by Leslie North
“I love to read,” he said, running a finger long the spine of a title she recognized. “Ever since I was a small child, I’ve never been able to get enough of books.”
“All educational?”
“Not at all.” Aldon set the first line of books along the highest mahogany shelf, arranging them so that the tallest books were to the left. “Fiction, non-fiction, it doesn’t matter much. I read everything I can get my hands on, although recently with all the travel, I haven’t had as much time as I used to.”
“Understandable,” she said and held up a copy of a well-known adventure novel. “Ambassador work doesn’t allow the time for this type of frivolous activity.”
He chuckled, and she noticed his cheeks redden a bit, perhaps at her discovery of the adolescent title. He continued then. “But my love for reading has never waned, especially non-fiction books about economics.”
“Oh, of all things!” she exclaimed and laughed. “With so many great books at your fingertips, you choose economics. Funny.”
“Well, I find it far more interesting than pedestrian things such as… say… gardening.” He shot her a look that was more flirt than challenge, and she took the bait.
“Botany,” she corrected, her tone just as coy. “With all these books, you wouldn’t happen to have any on the subject, would you?”
“I might,” he said. “I like my collections to be thorough. There are a few encyclopedia sets. And if not, well, I can certainly get some.”
Could he really?
And would he venture to get his hand on some botany books… just for her?
She smiled a quiet smile, and he returned it, the both of them letting their looks linger just a beat longer than normal.
“So, what’s your favorite book then?” Piper asked. She started on another shelf, trying to follow his lead with organization. Tall books to small books, left to right.
“Well, my favorite books currently are academic ones.” He began loading books onto the shelf she’d begun. She couldn’t help but wonder if his fingers were brushing hers by accident or on purpose. Either way, they left a little tingle at their touch.
“But when I was a young boy, I loved adventure novels—the ones where you get to choose your own adventure and pick what happens next.” His face lit up as he described the books.
“I think I remember those.”
“I’d read one a day,” he said. “If only I had that kind of spare time now. What about you? What’s your favorite?”
“I’m a sucker for fairy-tale romance,” she admitted. “It may not be fashionable, but I love stories where the girl gets her prince charming in the end.”
Aldon nodded, a sheepish grin painting his face, and she realized what she’d said.
“I don’t mean—”
But before she could explain herself, a loud crash echoed in the room and Willa’s small voice squeaked.
“Oopsies,” she said from across the room. “I dropped my juice.”
Piper’s stomach dropped when she realized that not only had Piper dropped her cup of juice, but that it had spilled all over a box of Aldon’s books.
As Piper raced to wipe down the books, Aldon’s face contorted into an expression of shock and horror.
“No!” he wailed, looking miserable at the stack of titles now accessorized with sticky red liquid. “That’s my prized collection on Sovalon’s economic history! It’s out of print—this is one of only five complete sets in the world!”
“I’ll make sure I wipe down every page,” Piper said, nervously. “Willa, please apologize.”
“Apologize?” Aldon spat. “What good will that do?”
Piper bit the inside of her cheek, unsure what to say. She understood how important his books were to him, but the prince’s reaction seemed a bit overblown.
“I’m sorry I messed up your books, Prince Charming,” Willa said with tears in her voice. Piper scooped her daughter into her arms and comforted her.
At the sight of Willa’s tear-streaked face and Piper’s alarmed look, Aldon was suddenly overcome with shame. He recovered his temper from whatever inane it had climbed into and went to Willa.
“It’s all right, Willa—I know you didn’t do it on purpose,” he said then got down to her eye level. “I’m the one who should be apologizing. I overreacted.”
Willa shrugged and buried her face in Piper’s middle. Her little shoulders shook as she continued to cry, and Aldon was completely slayed by the fact that he’d caused her tears.
He couldn’t believe he had lost his temper like that—she was just a child! And what was he supposed to say now to make her stop crying? He was no good at this comforting business. This was exactly why he shouldn’t be around children.
“It was an accident, and I should never have snapped the way that I did,” he attempted.
“There, there, Willa,” Piper cooed over her daughter’s tiny form. “Prince Aldon isn’t angry anymore.” She set Willa into a chair then continued wiping the remnant of the mess. Aldon felt helpless. Should he assist her in cleaning up or should he try to make Willa stop crying?
Piper smiled gently at Aldon, seeming to forgive his outburst, but it didn’t help. It made him feel even worse.
“Willa, look, the books aren’t that important,” he said, then looked to Piper. “I’m just not really used to having kids around, and I’m not that great with them,” he admitted, hoping she would have some wisdom to impart, but instead, she let out a small laugh.
“It’s okay,” she said and continued wiping the remnants of the mess from the books. “I should have known better than to let Willa bring food or drink in here. Parenting is sometimes about anticipating the problems—that way, you can avoid meltdowns.”
“It was me who had the meltdown,” he said.
“Ah, don’t beat yourself up, Aldon,” Piper replied. “Happens to the best parents. We all have meltdowns.”
Aldon smiled at Piper, grateful for her forgiveness and understanding, then went back to Willa.
“Look, Willa, how about I make you a deal.”
The little girl looked up at him then and gave a great snuffle.
“Okay?”
“How about I give you permission to look at my books whenever you like, as long as you’re careful with them and you don’t bring anything to eat or drink in here?”
Willa bit her lip then wiped her face with the back of her hand. Her eyes circled the room as if she were taking stock of all she had to gain before accepting Aldon’s offer.
“Deal.” She held out her hand for a shake.
Aldon took a deep breath, and, knowing there was lots of dried snot and tears on the back of the offered hand, he shook it.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Piper’s face brighten. It seemed that the effects of making things right with Willa had spilled over into the friendship between him and Piper.
Suddenly, Willa threw herself at him for an unexpected hug.
“You’re nice, Prince Charming,” Willa said, her face buried in his side. He grinned, and cautiously patted the little girl’s back, surprised at how glad he felt at having comforted little Willa. He glanced up at Piper and found her watching the interaction between him and her daughter.
“Thanks,” she mouthed, and he smiled back at her, feeling an unprecedented warmth growing within him at the fact that he’d made a little girl feel safe and happy.
6
As the afternoon wore on, the storm finally lost its stamina. By three o’clock, the rain had stopped, the sun was daring to peek its head out, and all the books had been re-homed in the study. At first, he’d only packed one extra bag for his valet to bring, but when Carrie requested more time, he’d known he would want his collection with him and had placed a call to his staff to request that the valet pack up and bring the rest. It might have seemed excessive to some, but Aldon’s books were his most prized possession, and he didn’t like to be far from them for long. He felt accomplished and calm, having his precious collection in one
place and having made amends with little Willa.
“Thanks again for your help putting away all of my books,” he said to Piper as they made their way down a winding corridor, back toward the foyer of the castle. Photographs of ancestors and grand paintings lined the papered walls.
“You’re welcome.” She smiled sweetly at him. “I believe you have more books than the Thistledown Public Library.”
He chuckled. “And these are only my favorites.”
As they rounded the corner into the foyer, Aldon’s valet approached him.
“Prince Aldon, I’m still working on laundering and pressing some of your clothing,” he said. “I apologize that it’s taking so much time, but some things became quite wrinkled on the drive here.”
“No problem,” Aldon said. “I wanted to run into town to get a few toiletries anyway.” He held up a hand to stop the valet’s automatic protests. “There’s no need for you to go for me—I rather fancy the idea of getting out of the house and seeing the town.”
“Would you like me to drive you, sir?”
“No, no, I’ll take my car.” He looked hopefully at Piper. “Would you and Willa like to join me? You could show me the town, and we could perhaps do some shopping?”
Piper’s face brightened. “We’d love to, wouldn’t we, Willa?”
“I’m a great tour guide,” Willa said. “I’ll show you Klaver’s, the best ice cream shop and my other favorite place.”
Aldon raised his eyebrows. “And what’s your other favorite place?”
Willa grinned. “The pet store.”
Piper tousled her daughter’s hair. “Every time we go into town, she has to make a stop at the pet store to see the kitties.”
Aldon couldn’t help but smile at Willa. “I’d love to see the pet store, Willa,” he said as he headed for the door. “Looks like we don’t even need an umbrella anymore.”
Piper and Willa followed him to his Jag, gleaming silver in the hazy late afternoon sunlight. He noticed the awestruck looks on their faces as they slid into their seats.
“This car is so fancy!” Willa exclaimed.
“It’s just a car,” Aldon replied, although he knew his Jag wasn’t just a car. It was one of his favorite toys, and he enjoyed the luxury… and the speed.
“What are all these buttons?” she asked.
“Willa, don’t ask so many questions,” Piper scolded.
“No, it’s okay.” Aldon found Willa’s curiosity quite cute. “The buttons are for climate control.”
In the rearview, he saw Willa’s face scrunch into confusion.
“That means you can have warm seats or cool seats by pushing the buttons, Willa,” Piper explained.
“So my bum can get air conditioning?” The little girl burst into giggles.
As they neared the town, Aldon began to notice several abandoned buildings and some seriously shoddy-looking housing. Windows were boarded up and homes were in varying states of disrepair. Aldon was shocked. Despite what Piper had said in their argument in the gardens, he still hadn’t realized just how bad things had gotten. How had the seriousness of this town’s decline completely missed the Kingdom’s radar?
“How did we miss this?” he asked more to himself than to Piper.
“Well, it started with the water quality problems,” she said. “Residents have had to boil water during restrictive periods, which have been extensive. It’s had a great impact on some of the farms in the area, which were always a big part of the tourist draw of Thistledown Valley.”
“I remember,” Aldon said. As a young boy, he’d toured a farm here. He remembered milking cows and picking apples at an orchard.
“The farms used to offer seasonal tours, which would bring people in, but once one thing started suffering, everything else followed suit. And when the tourists stopped coming, the rest of the tourist-based economy suffered—shops, restaurants, inns. Also secondary suppliers, like grocery stores or laundry services. We’ve been asking the monarchy to help for years.” Piper looked out the window, and Aldon sensed she was avoiding eye contact. “Our requests always seem to always fall on deaf ears.”
“I’m sorry about that,” Aldon said. Why would the monarchy have ignored Thistledown’s requests for help? Even as he wondered this, he knew he shouldn’t get involved. Infrastructure and town redevelopment were not his department.
Ahead, a throng of people caught his eye. As they got closer, Aldon realized it was a line of men, women, and even children, waiting to get into a homeless shelter. Guilt lodged in his throat like glue, making it hard for him to speak.
“Why is there such a long line?” he asked.
“The shelters are full,” Piper said. “It’s like this every day. Many people have to sleep outside, under bridges and on the streets, at the mercy of weather conditions.”
“How long has it been this bad?”
Piper shrugged sadly. “For at least the past four years.”
An out-of-place giggling came from the backseat, all of a sudden.
“Look, Mommy,” Willa said. “There’s even a little refrigerator back here. Prince Charming has soda and fizzy water in his car fridge.”
At Willa’s words, a deep sense of shame fell over Aldon quite suddenly. Here he was driving a luxury car through the streets while the sidewalk was crowded with people who couldn’t even attain basic needs like food and shelter. He owned a castle in this town, and here were residents who had nowhere to live.
“This is unacceptable,” he said.
“I agree, but who’s going to fix it?” Piper’s eyes pierced Aldon’s.
“I am.”
He stared at the crowd of people in front of the shelter and silently promised himself. He would do something about this terrible situation. It was time to take action for Thistledown.
Piper followed Aldon through the market with Willa at her heels, unable to believe what she was seeing with her own eyes.
“How much food are you going to buy?” she asked him.
“As much as I can fit into my car for now,” he said.
After filling eight buggies with nonperishables, Aldon paid the store clerk. Piper’s eyes almost bugged out of her head at the total displayed on the cash register. She’d never in her life seen a grocery bill of that size, but Aldon didn’t even flinch as he handed over his credit card. What did she expect? He was a prince.
And a generous one at that. Piper’s heart leaped at seeing Aldon spring into action for her town.
She and Willa helped him stuff his sports car.
“The trunk won’t shut,” Piper said, after several unsuccessful attempts.
“That’s no problem,” Aldon assured her. “We’re only driving a few blocks, and I doubt I’ll get a ticket.”
Piper laughed. “I guess if you did, you could probably get out of it, right?”
Aldon grinned at her. “I have a few connections.”
“I guess you do,” she said, playing along. “We can pull up to the back of the shelter. That’s where they take donations.”
Aldon followed her instructions, and together, with Willa’s help, they carried bag after bag of groceries into the shelter.
“I can’t thank you enough, Prince Aldon,” one of the shelter volunteers said. “This will feed all of our community members for the week.”
“Well, it’s only a temporary solution, but I promise to do more,” he said. “I had no idea how bad things were here in Thistledown. I’m going to do everything I can to help this town’s economy recover.”
Piper watched him speak with the volunteers and was moved by his sincere drive to help. He’d really stepped up today and done what he could to give their little town a much-needed boost.
Outside, the crowd was buzzing with the news of Aldon’s generous delivery. People scrambled to shake his hand and thank him.
“Please don’t thank me,” he said, taking one woman’s hand. “It’s the least I can do. I truly didn’t know things had gotten so out of hand. I�
�m sorry I didn’t get here sooner.”
An angry voice piped in from a few feet away.
“You should be sorry.”
The gruff words came from a mustached man with narrowed black eyes and a scar on his pale chin. “There you are living in the lap of luxury in your castle, drinking wine, while we have to boil our water just to use it. Why haven’t you done anything about the water quality issue here?”
A few supportive echoes came from the crowd, and Piper felt sweat gather on her forehead. Would there be a riot here? Would they attack Aldon? She tightened her grip on Willa’s hand and prepared to back away, but Aldon fearlessly approached the wild-eyed man.
“You’re absolutely right,” he said, and the crowd shushed. “I can see what a problem it is for the town, and I’m going to do something about it. I promise.”
Silence was followed by quiet chatter. Piper could sense a tone of approval within the group of homeless community members.
Aldon turned to face the crowd. “I can assure you all that I have every intention of making sure your needs are addressed. Thistledown Valley won’t be forgotten any longer.”
Again, Piper was astonished. Not only had he made the angry man feel heard and understood, but he’d been able to calm the crowd.
And, she thought, he seemed completely sincere.
Perhaps she’d been wrong to assume Aldon was no different from his family. His kindness with Willa and now this generosity and sincere concern for her town showed Piper a different side to the man.
As they left the homeless shelter, she felt drawn to Aldon for more than just his good looks. He had a good heart, and that was worth much more.
“Mommy.” Willa tugged on Piper’s arm. “Can we go to the park?”
Piper looked at Aldon.
“Is that okay with you?” she asked.
“Sure,” he said.
A few minutes later, they strolled through the lush greenery of Dandelion Park, named for the wide-open space that had once been overrun by weeds, including dandelions. It had taken days to treat and pull everything when she’d volunteered to take charge of them. She was sure some of her work clothing still bore the stains she’d gotten here while restoring this very park.