Page 17 of The Problem with Princes
I sigh and turn to hang it on the hook, when I hear Texie gasp.
“What?” I follow her eyes to the hand shaped blisters on my stomach.
“Oh. My. Gosh.” She raises her eyes to me. “Gee, why didn’t you tell me it was this bad?” She reaches two fingers forward to touch it, but I instinctively suck in my stomach.
She swallows. “Wow. I will buy you half a dozen maxi dresses if you need them. I’m so sorry I was making fun of you before. I had no idea.”
I put my hand on her arm. “It’s okay, Texie. Really. They’re getting better.” I eye the dress. “And this looks loose enough that it won’t rub.”
She eyes my thighs. “He really did a number on you, didn’t he?”
I shrug. What is there to say?
She points to the burns on my legs. “What about those? Is the tight skirt going to hurt too badly?”
I shake my head. “I thought it might in the last one, but it didn’t bother me. I’m sure this one will be fine.”
She nods, her face a little chalkier than it was before.
I shoo her out of the room. “Now go sit down so I can try this on. I still want to see some sights today.”
I slip on the dress, and I’m surprised to find it even more comfortable than the last one. I look in the mirror. The black doesn’t make me look pasty; instead, I look creamy. I tilt my head to the side. And the contrast with my red hair—even I’m impressed by what I see. I hardly even notice my hips. This dress looks as if it has been made just for me.
I step out of the dressing room and Texie lets out a long sigh. “Oh, Grace. It’s beautiful. You look amazing.” She grins. “Prince Tyrone won’t be able to keep his eyes off of you. Not that he was able to before.”
“What are you talking about? You’re the one he was ogling yesterday. Besides, we have a very mutual dislike for one another. He has never evenseenme, let alone staredatme.”
Texie shrugs. “Whatever. I know what I saw.”
I frown. “If he only likes me when I look like this that makes him a shallow jerk. Which we already know him to be, so I guess there will be no surprises.” I turn and go back into the dressing room. “So this is the one?”
“Definitely,” Texie calls through the curtain.
Now that I ‘m alone in the dressing room, I turn over the price tag and cough. The price hasonlyincreased by seven hundred and fifty dollars. Well, crap. I love the dress and how it makes me feel too much to put it back now.
I change back into my clothes and push out of the dressing room. “Your turn, Tex.”
She grabs the pile sitting in the chair next to her and moves into the dressing room. I sit back. How silly it was of me to think we were going to do any sightseeing today.
* * *
“I can’t believeyou saved the prince’s life, Gee. Or that you didn’t tell me about it. Seriously, no one is going to believe it when we get back to DC.” Texie has a hard time sitting still in the back of the limo. She watches out the window and then moves to open the little mini fridge on the other side of the car.
I, on the other hand, have the opposite problem. My legs seem to have lost all feeling. Not even my burns hurt. Can a person truly become paralyzed from fear? Not fear, exactly. Extreme nervousness? How will I even walk into the palace if I can’t feel my legs? My stomach heaves, and I try to focus on my breathing.
I direct my gaze out the window, staring as the lights of the city fade. The roiling in my stomach calms as I watched the waves crash against the shoreline below us, the moonlight reflecting off the water. It is the perfect fairytale setting, just like in every princess Hallmark movie I have ever seen.
Or it is until I hear the queen’s voice in my head.The brakes on Tyrone’s car would have gone out on the coastline road. The chances are high they would have crashed into the sea below.This must be the road the queen was talking about. I swallow hard, thinking of a car plunging over the side of the cliff.
I scoot a little closer to Texie.
We clear the drop-off and moments later the car stops. I look past Texie, out her window at a brightly lit palace. It isn’t like Buckingham Palace big, but it is still palatial.
The driver opens the door and we both climb out.
I run my hands down the front of my skirt, trying to smooth the wrinkles that will surely stay there.
“Look at this place!” Texie whispers fiercely in my ear. “I am so glad you have a conscience and saved the prince’s life. Because this is the coolest thing I’ve ever done.” She squeezes my arm.
