Page 12 of Royal Charmer
I bite back a smile. It’s so nice to have such a staunch supporter. “Close. I put them in the shredder. They’re confetti.”
“Too bad you don’t have them here because we could throw that on the fire too.”
“It is too bad.”
The first course arrives, salad for both of us with fresh calamari on top of it. Not fried either. I can see the little suction cups on the tentacles. Gross.
Lucas digs into his with gusto.
I shift the tentacles to the side with my fork and try not to look at them.
“What’s wrong?” he asks. “You don’t like squid?”
“It just looks so alive and rubbery.”
He lifts a tentacle, wiggles it around, and pops it in his mouth, chewing with a devilish grin.
I make a face. “Eww.”
“Just try one,” he says, leaning across the table, stabbing one of mine with a fork, and offering it up to me, making it wiggle like it’s alive.
I clamp my lips shut and turn my head away.
He barks out a laugh. “You’re missing out. It’s fresh and delicious. Seafood is our major export.”
I keep my eyes on my lettuce. “Yes, well, I’ll just keep my tentacles exported to the far end of my plate.”
He laughs. “So tell me more about what you write. You said Regency-period stories. When is that?”
I’m momentarily speechless. Men never want to hear about my work. I recover myself. “The Regency period of England was from eighteen eleven to eighteen twenty, and it was delightful for the upper class, what they call theton. That’s who I write about, dukes and viscounts and such. Anyway, that time was full of social events—balls and teas are my favorite—along with the fashion, lots of gowns and formal wear.” I sigh happily. “It was a more genteel time.”
“You should’ve stayed in a castle in England,” he says. “What made you want to stay here?”
My cheeks heat, and I force a casual breezy tone. “I have a book signing in London in two weeks, and it’s not that far from here. Combining the two trips made sense because the publisher paid for my airfare, which made the whole thing possible.”
He studies me for a moment. “Still odd that you wanted to stay here and not England, considering what you write. How did you hear of us?”
I consider saying I read about Villroy in a bridal magazine, which I did, but my fascination with the island began before that. In any case, the coverage of the weddings held here didn’t exactly make it sound like a dream destination. There was some hilarious mix-up of a double-booked wedding, including one featuring furries, people in stuffed animal suits. Probably a touchy subject. I go with the truth, though it makes me sound slightly stalkerish, which is the whole reason I’m embarrassed to admit why I’m here. But I do confess because honesty is important.
“I went to Yale with your sister Silvia.”
“You did? Were you friends?”
I set my fork down. “No. She was a year ahead of me and, you know, she’s a princess. She was up here, you know?” I lift my hand above my head.
“Is that where I am?” he asks in a teasing voice.
“You were up there oh so briefly.”
“Ha!”
I grin. “Anyway, I saw her around campus, everyone knew who she was, and I admit I became fascinated with Villroy. I did some research into the island and thought it would be a nice place to visit. I hope that doesn’t seem Silvia stalkerish. I didn’t expect to see her here. Anyway, I heard she married Cade and settled in the US.”
A servant steps forward and clears Lucas’s salad plate. I nod and he takes mine as well.
“She did,” Lucas says in regard to Silvia. “So what did you learn about Villroy?”
“Tons, actually. I’m a history buff. I read all about the various people who laid claim to the island as well as your traditional fishing way of life, which is still around, but dying out. That’s why Villroy is branching into new industries.”
