Page 6 of Royally Knocked Up
A wave of shame washed over Hailey. “I apologize, Your Highness,” she said quickly. “I haven’t slept — I’m not at my best. I beg your forgiveness.”
“No, that’s not necessary.” The king smiled. “In fact, this is an unforeseen benefit. My son is surrounded by people who are afraid to argue with him or tell him no. It’s given him an inflated sense of his own importance, which I think is a large part of the problem I’m currently dealing with. You won’t be afraid to put him in his place when it’s necessary to do so.”
Hailey wasn’t at all sure that was true. She had forgotten herself just now. The idea of deliberately talking back to royalty did intimidate her. But apparently it was what King Edoardo wanted her to do.
“Well, I think that’s everything we need to discuss,” the king said. “You’ll have more detailed instructions to review in the car, as well as contacts to get in touch with in case there are any questions or concerns. I wish you luck, Ms. Jones.”
He sat back in his chair, and Hailey understood that she was being dismissed.
She made her way slowly to the door of the throne room, unable to believe what had just happened. She was going to play bodyguard to a prince — but she would be guarding him against himself.
If I succeed at this job, it will be a miracle.
Romano was waiting for her outside. “Have you accepted the position?”
“Yes,” she said.
He nodded, clearly unsurprised. “Let’s be on our way, then,” he said. “The car is waiting.”
CHAPTER 3
HAILEY
La Fantasia turned out to be a beautiful resort in the mountains. The main building reminded Hailey of an old-fashioned log cabin, except that it was much larger than any log cabin she had ever seen. The lobby was three stories high, the ceiling towering overhead, and flags she didn’t recognize hung from the rafters.
“You’ll be staying in an employee suite,” Romano said. “Your luggage has already been sent along.”
Hailey nodded. “The king mentioned that.”
“I’m sure you’re looking forward to getting settled in, but my instructions are to drop you off with Isla Meier. She’s the head of the events team, and you’ll be reporting to her directly while you’re here.”
Hailey nodded. This had been covered in the briefing documents she had reviewed in the car on the way here — she was to work on the events team as cover for what she was really doing here. The truth was, she felt more nervous about trying to blend in asan events planner than she did about monitoring Prince Enzo’s behavior. What did she know about event planning?
Isla Meier turned out to be a thin, short woman with ice-white hair. She had a warm smile, though, and she bestowed it on Hailey as they were introduced. “So you’re the new member of my team,” she said. “There isn’t much going on today, so I’ll have plenty of time to give you a tour of the place. As a matter of fact, we do have one other new team member joining us, though he isn’t here yet. But he’s familiar with this resort, as it’s owned by his family.”
She spoke with a thick Dutch accent. Hailey found it charming.
“If you’d like to wait until the prince arrives, I’d be just as happy to take some downtime,” she told Isla. “I basically came straight here from the airport. I wouldn’t mind a shower.”
“Certainly. I’ll show you to your room, then,” Isla said. “I think you’ll be comfortable. Our staff suites really are very nice. Much nicer than some I’ve seen in my time.” She led Hailey down a hall at the very back of the lobby. The doors here were plain and marked with simple brass numbers, and Isla took her to number nineteen. “You’ll be in here,” she said. “It’s been vacant for a while, but it has one of the best views on this side of the property.”
She stood back so Hailey could go in.
The rooms were small, but they were cozy. Someone had taken the trouble to light a fire in the fireplace, which made it feel very homey. And there was Hailey’s suitcase, standing beside the door that led to the little bedroom. Seeing the familiar bag allowed a bit of the tension in Hailey’s shoulders to evaporate.
“I’ll leave you to get unpacked,” Isla said. “There’s a house phone there on the table, and I’ll give you a call when the prince arrives.”
“Do we know when he’s due to get here?” Hailey recalled the king telling her that the prince had already set out from Luria. Surely that meant he should have made it here already.
“He was expected a few hours ago,” Isla said. “But I’m sure he’ll arrive in due time. For now, you may as well enjoy the facilities. Take a nap if you’d like.”
Hailey nodded. “That sounds great,” she said, unable to keep the relief out of her voice.
Isla smiled at her once more. “Don’t hesitate to reach out if there’s anything I or the staff can do for you in the meantime,” she said, handing Hailey a card. “My direct number is on here, and you’re always welcome to give me a call. The front desk team is also available to help you with anything you might need.”
“Thanks,” Hailey said, accepting the card. “I really appreciate that.”
Isla left the room, and Hailey was on her own for the first time since touching down in Monteverde.
