Page 2 of Lily and the Billionaire Prince

Lily was too, but she didn’t say as much.

Aaliyah smiled and River took over the conversation. He moved into the bedroom area now, standing beside his wife but directing his comments to Mr. Elir. “The man and woman spoke in lowered voices with what sounded like European accents. I don’t usually care about what others talk about except that the man was getting extremely agitated at the woman.”

“A couple’s squabble?” Mr. Elir guessed.

River made a motion with his hands. “They aren’t exactly a couple. She’s more like his babysitter, from the sound of things. Though he called her a ‘childminder.’”

“But this was a grown man?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Don’t do that.” Mr. Elir waved him off with a frown. “You know not to call me ‘sir.’ I’m Papa to you now.”

River stole a bashful glance at his wife, and the two shared a secret smile. Aaliyah’s cheeks weren’t the only ones to turn pink.

Lily was touched by the exchange. Not that long ago, Aaliyah had been engaged to River’s boss, so the idea that Mr. Elir welcomed River like this undoubtedly meant a lot.

“Why do you say babysitter then?”

“That’s what the man was getting so upset about,” River said. “That’s what I couldn’t help overhearing.”

“He’s a prince, Papa,” Aaliyah gushed as though she was tired of waiting for River to spill. “He’s here in secret and the woman is some kind of aide sent by the King to keep him in line.”

Mr. Elir’s lips parted in an understanding kind of way. “Ah yes. Prince Henrik of Einvar, wasn’t it?”

“You knew he was coming to stay?” Aaliyah moved to the side table where the stack of magazines Lily had brought in earlier rested. On the front cover was a handsome, blonde man with sultry gray eyes, chiseled jaw, and lips made for either pouting, smirking, or kissing, and the headline,Marry or Lose: What Will Henrik Choose?

Lily had read the article after purchasing the magazines that morning. According to rumor, Prince Henrik had thirty days to choose a bride or his inheritance and position on the throne would pass to a distant cousin. Typical royal scandal, so, of course, Lily had eaten it up.

“I simply honored his request to remain a secret, although, I haven’t been able to greet our royal guest as I normally would have.”

“I can help, sir,” Lily offered, lowering her stylus. It shouldn’t bother this prince if the resort owner’s assistant reached out to him, should it? “What is it you want me to do?”

“Wonderful, Lily,” Aaliyah said, smiling. Lily knew she didn’t like to draw attention to her father’s fading health, preferring to treat him as though he was still at his normal capacity. “Since I don’t work here anymore, you’re more official than I am. Talk to him,” Aaliyah said. “We could use the publicity. See if he might agree to let the world know where he is.”

“In exchange for what?” Lily asked, scribbling the notes down on her tablet.

“Free room and board?” Mr. Elir suggested.

“He’s royalty,” Aalilyah argued. “He won’t care about that.”

“What will he care about then?”

“Maybe that’s something else you can discover,” Aaliyah suggested, peering at Lily. “River wasn’t able to tell much from their conversation other than who he was and how he wasn’t too happy about being chaperoned here. Ooo, maybe he’s here to find his bride!”

Lily wasn’t sure about that. Based on the article’s reference to the number of different women the prince had been seen with over the past several years, if he had to get married so soon, coming to the States may have been a final grab for freedom.

Especially since he was apparently trying to keep his presence here a secret. Better still, Lily suspected the prince had come for the Christmas holidays.

“If he wants to remain in hiding, why not let him?” Lily asked. After the last interaction she’d had with a celebrity—or rather, with his agent—she was becoming less and less keen on any of this. If she could find a way out of having to speak with this prince, she would.

“Then at least we can help him with that,” Mr. Elir concluded as if in answer to her question. “Seek him out, Lily. Make sure he knows it’s at my request. Find out what his plans are here and if we can be of any assistance. It’s only the right thing to do to someone of his status.”

Bees swarmed in Lily’s stomach. Seek out a prince who didn’t want his identity known? How was she supposed to do that? She cradled the tablet to her chest. “I will see what I can do, sir. But I’d still like to be discreet about it. I don’t want to spring from the bushes or—”

The three laughed, and Lily was relieved. She joined in.

“She is nervous,” Mr. Elir said.

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