the main floor.
“Ahem.” Murphy produced a strange little cough. Donovan knew what was coming. He wanted to say something.
“Yes, Murphy, what is it?”
“Your Highness, last night you and Miss Lawson made an impromptu visit to another nightclub.”
“We did. And?”
“As a matter of precaution, please alert us to your updated itinerary.”
“Are you saying you two don’t like my spur of the moment decisions?”
The two security guards sputtered. Donovan gestured for them to relax. “You know I’m only kidding with you.”
Giles fixed his glasses upon his nose. “Right, sir, but with all due respect, your father His Royal Majesty won’t be in the same light mood if hears of it.”
“Then don’t tell him. I understand what you’re saying, though. From now on, I’ll try to stick to schedule.”
Donovan’s buoyant mood deflated a little as he was reminded of his father the king. He needed to send the weekly report to his father in a couple of days. If he was lucky, his father would be pleased at the project underway. It would show he cared about the family business entrusted to him.
The elevator doors parted to the sound of commotion coming from the lobby. Giles signaled for Donovan to remain by the elevator while he stepped out to investigate. Donovan looked out into the hall. In the weeks during his stay at the Kleghorn, it was usually pretty quiet in the mornings. What was the fuss all about today?
Murphy’s phone beeped. Without glancing across, Donovan knew it was Giles sending a message. “What did he find out?”
“A local news channel followed the contractors into the building. Apparently, they told the media you hired them to revamp the hotel. Now a team of reporters want to interview you.” Murphy pressed a button on his phone to use the walkie-talkie function. “Giles, direct them out. The prince can’t meet with them.”
“I will,” Donovan asserted. “Tell them I’m coming their way.” He straightened his jacket and walked away from the elevator.
“Sir, wait.” Murphy jogged after him.
He reached the lobby, where three reporters with cell phones and two camera operators bustled at the front of a flock of curious onlookers and hotel guests. They crowded the lobby and front desk, where Shae and Mr. Hightower stood before a human sea threatening to spill over.
“If you’re not a guest, I have to ask you all to leave or I’m calling the police.” Shae splayed her arms to keep them from passing.
One of the reporters shot a glance Donovan’s way. “Look, the prince is here.”
The two camera operators careened into each other in attempt to swing both cameras in his direction. It was time to help Shae by putting a stop to this. He walked past Giles and got in front of Shae. “You heard her, ladies and gentlemen. This is a private establishment. You have to
leave.”
“Prince Donovan, is it true you’ve been staying here this past month?” A male reporter ignored everything he just said and fielded him with a question.
“Unless the Kleghorn hired a body double, I think it’s pretty safe to assume so.” His remark gathered up a few laughs from the crowd. Now that he had them listening and the cameras were rolling, he went on. “My family’s hotel has great things in store. I’ll tell you about them when Miss Lawson and I hold a media conference in two weeks.”
He felt a tiny tap on his shoulder. He glanced behind to see Shae’s look of caution. He offered her a grin that he hoped was reassuring before addressing the crowd. “I’ll field questions at the conference. Have a good day.” He turned away from the reporters and people. He caught Shae’s hand on his way and tugged for her to follow him down the hall while Giles, Mr. Hightower, more hotel security and a police officer from outside all worked to shuttle the people out of the lobby.
Chapter Ten
“Donovan, what are you doing?” He felt Shae’s resistance as he walked down the hall with her hand in his.
“Getting you away from them.”
She dug her heels in the floor. She wrenched her hand from his when he stopped moving. “I meant you telling those reporters there would be a conference. We can’t have them back in the hotel.”
“Wait.” He flipped on the lights in the conference room where his meeting with the contractors was scheduled to take place in five minutes. He ushered her inside and shut the door so they could talk in private. “Why can’t the reporters come back to the hotel in two weeks?”
“Because it isn’t enough time to complete the project.”
“It doesn’t need to be completed then. I’m going to use the conference as free publicity to talk about the gala.”
Shae gave him another exasperated look. “There’s little to talk about. It’s still in the planning stage.”
“Time to get busy.”
“I have to get busy. You told them I was holding this news conference with you.”
“Aren’t you?” Donovan couldn’t understand why she was acting this way. “Haven’t we been working together on this project for the past three weeks?”
Shae’s chest went up and down as she breathed. She made him wait two beats before she answered. “I think you want it to move faster than what we’re realistically capable of doing.”
“Are you saying you can’t or won’t work with me, then? I don’t have time to slow down, Shae. I’m responsible for the success or failure of my family’s business.”
“I know you are.”
“You don’t know, because I haven’t told you everything. I can’t lose the throne.”
She tilted her head and frowned in confusion. “What?”
Donovan fell into silence. She continued to look at him in expectation to keep talking. Shame crept up his neck and back like a heavy cloak. He regretted saying anything. “Never mind.”
“No, you said you couldn’t lose the throne. What does the hotel here have to do with your position in Severn?”
“There are rivals within my family, distant noble relatives. If I don’t prove I can be king like my father, they’ll try to persuade Severn’s Cabinet to cast my family off the throne.” He put his hands in his pockets. “My father gave me the hotel project as a way to prove to everyone that I’ve left my partying days behind.”
“Have you?”
He searched Shae’s face and saw concern and perplexity, no longer anger. “My family and the people of Severn are worth more to me than a little fun.”
She folded her arms across her chest. “I’ll work as fast as I can with you, but I don’t know what will happen.”
“Just give your best. It’s worked well so far.”
His genuine compliment made her face brighten. “I’ll let you have your meeting with the contractors. I’m sure there’s a mess of spilled coffee and muddy footprints in the lobby I need to make sure is cleaned up.”
“And I need to find out which one of these contractors leaked my project to the media.”
“Good luck.” She exited the conference room.
It was going to take far more than luck to get this project off the ground and win his father’s approval.
Two weeks went by in August after Shae learned the truth behind Donovan’s need to get the hotel project completed within three months. It made sense now and actually drove her to want to work harder to complete the project. Not only did she want to keep her job by making sure the hotel kept getting business, but an entire country’s economy and monarchy could be affected if the project fell through.
She took over responsibility of managing the hotel again. Mr. Hightower, with Donovan’s approval, took a week off to be with his family now that his baby daughter was being released from the NICU. Donovan also used the week of the news conference to roll out the new employee scheduling app. Between learning how to use the new software and planning the conference, she was up to her eyeballs in work.
The day of the media conference arrived. Reporters from local and national news networks got wind of the event over the past two weeks and swarmed in. Shae manned the front desk with the clerk, booking the out-of-town news reporters for overnight stays at the hotel in the newly remodeled suites. The reporters agreed to give honest reviews.
Shae was in charge of a whole team of staff working to set up the smaller ballroom for the conference. The morning of the event, Donovan helped to make sure the space was equipped to handle multiple camera hookups and web feeds. As far as Shae was concerned, the whole thing was too much, but then again, perhaps a big show was necessary for the Kleghorn to attract more business.
As media began to arrive for the conference, she went into her office to go over staff scheduling and make sure everyone was using the app correctly. It gave her work to do while security made sure media was ushered into the ballroom promptly.
She had her door partially shut. A knock came from the other side. “Come in.”
“We’re all set.” Donovan adjusted his cuff links as he entered. He stopped when he saw her seated at the desk. “Why aren’t you ready? Everyone’s already seated.”
“Just going over the new app to make sure everyone’s in compliance.”
“You can do it afterwards. We need to field questions.”
She really wasn’t looking forward to going in a big room filled with cameras and reporters pumped with caffeine and an unhealthy dose of competition. She walked out of her office with him. Giles and Murphy stood off to the side, waiting to take them to the ballroom. “Okay, deep breath. I think I’m ready.”
“You’re going to do well.” Donovan smiled and moved her ponytail her off her shoulder so it could hang in the back. “I have confidence in you.”
Shae didn’t know what to make of her reaction when he touched her hair. Her skin got a tingly sensation, even though he didn’t make contact with it. She rubbed the back of her neck while plodding her way to the conference.
Giles and Murphy took them inside the room through a side entrance that led to the front. The media applauded, some stood, when Donovan walked in ahead of Shae. He looked so confident as he strolled with ease to the podium and welcomed the reporters. Shae took her place to the side along with security and a few other hotel employees. The combination of hot lights overhead and the cameras focusing in on the front made her feel like she was reliving a commercial audition from her childhood all over again. She resisted the urge to dab at her brow.
“Prince Donovan, when can we see the grand ballroom?” a reporter kneeling in front of a camera asked.
“We’re putting a new dancefloor in. It’ll be ready for view and use in October when we have the gala.” Donovan fielded a couple more questions about the gala. It was mostly superficial, about who was expected to attend and if there was a costume theme.
Another reporter raised her hand. “Tell us how you’re organizing this. Do you have an assistant?”
“Miss Shae Lawson has been assisting me with the project ever since I arrived in Atlanta.” Donovan looked over his shoulder at her, producing one of his dimpled smiles. “She has skills in business and hospitality management, not to mention she knows where to find the best sweet tea in Atlanta.”
He sent the room into laughter. Shae thought his comment was a little funny, too. It took the edge off her nervousness at having to stand in front of everyone and look calm, capable, and professional.
The media came to see Donovan, and they kept peppering him with questions about the hotel, how his family was doing, even what the weather was like in Severn. The prince answered their questions with wit and charm. Shae started to enjoy watching him handle their questions like it was an art form.
“I have time to answer one more.” He chose a man from the back.
The man stood. “Can we expect to see your most recent girlfriend on your arm at the gala?”
Uh-oh. Shae cringed. He had to have known somebody would ask a stupid question.
Donovan straightened his back. He put his head down. Shae saw another angle of him on a camera screen. His expression looked like he was trying to conceal a cynical laugh. “Thank you all for coming.” He turned on his heel and left the podium. The room full of reporters erupted with multiple voices shouting additional questions all at once.
He caught Shae’s eye and motioned his head for her and the staff to follow him out. She gladly left the news reporters to yell and clamor over each other.
If this was going to be the tone from here on out, how was a playboy prince going to complete the project?
Donovan watched replay of his media conference on television later that night in the living room of his suite. He saw his reaction the moment the reporter asked the last question. It had to be a silly one. This time, he did what the Office of Protocol recommended and didn’t give an emotive reaction.
He looked past his own image to see Shae standing to the side. He knew she had been nervous before the cameras earlier today. She handled herself very well, and stood looking calm and poised. He meant what he said to the media. He knew she was capable of doing the job and glad she was there to help him navigate the project.