Page 74 of Rags to Royals

“The less I’m in this house with her, the better I’ll be,” he says scowling. “I slept better last night.”

Henry had gone to check us into the bed and breakfast after I’d agreed to take the teaching job. He’s always thinking ahead. So after Scarlett had come back inside from the patio, I’d headed over there.

As much as I would have loved to stay here in Scarlett’s home, surrounded by her stuff, her family, herlife, now that the whole town knows we’re here, Henry and I have to act like travelers on our way through Emerald, laid over only temporarily.

“Oh yeah, clearly. You’re so much sunnier this morning,” I tell Henry.

“This teaching thing just makes me itchy. You don’t do things for eight hours a day without me with you.”

I tip my head. “I’m going to miss you, too.”

“It’s really more about trying to stay alive.”

“You honestly think somebody’s going to try to kill me here?”

“I am talking about me. When Iris finds out about this, she’s going to want to kill me.”

I chuckle. Iris Lee is the head of the royal bodyguards. All of the bodyguards, including Henry, report to her officially. But these guys have been doing these jobs for over a decade. And I’m sure Henry doesn’t report every single move I make.

“She knows we’re here in Ohio and why, right?”

Henry nods.

“Can we just not tell her about the teaching thing?”

He narrows his eyes. “Do you think that you can keep it from becoming some big thing?”

“Definebig thing.” I’d hate to make a promise I can’t keep. I feel like most things worth doing are worth reallydoing.

Henry blows out of breath. “Exactly. It has to do with Scarlett and her kid. Of course it’s going to be a big thing.”

“The job doesn’t have to do with Scarlett and her kid. It’s just something they offered me while I was here, and it helps cover up that a rich and handsome charming prince is madly in love with Scarlett. No one but the family needs to know that. I guess.” I’d rather shout it to the world, but I can respect her wishes to keep it quiet. I suppose. For now.

“So instead, the new guy, the handsome and charmingcollege professoris going to be in love with Scarlett,” Henry says. “Or are you going to pretend that’s not the case? Are you and Scarlett going to sneak around?”

“The whole point of being here is to get to know her, spend time with her, get to know her on her own turf,” I remind him. “I definitely don’t want to sneak around. I want to take her out, date her. See if this can be something real.” I shake my head. “Or rather, prove to her that it can be real.”

“You’ve already decided that you know her well enough and that you want her to be the princess?” Henry asks. He doesn’t seem surprised.

“She might think she lied to me about who she is, but she was completely real with me. I think real in a way she isn’t usually, but in a way shewantsto be.”

Henry sighs but he doesn’t argue. “Have you and Scarlett talked about that? Is she cool with publicly dating the new teacher?”

I frown. See? When Henry is grumpy and annoyed, he makes me grumpy and annoyed. “We haven’t talked about it specifically. But she’s agreed that we are going to spend time together. What else would this be? I don’t think she’s going to be surprised when I say I want to go out in public with her.”

I think I’ve been pretty clear even if I hadn’t fucked her on her patio last night that I want her. That I want to give this every chance it has to turn into something real.

“Great, so I’m going to need to be over here at this house more often.” Henry does not seem excited about that.

“There is definitely no one at this house that wants to kill me. Although I do think Ruby is blaming me, like you are, for her current frustration.”

Henry glares at me. “We’re not going to talk about Ruby. I’m also not coming over here every night for dinner. I can’t just be around her and not…” He shoves a hand through his hair.

I sympathize. There’s no way that I could be in that close proximity to Scarlett and not want to talk to her, tell her how I feel, touch her. “I’m sorry, man,” I say. “Seriously. Maybe it will?—”

“It will be fine,” he cuts me off. “I’ll just be bored off my ass for the next two weeks. Maybe I really will start a book.”

“Seventeen days,” I correct. “I have three days more than two weeks.”

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