Page 27 of Powerful Prince
She took my hand and I said, “I planned a picnic, but we can go into town if you want, instead.”
She beamed at me like she controlled the sun. “A picnic sounds quiet. Tomorrow we can go get our picture taken.”
We headed out of the tower and took the winding steps down to the ground floor. Then I led her to a back door.
I had given the staff instructions for where to leave the picnic basket. I hoped she’d like the spot I’d chosen. As we headed outside, the breeze of the day hit my skin. I winked at her and said, “I knew I liked you.”
“I’m easy to like,” she said, and squeezed my hand.
We headed onto the rose garden path that was lined with blooms growing in a variety of pinks and reds. My mother used to enjoy her flowers and spent hours with the gardeners.
The air smelled sweet and my shoulders relaxed as I held Nicole close. “I can see that.”
She stretched as we made it to the meadow, with green grass and tulips planted around the small hill. “So was this your escape as a boy?”
I motioned toward the picnic blanket and basket that were there already as I said, “When we were in town, yes. This is the formal castle and we spent four days a week here, with duties laced through the day.”
She plopped down on the blanket and opened the basket as she asked, “But three days off?”
“Yes.” She took out the wine, glasses, and a small tray of sandwiches and placed them around us as I said, “I should warn you that we probably don’t get to ‘retire’ immediately after saying ‘I do.’ My father will probably parade us around on a schedule for a month.”
She handed me the bottle to open and I reached into the basket and dug out the corkscrew. She laughed and showed me the small cakes she’d discovered for dessert, but put them back in the basket for now. “A month isn’t that long,” she said.
My heart beat an entirely new tune. She handed me the glasses and I poured the wine as ordered while I said, “It might feel that way for you. You’ve never done royal duties.”
“No.” She took the stem of the glass I offered and sipped the wine. Then she said, “But I know how it feels to always shine a light on myself, even when I want to stay in bed and do nothing.”
Yes, both of our lives were documented—though hers was by choice. I said, “We have that in common.”
She unwrapped the sandwiches that were even meatier than breakfast. My favorite ones had lamb as a base. My mouth watered as she offered them, and I took a slice.
“So, when you get to retire, what’s the first thing you want to do that you can’t do now?” she asked.
I devoured the sandwich like I’d been the one to go through the ordeal of being prodded. Once I finished, I met her gaze and asked, “The truth?”
She twirled her wine in her hand. “Yes.”
I clinked glasses with her and leaned closer to share this lifelong dream. “First thing is walking around my own house or castle in nothing but my pajamas all day.”
Her head rolled back and she laughed like I’d just said the funniest joke ever. She even slapped her knee. Once she calmed down, she asked, “That’s it?”
Maybe every Sunday of her life she had the luxury of doing nothing and never having to politely wave at anyone. I nodded and sipped my wine. “Yes, I’ve always wanted to know what not having to do anything feels like.”
Her face went white and her jaw dropped, so we ate in silence for a few minutes. Then she asked, “After that?”
I took a deep breath. Gio was the only one who knew about my plans. I had a portfolio ready, but my inheritance was tied up and out of my control for now. That meant my growing allowance was all I had to prove my worth at the moment. But I only said, “I want to support boards and companies that will leave less of a carbon footprint.”
Tears seemed to mist in her pretty brown eyes and she cupped my face. “I didn’t know you had that interest.”
We had more in common than we’d realized, it seemed. I gazed into the distance, at the bay and the trees, and asked, “What about you? What are you going to do once you’re posting less?”
Her lips quirked up. “After I join you in the pajama party?”
She scooted closer and her thigh pressed against mine as I said, “Yes, though you being there might make the day more fun.”
“I hope so.” She seemed hypnotized by the blue sky meeting the darker blue waters as she said, “But then, I’d like to sit down with myself and write the book in my heart.”
I blinked and glance down at her. “That’s it?”
