Dating the Prince(5)

"Holy cow." Libby looked around the kitchen, her eyes wide. "This  kitchen is amazing. I think it's bigger than my parents' entire house."

Alex glanced at the room, with its restaurant-grade appliances and ample  countertops. "Only the best for the royal family," he quipped.

Libby laughed as he led her from the kitchen and down another hallway. "You were telling me about your family."

"Right. There are eight of us."

"Wow, that is big."

He nodded, holding open the door that led to the gardens. "I'm the  oldest. I've got two younger brothers and a younger sister, plus my  parents."

"That's only six."

"My two cousins came to live with us after my aunt and uncle died in a car accident. I consider them siblings, too."

"That's so sad. About your aunt and uncle, I mean." The door swung shut behind her, and Libby let out a gasp. "Whoa."

Alex grinned, holding out an arm to his family's private gardens.  Archways covered in greenery shaded the gravel walkways, which were  dotted with shaped topiaries, and the air smelled decidedly floral. "The  palace gardens, m'lady."

She set a careful foot on the gravel path, her sundress swishing around  her ankles. "I've seen pictures of geometric gardens like this, but  never in person. It's incredible. Like a piece of art."         

     



 

"Functional, too." He motioned to the west side of the garden. "The queen's garden. Everything over there is edible."

Libby picked a path heading toward the queen's garden and Alex was content to follow. "What's she like?"

"Who?" he asked cautiously.

"The queen. Well, the entire royal family." She peered up at him from underneath dark lashes. "Have you met them?"

Met them  …  lived with them. "They're people, just like anyone else. So,  tell me about your family. Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"No, it's always just been me and my parents." She pointed to the plant. "Fresh lemon thyme. I bet that's delicious."

Alex didn't pay much attention to that sort of thing. Eating was usually  crammed in between meetings and appointments. "I don't cook very much."

"It's something I enjoy." Kenzie let out a grunt and Libby grinned. "At  home we grow most of our own food, so our meals are always fresh and  delicious."

"You must have a lot of land for that big a garden."

"We do community farming at the commune. Everyone helps plant and harvest, and we all share the food."

Did she say commune? Alex flicked his gaze to where Finn was hiding,  wondering if the bodyguard was preparing to call in backup. Communes  were where cults lived, right?

"It's not as weird as it sounds," Libby said with a laugh. "Just a huge  tract of land owned by this heiress who's a bit of a hippie. People who  want a simple life apply to live at Ocean Meadow. The heiress vets  applicants, and then people are invited to live at the commune on a  trial basis for six months. Everyone in the community votes at the end  on whether or not that family can stay. It's all very democratic."

"Sounds like it," Alex said, using his best neutral tone-the one he  reserved for foreign officials and dicey political discussions.

She nudged his shoulder with her own. "I swear it's not weird. Most of  the adults at Ocean Meadow have a college degree. We've got quite a few  Ph.D's living there right now. It was kind of a perfect childhood,  honestly."

"Did you go to public school then?"

"In high school, yeah. My parents gave me the choice and I really wanted to try a more traditional educational experience."

"And what did you think?"

She shrugged. "There were pluses and minuses, just like with  homeschooling. I decided to move back to Ocean Meadow after college."

"And what did you study there?"

"Everything and nothing." She laughed, and Kenzie started fussing again.  "It all looked so interesting, but I never could settle on a major. I  dropped out after only three semesters, much to the horror of my dad.  He's an adjunct environmental professor."

Alex nodded, walking slowly beside Libby. She leaned close to a plant  and smelled the blossoms. Happy. Free. Beautiful. Libby was all that and  more.

"Enough about me," she said. "How did you end up working at the palace?"

He cleared his throat and looked away. Now they were definitely toeing  that awkward line where omitting the truth turned into outright lying.  "My family's worked at the palace for a while now. I had some  connections that helped me get the job."

"Ah, nepotism. My dad keeps telling me I have job at the college whenever I'm ready."

Sunlight filtered through the archways overhead, dotting the path with  tiny pinpricks of light. They fell over Libby's hair, making the brown  curls fairly glow. Kenzie let out another squeak, and Libby fished a  pacifier from the carrier and stuck it in the baby's mouth.

"Why did you come to Durham instead of taking a job in Oregon?" Alex  asked. She seemed like the type of girl who'd do it just for the  adventure.

Her shoulders sagged, and for the first time a hint of sadness crept  over her. "My parents are going through a rough patch right now and  talking about divorce. I just needed to get away for a while."

Kenzie spit out the pacifier with a wail. Libby started bouncing on the balls of her feet, patting the baby's back rhythmically.

"I'm sorry about the divorce," Alex said quietly. That wasn't a word in  the vocabulary of the royal family. Not to say there weren't unhappy  marriages, but Somersets shoved their feelings under the surface and put  on a smile for the citizens. Yet another reason why his public breakup  had been so humiliating.

"I'm hoping the money will help." Kenzie's cries intensified and Libby  swayed back and forth. "Are you getting hungry, sweetheart?"         

     



 

Kenzie let out another howl in response.

"She's got a hefty set of lungs," Alex joked.

Libby laughed, pulling off her backpack and rifling through it. "And  she's only going to get louder. I thought I had one more bottle, but  looks like I'm out. I guess that means we'd better go home."

Was it his imagination, or was that regret he heard in her voice? This  was the first conversation he'd had in recent memory that felt  comfortable and easy. He didn't want to let Libby go, but Kenzie's cries  were growing more insistent.

"I'll walk you out," he said. "Is Connie's flat far? I can have a driver take you there so Kenzie isn't hungry for too long."

"Thanks for the offer, but it's only ten minutes away. I think it'd take longer to drive than to walk in this traffic."

So much for stealing a few more moments with her in the back of a sedan as they drove through the streets of Castlebridge.

"Well then, I'll let you go." He led her toward the back of the garden,  where a secret gate let out onto an alleyway that led to the main road.  She'd have to pass by three guard shacks, but he'd have Finn let them  know not to give her any trouble.

"Thanks so much for the tour, Alex. And for saving me." Libby paused at  the gate and shuffled one foot in the gravel. Kenzie sucked in another  lungful of air and let out her loudest cry yet.

"The pleasure was all mine." Alex didn't glance over his shoulder, but could feel Finn watching him.

"I feel like all we did was talk about me. Maybe … " She cleared her  throat. "Maybe we can get together again sometime? I'd love to buy you a  coffee as thanks. Or do all Durhams prefer tea?" She ran a hand through  her long wavy hair. "I didn't expect to experience this much culture  shock when I moved."

"A coffee sounds nice." The words were out of Alex's mouth before he  consciously realized what he was saying. Was he seriously considering  going out with this woman again? And in public, no less?

She smiled, her eyes alight with relief. "Okay. Coffee, then."

"There's a great little place not far from here. The Queen's Café." What  was he doing? He should tell her that in Durham, yes actually meant no,  and he wouldn't be seeing her again ever.

"Yeah, I know the place. We passed it on our way here."

"Is tomorrow at three o'clock okay?" He might not even be available at  that time tomorrow-he received his schedule each morning with  breakfast-but already knew he'd rearrange his day to make the date.

Libby smiled again as Kenzie's howls filled the air. "Perfect. Thanks again for everything. Today was perfect."

"The pleasure was mine," he said, opening the gate. "See you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," she agreed.

She gave a little wave, then stepped through the gate. He watched as  Libby disappeared down the road, Kenzie's cries growing fainter with  each step. Alex felt more than heard Finn come up behind him.

"I don't mean to speak out of turn, Your Highness, but are you sure that was wise?" Finn asked.