Page 21 of Lily and the Billionaire Prince

Lily was born with ginger hair, but she decided to take its carrot resemblance to cherry heights instead. She’d gotten good at touching up the color to keep it a spitfire red that would make tomatoes jealous. It was ostentatious and loud and something she would have to change once she took off to Florence, but for now, her vivid hair was the only thing she liked about herself anymore.

She hadn’t always had such a bleak outlook toward herself, but every glance in the mirror, every step she took at the hotel, every calorie she consumed, resonated with criticism. The truth was, she’d messed up. Big time. She was one wrong move away from losing everything she’d gained since coming to Florida. Though she’d gotten some of her mojo back by working at the resort, the reminder of her failure in Vermont was always there, a reminder that told her she wasn’t deserving of such a great position.

“Scarlet is putting it nicely,” she said, warding off the compliment. Whether she liked her hair or not, she didn’t want him to know he’d cheered her with his words.

“Why do you do that?” Henrik asked, strolling beside her.

“Do what?”

“Put yourself down. I’ve heard you do it several times now.”

“I—” Did she do it that often? There was a time back in high school when she’d been genuinely happy. She’d lost that version of herself somewhere along the way. As she questioned why, everything pointed to Damon. She’d put so much stock in his opinion—which was rarely good—that his poor viewpoints had been set to instant replay in her mind.

“I dated a guy once who wasn’t very nice to me. I guess I still hear him in my head.”

Henrik gave her such direct attention it made her self-conscious. “Okay then. What do you still hear him say?”

“Why?”

“Because I want to see if I can refute it.”

“No.”

“It’s a matter of pride,” he said carelessly. “I want to prove I’m better than that buffoon.”

“You’re shameless,” she said, smiling in spite of herself.

“Go on, then. Start with an easy one.”

Lily considered for a moment before settling on one of Damon’s many complaints.

“My cooking,” Lily said. “He constantly compared my meager fare to what his mom could do. Being part Italian is a matter of pride, especially when it comes to food.” And Lily had certainly never measured up. She’d always felt so self-conscious cooking for him, especially when he would eat and never thank her. And then proclaim with a shrug that whatever her fodder was, it wasn’t as good as his mom’s.

“I’m not Italian,” she said, pulling a strand of her shocking red hair.

Henrik dusted his hands, and a startling wave lapped over their feet. “Being Italian is not a prerequisite for talent in the kitchen. I can vouch for the French, English, and Einvarian chefs we’ve had at my home, and while Italian food is divine, their cuisine can rival Italian cuisine in delectability any day.”

“And American food?” she asked.

He glanced out at the ocean. “American fast-food far outweighs them all.”

Lily’s laugh deepened at the cheeky comment. He kept a straight face. “There. That has been resolved. Next insult?”

“My housekeeping,” Lily said, thinking quickly of another aspect Damon always put her down for. He knew she loved animals, and animals were, well, animals. She wasn’t always the best at cleaning after them in a timely fashion. “I’m terribly disorganized and have too many pets, which results in poor financial decisions because I spend so much to feed them. They’re often messy, too.”

“I see. But how could a woman with a heart as gold as yours reject the poor creatures who benefit from your assistance?”

She was taken aback by this. She’d expected him to turn his nose at her admission to having multiple pets. “You don’t know what my heart is made of,” she reminded him. Not when they’d only interacted a handful of times now.

“Having never seen your heart firsthand, no, but putting others before yourself means you have a generous spirit. Everyone knows gold is the color of generosity, therefore, I made a simple deduction. Heart of gold.” He winked.

Arrogant, prideful man. Still, she couldn’t help feeling lifted by his simple praise. It was so long since someone besides Mr. Elir had complimented her so straightforwardly, without any speck of sarcasm or underlying hints of insults. When Henrik spoke, the words were right to the point and voiced in a more logical way than romantic. A new wave cast in, washing over their feet. The sand sifted beneath her steps.

“Come on, then,” he said. “Let’s have your next fault. These are proving to be less of a challenge than I expected.”

“My faults aren’t a challenge for you?”

“Not as of yet. You sound human to me. What else about you is so abhorrent?”

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