Page 15 of The Problem with Princes
I shake my head. “No. Not at all.”
The queen stands, so I jump off the couch. “Very well. We shall send a car around to pick you up at six?”
Texie and I nod in unison.
Sander steps forward and lifts his arm toward the elevator. We are being dismissed, but I don’t feel affronted or anything. I mean, it isn’t every day that people get an invitation to dine at a palace.
We make our way to the elevator and step inside. As we stand waiting for the doors to close, I raise my hand and offer a little wave. The queen returns it and I feel a thrill of excitement. She feels more real than Prince Tyrone and the king—aside from her formal language likehighhanded. I like her. Although, I have no idea how such a nice woman raised a man like Prince Tyrone. I shrug. Not that it really matters. I can spend the evening talking with the queen and virtually ignore Modern Ares.
The elevator doors slide shut and the box slides down the shaft.
Texie turns toward me and lets out a high-pitched scream. “Oh. My. Heck, Gee! We’re having dinner at the palace!”
ChapterSix
We pushopen the door of a little boutique-y type shop with gorgeous gowns displayed in the window. I hesitate slightly. In my experience, boutique-y type places always mean more money. But I haven’t seen a mall or even a Target since we landed in Europe, so this is probably my best option.
Texie pulls me through the door and lets out a small squeal. This is her Mecca. She moves from dress to dress, each one eliciting an ooh or an ahh.
Most of the dresses I can see are form fitting and the burns on my stomach hurt just at the thought of slipping any of them on.
Texie looks over at me. “Why do you have such a look of disdain on your face? There are so many gorgeous dresses to choose from in here.”
“I don’t have a look of disdain. I am simply looking for an option that will suit my needs.” A part of me had hoped that a prim and proper woman would show up at our hotel room with racks of gorgeous gowns for us to choose from. I mean, it happened in thePrincess Diaries, didn’t it? Isn’t that what royalty does for commoners that come to the palace?
Texie gives me a little hip bump. “I don’t think they make maxi dresses in formal wear, Gee.”
“Yeah, haha.” I move away from her to see what else I can find. Pulling dress after dress from the rack, I finally find a gold gown that drapes in folds across the front. The back also drapes, but lower, leaving much of the back exposed. At the waist, the dress tapers, looking like it will hug the body—not an altogether happy thought. Not only will it accentuate my ‘birthing hips’ as my grandmother called them, but the thought of the fabric rubbing against the burns on my legs makes me grimace slightly. They aren’t as bad as my stomach, so maybe it will be okay. Unfortunately, there isn’t much I can do about the hips. At least not in the next twenty-four hours.
I grab the dress and head for the dressing room, picking up the price tag, just to see. I stop in my tracks. Twenty thousand dracones? I do quick math in my head and nearly drop the dress. More than three thousand dollars? I turn and quickly put it back on the rack, as if just holding it will drain my bank account. This vacation is already going to put a heavy dent in my savings. I can’t justify spending that kind of money on a dress I will wear once. Not even to dine with a king and queen.
“Why did you put that dress back? I think it is pretty.” Texie says holding an armful of dresses.
“It’s a little too prom dressy for me, don’t you think?” I lie.
Texie holds the gown out and looks at it, then at me. Her eyes narrow slightly, and she looks at the price tag. “It’s the cost, isn’t it?” She tsks. “This is a big deal, Gee. Splurge a little.”
I tilt my head to the side—my eyes rolling of their own volition. “Says the DC lawyer who just made junior partner.”
Her eyes fill with pity, and I want to flee from the store. I hate being pitied.
It’s funny. Maybe not funny haha, but more curious. We both attended the same amount of school, and both have master’s degrees. But an associate lobbyist doesn’t make the same kind of money as an associate lawyer. And certainly not as much as a junior partner. I make just enough money to cover my high-cost DC apartment and food. Some months, if I brown bag it every day and eat Ramen for dinner, I’m able to put a little in savings.It’s how I was able to afford this trip. But I don’t have a contingency account for formal attire.
I look at the dress, thinking of it in terms of Ramen. How much will I have to eat to pay for it? I run my tongue over the roof of my mouth several times, an overwhelmingly salty chicken flavor fills my senses.
I shake my head at Texie. “I can’t do it. I just can’t spend that much money on a single dress.” It just isn’t worth the heavy, salty toll it will cost.
Texie lays aside her stack and grabs the price tag. “This isn’t terrible, Grace. Not for a gown like this.”
“But I’ll only wear it one time. This isn’t my wedding day, Tex.”
She waggles her brows at me. “If you play your cards right, it could be.”
My eye roll is immediate.
She pulls the gown from the rack. “I’ll buy it for you.”
I shake my head emphatically. “Not only no. But….”
