Page 55 of Once Upon A Royal Christmas
“Oh, my goodness.” The princess stepped to the right and then to the left in a fruitless attempt to pass Gracie.
It was no use. Gracie’s dress took up the entire width of the staircase and then some.
“Hi there. I’m sorry I almost plowed into you.” Gracie winced. “I wasn’t paying attention, and this dress sort of has a mind of its own.”
Gracie let out a little laugh, fully expecting Alana to join in and laugh too. She’d seemed so kind when they’d met in the dining room. So down to earth.
Not this time, though. She didn’t even crack a smile. She just stood there, tightening her grip on her designer bag as her cheeks went pink.
“Um, is everything okay?” Gracie asked.
“Fine,” Alana said, and without another word, she turned around and sprinted back up the stairs toward her room.
Her door opened and slammed shut behind her before Gracie could move a muscle.
That was weird. Gracie’s mouth went dry.
Was it, though?
She’d nearly taken out an actual princess with her over-the-top Cinderella ballgown. Alana was probably as horrified by Gracie’s appearance as Nick had been the first time he’d set eyes on her. No wonder she’d wanted to get away from her as fast as possible.
And that’s all it took for Gracie’s swoony post-carriage-ride bubble to burst. She was just a regular girl, as far away from being real royalty as she could possibly get. Nick could call her Princess all he wanted…
But that didn’t make it real.
The following morning, Nick once again contemplated the feat of engineering required to cram Gracie’s snowflake ballgown into a confined space. This time, instead of a carriage, he and Princess Snowflake would be riding one of San Glacera’s famed gondolas across the snow-covered peaks of the surrounding Alps.
“The ride is approximately five minutes each way. The gondola will take you from here to the summit of Mount Vit and back again.” Jaron consulted the notes on his tablet and continued briefing Gracie as they stood in the tiny log cabin that served as the headquarters for the gondola operation. “You’ll be traveling over three thousand miles above sea level, with views of glacial crevasses, mountains, and snow.”
Nick glanced at Gracie. “A lot of snow.” If they could see over her dress once they were situated in the tiny glass box that would carry them over the mountain range.
Gracie grinned. “It sounds really fun. This is one of San Glacera’s Christmas traditions?”
“The gondolas run year-round, but during the holidays, they’re decorated for Christmas and local schools bring the kids up here for a special holiday ride,” Nick said.
“Which is taking place today.” Jaron nodded toward the cabin window, which overlooked a line of children near the platform where the gondolas stopped for disembarking. “You and Nick will help the kids get on and off the cable cars for an hour or so, and then you’ll take the ride yourselves. Does that sound good?”
“It sounds great.” Gracie went to work fastening the glittery silver buttons on her velvet cape.
“I’m going to go make sure the kids and teachers are ready. I’ll be right back to fetch you two.” Jaron glanced up from his iPad and gave them one last smile before striding toward the door.
Was Nick imagining things, or had there been a hint of innuendo in his eyes? You two. He’d looked at them like they were a couple. Then again, it seemed like a lot of people were doing that lately.
Nick slid his gaze toward Gracie, still fastening her cape. “Here, let me help. That can’t be easy with those long satin gloves you’re wearing.”
She shrugged. “Princess problems.”
Her eyes locked with his as he went to work on the buttons. A pink flush made its way to her cheeks, and Nick could have sworn he saw her pulse beating in the graceful hollow of her throat.
“All done,” he said, fingertips lingering on the top button.
“Thank you,” she said. Her voice was soft and breathy. For a second, Nick felt like they were back on the echo trail. All alone.
Then the door swung open, and Jaron walked back inside the cabin.
Gracie cleared her throat. A practiced smile came to her lips, but at least she didn’t bolt away from him like the last time Jaron had stumbled upon them in a cozy moment.
Why did that keep happening, anyway?
