Dating the Prince(10)

"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."