"Prince Puke!" one of the college girls said, and the group of women collapsed in a fit of giggles.
Libby's mouth twitched upward, but she quickly schooled her expression at Alex's glare. He peeled the baby off his shoulder and held her out toward Libby. She quickly accepted the infant, who now cooed contentedly. Libby grabbed a rag from the pram and wiped off Kenzie's lips.
"Guess she doesn't need those drops now," Alex said.
Libby did laugh then. Her entire body shook as she gasped for breath. "I'm sorry. It's not funny. But you kind of deserved it."
"I deserve this?" He pointed to his soaked shoulder. "I'm covered in vomit!"
"Oh, it's just a little spit-up. Stop being such a baby. That's Kenzie's job." Libby tucked the newborn in the crook of her arm and began wiping vomit off his shoulder with her free hand. The rag dabbed gently at the fabric and Alex stared into Libby's eyes. They were a wonderful shade of green he hadn't noticed before. Warm. Full of energy and life.
Her hand dropped and the connection broke like a frayed rope. "I'm sure your team of laundresses can get it clean for you in a jiffy. In the meantime, you can wear one of the other million expensive shirts in your giant closet."
"You know, for someone who's so mad about me lying, you're awfully quick to pass judgment."
"I call it like I see it." She strapped Libby into the pram and rose. "I think we're done here. Thanks for the help, Your Royal Highness."
He smirked, the fire in her eyes making his blood run hot. "I believe I told you to call me Alex."
"What, you don't want a prince proceeding your name?"
"Americans don't use titles."
She laughed again, the sound rich and full. But he was all too aware of the cameras that had just filmed his humiliation.
"I'd better get going, too," he said, trailing Libby to the door. Finn followed, clearly approving of this choice.
The sunlight seemed painfully bright as the café door swung shut behind them. Alex paused, staring at Libby as she tucked a light blanket around Kenzie. This was the last time he'd ever see Libby, and despite the humiliation he'd just suffered-despite her obvious dislike of him and his job-he found himself feeling a little … well, sad.
"Enjoy your castle," Libby said, flipping her hair over one shoulder.
"It's a palace," he called at her retreating back.
She raised one hand, not bothering to turn around. "Whatever."
As she disappeared around the corner, Alex felt like he'd just lost out on something spectacular. Despite the café of nosy spectators, partially digested milk covering his shoulder, and the sarcastic and caustic conversation, this had been the best afternoon he'd spent in a very long time.
CHAPTER SEVEN
"Good morning, Your Highness."
Alex rolled over with a groan and fought the urge to cover his face with a pillow. One of the benefits of being prince was that you had no need for alarm clocks. One of the drawbacks was that you never got to sleep in.
"What time am I up today, Dennis?" Alex asked. His personal secretary had been his daily wakeup call for more than a decade.
"Six o'clock. It appears you've once again made headlines. Care to see?"
Alex didn't need to read the article to know what this was about-Libby. It had been too much to hope that the café patrons with cameras would keep the pictures to themselves. But Alex sat up in bed and took the tablet from Dennis anyway. Sure enough, there was a spectacular shot of Kenzie vomiting all over his shoulder. One of the giggling girls must be the type with a photo sharing obsession, because the picture was much better than your average cell phone image. Who knew such a tiny baby could hold so much in her stomach? No wonder she'd been mad and uncomfortable.
"Lovely," Alex said, scanning the article. Baby expresses displeasure all over Prince Alexander. "Not a particularly clever headline, is it?"
Dennis sighed. "Your Highness, I am here to assist you. But I can't do my job if you don't tell me about these incidents. We were caught entirely unaware. Again."
Alex swung his legs over the edge of the bed, already regretting whatever brain damage had made him think coffee with Libby was a good idea. He knew Dennis was right. Finn had said pretty much the same thing, in his passive-aggressive way. But Alex figured putting off the conversation for twelve hours wouldn't hurt anyone, and he'd desperately wanted just one peaceful night's sleep. "I assume Maggie's seen this already?"
"Yes."
Alex sighed, already heading toward the bathroom. "What time is the meeting scheduled for?" At this point, they should probably just schedule a standing daily appointment to discuss Alex's shortcomings and failures. Add going out with Libby to that long and exhaustive list.
"Not until two o'clock," Dennis said. "You have the photo opportunity with the Aragonian ambassador this morning and a lunch meeting with Stefan to discuss his upcoming business trip to the United States."
Alex nodded. "How long do I have to get ready this morning?"
"Thirty-two minutes, Your Highness."
"Guess I'd better get in the shower, then."
It hadn't taken the café girls long to sell their photos. No doubt by the time Alex met with the Aragonian ambassador, the article would've been picked up by every major gossip site and made its way around the internet. He stood in the warm spray of the shower for longer than he should've, willing the hot water to soothe away the tension in his shoulders.
Had Libby seen the articles yet? She didn't strike him as the type who woke up and immediately checked social media, but he knew nothing about her employer. Maybe Kenzie's mom was that kind of person and had already shown Libby the article, like she'd shown her a photo of Alex. He pictured Libby's face in his mind, her eyes narrowed in displeasure and lips pursed in a frown. No, that was an Isla expression. Maybe a spark of amusement would light Libby's eyes while a sarcastic barb fell from her lips. Not that he'd ever find out. Yesterday was the last he'd ever see of Liberty Claybourne.
Alex's musings meant he barely arrived on time to the photo opportunity with the Aragonian ambassador. Luckily it was a laid-back affair. Stefan was good friends with Carlos, one of the Aragonian princes, and the two countries were on excellent terms. After the reporters left, Alex shared a cup of tea and some casual conversation with the ambassador. But it was a struggle to keep his mind from wandering.
His parents were not going to be happy about the café photo. The article had suggested that Libby might be Alex's new play thing-just thinking about the casual way they'd insulted her made his blood boil-and that was sure to put his parents on edge. He could practically hear his mother's Galian accent growing thicker with agitation.
By the time Alex met Stefan for lunch, the knot of worry in his stomach had made him lose any appetite.
Stefan was already in the dining room, his dark head of wavy hair bent over a laptop as he typed away furiously. His face was clean shaven and eyes laser-focused on the computer screen.
"Sorry I'm late." Alex sank into a cushioned chair across from Stefan. His mother had redecorated the space recently, replacing the dark red-and-gold wallpaper with gray-and-silver in geometric designs, and replaced the heavy mahogany wood table with some modern piece painted white. Alex was still trying to get used to the changes. "You know how chatty the ambassador can get."
Stefan pressed one last key, then looked up. "I was just making some notes on the proposal. How did the photo op go?"
"Fine, I guess. Nothing horrible happened that will humiliate me in the press tomorrow, so that's a plus."
A muscle twitched in Stefan's jaw. "I saw what happened yesterday. I'm sorry, Alex. You've had seriously rotten luck lately."
"That's an understatement. Ready to be king? Because Mom and Dad are going to kill me."
"Everything will blow over in a few months."
Alex grunted, staring at the oil painting of Castlebridge Park on the opposite wall.
"They only get upset because they care."
"Yeah, well, I could do with a little less of their love these days, then."
A kitchen employee arrived then and set a plate of fish and chips in front of both of them. The delicious scent managed to revitalize some of Alex's appetite, and he picked up the fish and took a bite.
"So who is she?" Stefan asked.
Alex took his time chewing, not sure if he wanted to have this conversation twice in one day. No doubt he'd be forced to recount the entire event minute-by-minute to his parents and Maggie. "A woman I met at the palace."
Stefan nodded and swirled his fish in the tarter sauce. "I didn't realize you were seeing someone."