Recklessly Royal(26)

That was, until a thought hit me like a ton of bricks. What if he had only asked me out because he felt sorry for me? The pathetic princess stuck in a tower that he needed to rescue? It could be that he didn’t want to see me again at all and was just doing what he thought was right. After all, he had left me naked and panting last night without seeming bothered.





EIGHT


KICKING THE SHOES off in the car I slumped in my seat and closed my eyes. I had never had such a strong urge to punch someone as I did while listening to the idiot bankers asking what their return would be for something like the art program.

“Well, that went well.” Selene humphed from her seat. “What is it your new sister says? Those men were a bunch of asshats.”

A laugh burst out of my mouth and I peeked one eye open to see her grin as she flipped through her files.

“That’s it exactly.” I sat up. “Why did they even come? I mean, what did they expect? A percentage of crayon drawings? Finger paintings to hang in their offices? That I could take care of, but a financial return?”

“You made a compelling argument.” Selene looked at me over the top of her glasses. “Stretching a child’s imagination leads to new products, intellectual property, and more local resources.”

I blew a raspberry. “Fat lot of good it did me.”

“You know how this works,” she said. “They come in all gung-ho or completely distant.”

“I know it’s annoying.” I closed my eyes again. “They just want to be able to say they had a meeting with a princess.”

“Well, I’m sure that’s a big point for some of them.” She shrugged. “But then again, you know that you can use your status to make good things happen. That comes with the job.”

I sighed. It was the same conversation we’d had countless times over the years. Only this time I didn’t feel placated by the simple observations. I was tired of being Princess Catherine. It was completely ridiculous that it took my title to get people to invest in our children.

Right now, I was looking forward to going back to D’Lynsal and finishing the book I had started earlier. My eyes popped open when I remembered that David would be just a short drive away at Rousseau. Even if I wasn’t sure if he wanted a date with me or he felt sorry for me, I had told him I’d try to find time. The worst thing that could happen would be an uncomfortable night that ended in him feeling better and me right back where I already was.

“Selene?”

“Yes?”

“When do I have another dinner free?” I looked down at my nails and picked at a cuticle.

“Thursday, I believe.” She raised an eyebrow. “Is there something you’d like me to schedule?”

“I was thinking about going to see a movie.”

“Tell me which one and I’ll have it screened at the palace for you.” She picked up her pen.

“No, I’d like to go out.” I paused, looking for words that wouldn’t make me sound like an excited girl. “With a friend.”

“I see. And is this friend trustworthy?”

“I think so.” I looked up at her and frowned. “Why?”

“I know that Princess Samantha trusts him, but you don’t know him very well.” She said the words quietly and I tried to see the worry beneath her disappointed tone. It obviously hadn’t taken much of a jump to figure I was referring to David.

“That’s what I’m trying to correct,” I responded. “I’d like to know more about him.”

“Okay, then.” She nodded her head but not without a grin. “I’ll check with Chadwick and see what we can work out.”

“Thank you.”

By the time we pulled up to D’Lynsal, I was more than ready for a hot bath and my bed. My apartment at the palace was great, but despite what I had said to David, it didn’t feel like home the way our family estate did. The palace was meant to house visitors, showcase our culture and history, while giving the country a place to look toward during tough times.

After I turned eighteen I had the apartments updated to my tastes, which had been fun but weird. People had complained in tabloids about the fact that I was wrecking historical objects. Others cheered on my need to modernize the palace. In truth I was just tired of the rose petal pink wallpaper and green carpet. I’m sure that had been the height of fashion at some point, but I couldn’t stand it a moment longer.

D’Lynsal, however, was ours. It was the home we didn’t have to share with the media. There were no flyers or press releases if I decided I wanted to change a paint color or update a light feature. Some of my fondest memories were running through these halls or fighting with Alex and Max. Seemed odd when you thought about it, but the best part of being a child was that we had nothing more to worry about other than dessert and getting out of events we thought would be boring. The older we had gotten, the harder it had become to avoid those important functions.