"Her name is Madison. You don't know her. She's...."
"Amazing?" Alejandro supplied. "One in a million? Your soul mate?"
Luis got to his feet. "You know, Alejandro, I feel sorry for you. You're cynical about love because you've never been fortunate enough to experience it. If you'd ever felt the connection that Madison and I have, even for a moment, you'd understand. You'd do anything to protect it. To protect the woman you love."
Alejandro stood. "Maybe you're right that I don't understand what you're feeling for this Madison, but right now I'd suggest you be a little less concerned about what I understand and be a little more focused on making sure she understands that you haven't just turned your back and walked away from her. That sort of betrayal would be hard for any woman to endure. Or forgive."
Chapter Thirteen
"Madison, honey, you do not need to watch that again." Lemon reached out and took the tablet from her hands. "It's not going to sound any better the next time you hear it."
Madison wiped away her tears. She sat on her bed between her two friends. Despite her sadness, she knew how lucky she was to have Kat and Lemon with her. Kat, for her gentle hugs, and Lemon for her resolve that everything could be worked out. Except that, it couldn't be worked out. It was over.
She squared her shoulders. "I need to go home. Back to Texas."
The look that passed between Kat and Lemon didn't escape her notice.
Kat gave her arm a gentle squeeze. "I don't think that's such a wise move under the circumstances."
Quite to the contrary, going home was the only thing that made any sense. She didn't belong in Monterra, and she longed for the comfort of Amarillo. "You can't expect me to stay here? I feel so humiliated."
From the moment Kat and Lemon had arrived, she'd known something was wrong. And she knew that something had to do with the video clip that Serafina had pulled up. They'd bundled up the still warm chocolate chip cookies and sent Nico's little sister back to the palace before they'd played it for Madison.
As long as she'd live, she'd never forget the way her body ran cold when she saw Luis emerge from his private jet with an incredibly beautiful woman on his arm. The first time through she hadn't been able to hear the words he was saying because the buzzing in her head was too loud.
The looks that passed between Luis and the woman with him were painful to watch. There was a definite familiarity in the way they stood side by side and in the way they looked at each other.
Madison had insisted on watching it several times, over and over, just to prove to herself that it was real. That what she was watching, and hearing, was Luis showing his utter disdain for her. Madison covered her face and rocked back and forth while hot tears streamed down her face. She'd been such a fool. Such a damn fool. Just like her mother. Mackenzie had been right. Her words of warning, of censure, hadn't been meant to hurt Madison. They'd been meant to protect her. From herself and her stupidity.
But as outraged as Lemon was on her behalf, Madison knew the fault was hers. She'd imagined something that wasn't real, whereas Luis was only guilty of flirting. Doubtless, he'd been amused by her reaction to his prince charming act. God, she'd been an idiot. She wiped her hands on her jeans. "I've made such a fool out of myself."
"No, you haven't," Kat assured her. "This is all some insane mix-up. It has to be. Luis isn't the kind of person who would do something like this. I've never known him to be mean spirited. Or dishonest."
A vision of Luis driving them through the village on the first day they'd met flashed through her mind. She could still see the way the sun glistened on his hair, the way he'd smiled when she'd laughed at something he said, and the look of surprise on his face when she'd said something about the palace staff being invited to the royal wedding. She hadn't known who he actually was, and he hadn't corrected her. He'd let her think what she wanted. The mistake in his identity had been hers alone, but the responsibility to tell her the truth had been his, and he hadn't done it.
But this wasn't a mix-up. One call to Prince Dante had proven that much. Lemon had resisted at first but Madison insisted. "Put him on speakerphone."
Lemon shook her head but did it anyway. "Dante, Madison wants to know something. Whose idea was the trip to Monaco? Yours or Luis'?"
"Mine," Dante said. "But-"
Lemon cut him off. "Who made the arrangements?"
"I did. But-"
Madison's stomach clenched and she covered her mouth with her hands. So it was true. The trip to Monaco had been Dante's idea. Luis had only been acting as her chaperone as a favor. Her cheeks flamed.
"That's all we needed to know. Thanks." Lemon ended the call, her expression one of pure misery. "I'm sorry, Madison."
"I need to go," Madison repeated. She turned to Kat. "If problems with the cookbook come up, I'll handle it from home. I just can't be here."
Lemon took her hand. "Madison, honey, I don't think you should leave. Think about it. Mackenzie said that it was a madhouse at your restaurant when the press discovered pictures of you and Luis in Monaco. The attention is only going to get worse in the next couple of weeks."
"But it will pass," Kat interjected. "I promise. The next story will come along. It always does."
Lemon nodded. "That's right. But if you're not in Amarillo, I think that the story will blow over all the sooner. Life will certainly be easier for Mackenzie that way."
"But where should I go? I can't stay here."
"Why not?" Kat asked. "There's no better place for you to be. You're among friends here. Plus, in Monterra, the laws against the paparazzi are so much in your favor. You'll be safe here. Stay until after the Midnight gala, by then everything will have simmered down. I'm sure of it."
"If you don't want to stay here at the Royal Lodge, then you can come stay up at the palace. There's plenty of room, and you know you're welcome," Lemon said. "Why don't you call Mackenzie and see if she agrees with us? Then you can decide."
Madison knew she needed to talk to her sister. At least to apologize, if nothing else. It wouldn't be fair to stay away if Mac wanted her there. But neither would it be fair to go home and make things worse just because she felt she could hide there. "I'll talk to her."
Once she had her sister on the line, the first thing she did was apologize.
"Oh, Madison, don't," Mackenzie said. "I'm the one who should apologize to you. What I said about you being like mom was flat out wrong. I'm sorry. Hearing you say that you'd met someone reminded me of when mom would come home with a new boyfriend out of the blue. But the situations are totally different. You're too smart to be like mom, you'd never make the kind of terrible mistakes she did."
She hadn't thought it possible, but Madison's shame grew. But she wasn't about to correct her sister now. They could talk it all out when she got back to Amarillo. The important thing was that things between the sisters were going to be fine. "I want to come home."
An awkward silence filled the air. "I think you should stay there," her twin finally said. "Just hear me out. I spoke with Kat earlier, and I agree with what she and Lemon think. You're safer there. The restaurant is full of reporters without you here, imagine what it would be like if you were here."
Madison sighed. "I'm so sorry to leave you to handle this all by yourself."
"I'm not by myself. We're pulling together here. I've even printed up a new menu just for anyone who looks like they might be fishing for a story. For the privilege of taking up space that belongs to the locals, they're paying double."
Madison laughed. "Mackenzie Bishop, you're crazy. But I love you."
"Love you too, Madison. We can talk every day. Just let your friends take care of you. Lemon said that Nico and Dante are going to ask Luis not to come back to Monterra while you're there. So you can just concentrate on putting this whole ordeal behind you. Soon you'll forget it all."
Forget it all. Right. She would do just that. As soon as she managed to pick up the thousand pieces of her shattered heart and put th
em back together.
***
Luis dropped his cell phone on his brother's desk as if it had grown teeth and bitten him.
Alejandro looked up, surprise evident on his face. "What was that all about?"
Luis sunk into the nearest chair. "I don't know." His mind replayed the conversation as if it were on auto-repeat. 'The family thinks it would be better if you didn't return until after Madison's gone back to the States'. 'Madison has made it clear that she doesn't want to talk to you or see you. We have to respect that'.
His brother gave him a few minutes to collect his thoughts before he repeated his question. "What's going on, Luis?"
"That was Nico. Dante was on the call too."
"And?"
The words he needed to repeat were a bitter pill to swallow. "They've asked me not to come back to Monterra."
Alejandro swore under his breath. "For how long? They had to have said something else."
"The bottom line is that while Madison's in Monterra, I'm not welcome there." He rubbed his temples with his fingertips but it did little to alleviate the pounding in his head. Or the ache in his heart. "What have I done?"
"Made a royal mess of things, that's what you've done." Alejandro pushed away from his desk and began to pace the length of his office. "Look, as unpleasant as it is to hear, you must know that Nico and Dante are just doing what they think right by someone who appeared to be wronged. Did you tell them that the whole thing was a charade? Part of a ruse?"
Luis shook his head. "I wanted to tell Madison first. She's the one who matters here. I can't stand the fact that I've hurt her. I'd rather cut out my heart than let her feel a moment's pain."
His brother stopped pacing to stare at him. "You really do love her."
Luis nodded. "More than my own life."
Alejandro crossed to where Luis sat. He laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. "We'll find a way to make this right. Although, if you'd asked me before you ran off and lost your heart, I'd have told you to never fall in love. You've just complicated your life in ways you can't imagine, pretty much for the rest of your life."
"I can't face a future without her."
Alejandro laughed. "Let's not be melodramatic."
Luis groaned.
"Now I have to meet your Ms. Bishop if only to see who has cast this spell on you."
Luis reached for his phone. "I've got to try to get through to Madison."
But his brother snatched the phone out of his hand. "You'll do no such thing. Give the poor girl room to breathe. She's hurt and angry right now."
Luis shot to his feet. "But-"
"But nothing. She needs time."
"Time for what? Time to let her anger simmer? Time to build up even more resentment toward me than she already has? I don't see the point of waiting."
Alejandro dropped his arm around Luis' shoulders and gave him a reassuring hug. "She needs time to miss you. And you're going to give it to her. But don't worry, I have a plan."
Chapter Fourteen
"Oh, Madison, you look stunning." Kat clasped her hands together, a delighted look on her face. "That color is perfect for you."
Madison looked in the mirror and pivoted so she could see how the dress looked from the side. "It is nice."
"Nice?" Kat rolled her eyes. "I'm glad our seamstress isn't here to hear you call her work 'nice'." She came over and straightened one of the sleeves. "Breathtaking is a better word."
"I don't even know why I'm going to the gala."
Lemon, who up until this point had been engrossed in scrolling through her to-do list, looked up from her tablet. "I did not just hear that."
"I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound ungrateful. The dress really is gorgeous." Madison loved the color purple, and the head seamstress at the palace used two shades to create a spectacular creation. The bodice was a dark purple velvet while the full skirt was a much lighter shade of purple with layers of ruched fabric. The full off-the-shoulder sleeves were made from an exquisite ecru lace. She looked like a princess going to the ball. Madison had never before worn anything so beautiful.
Or felt so miserable at the prospect of an evening ahead of her. But the Fiorelli family had been so kind to her over the last few weeks that she couldn't not go to the gala they were throwing for the release of the cookbook. The whole project was about raising money for children with leukemia. Despite her misery, she couldn't be churlish enough to bow out. She was leaving for home in three days. Until she left, she was determined to repay her hosts' kindness by appearing happy. Even if it was all an act.
Lemon stood and picked up her tote bag. "I think we've been over all the details."
"Twice," Kat said with a grin.
"Funny." Lemon made a face. "Now, shall we send a car for you at seven o'clock so that you can come up and dress at the palace? Or do you want to dress here and we'll send a car for you at eight thirty?"
"I'll dress here." Despite how much she adored Nico's entire family, Madison found herself craving privacy in a way she never had before. Another surprise had been that she wasn't homesick. She did miss her sister and her work at the restaurant, but she didn't long to be back in Amarillo. Truthfully, just trying to keep her thoughts off of Luis took most of her mental energy. Still. With each passing day, she missed him more.
"Hello?" Lemon snapped her fingers. "Madison? Are you okay?"
"Yes, sorry. I zoned out for a moment."
Kat and Lemon exchanged looks but neither said anything. They'd been the most amazing friends possible over the course of the last few weeks. They'd given her extra hugs when she needed them and space when she'd needed that too. Mackenzie called daily to check in on her, Serafina showed up on her doorstep daily, and even Queen Aria had stopped by several times a week for a cup of tea and a chat.
What more could she have asked for?
Luis. She pushed the thought aside. She was going to have to wrap her mind around the fact that what had happened, despite being painful, had been for the best. She looked up to find her friends watching her.
"I'm sorry. I just need something to keep my mind busy."
"Well, I can help you there," Lemon said. "I've got about two hundred cookbooks being delivered here to the Lodge within the hour." She reached into her tote and pulled out a package of black fine tip sharpie pens. "You can sign books until your hand feels like it's going to fall off."
Madison took the pens. "When it feels that way, what then?"
"Keep signing."
Madison shook her head, unable to keep a small smile off of her face. Lemon was incorrigible, in an adorable way. "Consider it done."
***
A black town car pulled up in front of the Royal Lodge but neither the driver or the passenger in the back seat made a move to exit the vehicle. The driver looked into the rearview mirror and met his passenger's gaze. "I'm nervous."
Prince Alejandro of Santa Rosa shrugged. "That's unfortunate. But there's nothing more that I can do for you. You need to take it from here."
Luis took off his dark sunglasses and twisted around so he could face his brother. "I can't thank you enough for what you've done for me."
"It's nothing," his older brother said.
But it wasn't nothing. Alejandro had flown to Monterra to meet with Nico and Dante so that he could plead his brother's case. The brothers had quickly seen that Luis was guilty of a grave error in judgment. However, they'd also understood from personal experience his desperate desire to protect Madison from the glare of the media.
Both princes had readily agreed with Alejandro that Madison needed a time before Luis should approach her with an apology. Like a trio of old-fashioned match-makers, they'd settled on the evening of the Midnight in Monterra gala for Luis to make his move. The idea of arriving as a driver had been his.
He could only hope that Madison would understand why.
***
Madison had just poured a fresh cup of coffee when she heard a knock at the door. Good. That must be the co
okbooks arriving. She took a quick sip and set the mug down. Just before she opened the front door she glanced out the window. All she could manage to see was a driver in a dark suit removing boxes from the back of the car. She opened the door.
"Oh." Startled to see a man on the doorstep, she took a step back. "Hello."
"Miss Bishop?"
"That's right, Madison Bishop." She extended her hand to the stranger. There was something familiar about him but she couldn't remember having met him before. Perhaps she'd seen him when she'd been out and about with Kat and Lemon. "I see you've brought the books. Thank you."
The man's lips curled into what she assumed was supposed to be a smile. He had an air about him that, while not rude, was remote and detached. He was so different than Luis. The first time she saw him, it was like the sun came out. She sighed.
"Is something wrong?" the man asked.
"No." Something wasn't wrong. Everything was wrong. But she couldn't very well spend the rest of her life telling strangers how she'd been foolish enough to let her heart get broken. "I'll come out and help carry in some of the boxes."
The man held up his hand. "No need. My driver will carry them in if that's acceptable to you."
"Of course. I'll just leave the door open and he can carry them straight back to the kitchen."
The stranger nodded. "Perfect, thank you."
Madison made her way to the kitchen and took a sip of her now lukewarm coffee. She leaned against the counter and gazed out the window which afforded her a picturesque view she'd miss when she was back in Texas. She savored another sip of coffee.
She whirled around when she heard a box drop onto the kitchen table but by the time she did so, the driver was already on his way out to bring another box in. Her heart gave a funny little flutter as she watched the driver walk back out to the car. She closed her eyes.
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