Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 72897 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 364(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72897 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 364(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
I rolled my eyes. “Never understood why you cared what she thinks so much, but sure,” I said.
He sighed. “It’s not so much that I care what she thinks,” he said. “I just agree with her that I want to be the best prince I can be. I want to do things the right way. People need someone to look up to.”
“I don’t think anyone gives a shit about seeing a prince in a T-shirt, Sebastian.”
His lips pressed together tightly. “It’s about maintaining a public face,” he said.
“I bet,” I said.
He pulled in a sharp breath, sitting up a little straighter again. “In any case,” he said. “I apologize. I started something I shouldn’t have, back at the castle, and I accept the blame for that. It won’t happen again.”
“Definitely won’t,” I said, shifting on the couch. “Because I’m not stepping foot in that place again.”
“You aren’t?”
“It gives me the creeps,” I said.
He nodded once, his gaze somewhere far away for a moment before he snapped back to the present. “Right,” he said, reaching over and feeling around in one of his jacket pockets. “I also came to give you this.”
He handed me a sheet of the royal-letterhead stock paper. A long list of phone numbers and names was written on it, in incredibly neat cursive handwriting.
“Genoveve prepared a roster of all of the best contractors we’ve had to work on the castle over the past five years,” he said. “The top three are exceptional, and Gen has already called them to put in a good word for you.”
“This is great,” I said softly, looking at the neat list.
“I assume the man I saw in the red truck leaving your house was another contractor you’d been speaking with?”
“That was Norm, yes,” I said. “I think you can still find some of his burger grease if you look at my countertops.”
“I see.”
“I think someone on this list here will probably be a lot better than him,” I said. “Thank you, Sebastian.”
“It’s really my pleasure, and the least I can do,” he said. He looked around the room a little more, as if he was fascinated by every detail, before finally standing up. “I should be going. I don’t want to interfere with your plans.”
I watched as he shrugged on his peacoat and I could see the hint of something in his eyes that I hadn’t seen in a long time. He had the same expression on his face that he always used to have, right before he had to go back to the castle for the holidays.
He used to hate it. It was like going back to the castle—leaving me—tore him up inside, even if he knew he’d see me again soon.
That look annihilated me. No matter how angry I’d been at him, no matter how much I thought he was a snobby prick these days… seeing that look on his face made me want to tuck him into the biggest bear hug I could manage.
“Don’t suppose you’ve eaten dinner yet, have you?”
He glanced up at me. “No, I haven’t,” he said. “Well, the princess is in the car right now, actually. Along with Genoveve.”
“They came down here with you?”
He nodded. “Emma is very interested in town life around here,” he said. “She grew up in a castle in Beloria, and she’s never seen normal life. She’s so happy to be exposed to it here while she’s visiting, so I told her I’d take her to dinner in one of the villages.”
I smiled. “She’s just like you were, when you were fifteen,” I said. “You’d rather be down here in the dinky town than in the castle eating the best food money can buy.”
“Exactly,” he said. “I understand where she’s coming from.”
“Hey,” I said. “When’s the last time you had Carter’s?”
“Mmh, Carter’s,” Sebastian said, his eyes briefly widening. “Years. I haven’t had it since… well, since we last went together, probably. Eleven years ago.”
“My big ‘plans’ for this evening were just to stop by there and grab a beef and peppers sandwich,” I said. “You and Emma should tag along. If you think it’s okay for a prince and princess to step foot on the fairgrounds, of course.”
He was silent for a second, as if the idea of going to the Berrydale winter fairgrounds was like I’d just told him we were flying to the moon.
“I’m—I… sure,” he said finally. “I’ll have to inform Genoveve, and make sure that our schedule allows it, of course—”
“Of course,” I said, walking over to Sebastian and giving him a little push on his shoulder. “Prince.”
“You’ve gotta stop calling me that,” he said.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” I said, waving him off as I went to grab my coat. “Let’s go get some sloppy sandwiches.”
6
Sebastian
I hadn’t been to the Berrydale winter fairgrounds in many years, but it was clear the town had only grown more serious about their winter festival as time had passed.