Page 72 of Royal Icing
He nodded, then stuck his head out of the apartment. He looked side to side, then slipped into the hallway.
Emma took a moment to pet Cooper. She straightened her wig in the mirror, then watched her phone until two minutes had passed.
Leo sent a thumbs-up emoji, and she crept out of her apartment and closed the door behind her. She stopped to listen, but there was nothing but silence. She slunk down the stairs and out into the courtyard.
The guard in the gatehouse nodded at her despite the wig. Shit. Hopefully he wasn’t a snitch. She popped the collar on her jacket and strode toward the castle, passing the magnificent Christmas tree and skirting the main double doors.
The grounds and exterior hallways were deserted, so she had impersonated an American treasure for nothing.
Leo met her at the door. He held his wallet up to some sort of scanner. The device beeped, and there was an audible click as the door unlocked.
He hurried through the door, and Emma hesitated behind him. He strode to the intersection of the hallway and glanced around in a way that wasn’t very casual before turning around and nodding at her.
She slipped inside and followed him at a distance. Suddenly, a door opened down the hallway and the king stepped out. Emma leapt sideways and crashed through a random door, falling heavily onto the floor.
The room was beautifully decorated, with an intricate four-poster bed and blush-and-gold decor. And on the bed sat Ruby. Shit.
“Uhhhh, Emma?” Ruby sounded unsure.
“Oh, hey. I didn’t know this was your room,” Emma said, despite having been in it a few days earlier.
“Don’t get me wrong,” Ruby said. “I’m happy to see you. But why are you in my room? And dressed like Pete Wentz from Fall Out Boy?”
“Right? That’s what I told him.”
Ruby perked up. “Him? Ooh, you mean Leo.”
“No—I—” Emma began, but Ruby had an amused expression.
“You can’t tell anyone you saw me. Swear,” Emma said with a pointed finger.
“Relax. I won’t tell anyone you’re having a secret relationship with my brother.”
“It’s not a relationship.”
“No? So it’s a normal part of your contract to wear wigs and sneak around with the children of your customers?”
“Shut up,” Emma said, but couldn’t hide her smile.
“I could have you tied to a turret for telling me to shut up.” Ruby’s teenage sass was unparalleled.
“And derail your mom’s dream ball?” Emma asked. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“You have a point. Just promise me one thing.”
“If I must.”
“Don’t hurt him,” she said firmly.
Emma’s heart lurched. “I would never. That’s not what this is.”
“Are you sure? I watched him drag like ninety-five bags of Christmas decorations to his room last night like he robbed Whoville.”
“Maybe he’s just feeling festive.”
“He hates Christmas,” Ruby said flatly.
“Can you go out in the hallway and see if your dad’s still out there?” This bickering was wasting time. Emma only had a few hours before she needed to get down to the kitchen for the final push.
