Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 61903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 310(@200wpm)___ 248(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 310(@200wpm)___ 248(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
“Nicholas?”
I froze, shutting my eyes and wishing I could just vanish in a puff of smoke. Then I turned, facing my mother. She stood next to the window, the sun shining down on her and causing the sapphire necklace she wore to glow as endlessly blue as the sea itself. It popped against her pale skin, highlighted even more by the black dress she wore, cut just above the ankle and trimmed in silver lace with inlaid pearls.
Meanwhile, I stood there with my ass practically showing.
“Mom.”
“Are you… okay?” She started toward me, heels clicking again.
“Yes, yes. All good. I’m going to go shower.”
She squinted her eyes. Suspicion had been her middle name ever since I was a child testing the boundaries. She suspected everything I did and always assumed there was a second story lying just underneath the first.
She was right about today, so I’d give her that.
“Aren’t you leaving on your trip today?”
“Tomorrow, actually.” I started the trek back to my bedroom, not realizing just how much ground Cristella covered with her run.
“Ah, bueno. I’ll be asking you to meet with some people while you’re overseas. Some light diplomatic things. It won’t interfere on your and Cristella’s vacation, I promise.”
I ground my teeth. Aside from suspicion, my mother was also fond of surprises. She enjoyed springing things on people at the very last second, and I was now feeling the effects of that.
Fine. If she was going to deal a surprise, then so would I.
“Cristella and I broke up.”
A tiny gasp sounded from behind me. I stopped at my bedroom door, a snow-dusted wreath hanging on the center of it.
“But… but… que?”
For once in her life, it seemed like the queen was at a loss for words.
“It wasn’t working out. I’m sorry, Mom. I’m done with living for other people. I’m a prince, not a puppet. I gave it an honest shot and realized I wasn’t happy. Done.”
She looked dumbfounded. And then the sound of more footsteps coming from the opposite end of the hall drifted toward us. My mother clicked back into queen mode, straightening her shoulders and adopting a neutral expression before looking over my shoulder and offering a smile.
“Ah, buenos días, Luna.”
If I could breathe a sigh of relief without being obvious, I sure as hell would have.
I turned, smiling and offering a wave.
Luna Rodríguez walked toward us, glancing at me with a mixture of concern and amusement. She was the head of my security team and had watched my back since I could remember ever being worried about it. Behind her bounced Eli, my golden retriever and most trusted confidant. His tongue lolled out as he came over, crashing into my legs, rubbing his big head against my thighs. I pet him, scratching underneath his ears.
“Is everything okay?” my mom asked.
“Sí,” Luna answered. “Just came to ask some questions about the trip to America.”
“Yeah, about that.” I crouched down so that Eli could land some kisses on my cheek. “It’s canceled.”
“Oh?” Luna looked down in surprise. “So where are you and Cristella going to go?”
“Also canceled.”
Her face snapped back up. She looked to my mother, who shot her a look before saying, “I have to go greet the duchess. Please, Luna, talk some sense into this stubborn prince of mine.”
She kissed Luna’s cheeks and then the top of my head before she whisked down the hall, heels clicking against the floor. I waited until she disappeared before saying, “I need to get out of here, Luna. I really need to go.”
“Did something happen?” She had her hands in her black slacks, her expression worried.
“I’m finally doing something for myself,” I said, standing back up. Eli sat down at my feet, looking like the happiest dog in the world. “So if you have any suggestions on where I could run away to, I’d love to know.”
“Well…” Luna said, thinking as I started to walk down the hall and back to my room. Luna and Eli followed. “Since I’m thinking about your America trip, my parents take a yearly holiday cruise from Miami. They spend something like sixteen days in the Caribbean, and they absolutely love it. When they come back, they look like new people. My mom comes back with a boatload of glamor shots and my dad’s bald head comes back with a sunburn.”
“Perfect,” I said. Being on a cruise ship where I’d know there weren’t paparazzi hiding in every bush or tree I walked past sounded like paradise. Add the fact that I doubted I would be recognized by a crowd of vacationing Americans. They had fascinations with royal families that only seemed to extend to England’s. Meanwhile, I couldn’t walk through most any street in Europe without getting recognized.
A spontaneous breakup and a Caribbean Christmas cruise… I wonder what other surprises this holiday’s got in store for me.