Page 27 of The Princess Home for Christmas

A trolley stopped in front of them, and they climbed onboard. “Let’s ride it to the top.” Thomas looked back over his shoulder. So far, no one had shown an inkling of recognition for either of them. Which was remarkable. But people saw what they expected to see, he noticed.

The ride up was stunning. He and Dahlia stood against the back window, watching the land fall away beneath them. “Two things.”

“Hmm?”

“Two things you’ve never told anyone.”

She nudged him. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“No, really, I’ll go first.” He cleared his throat. “When I was young, it used to make me sad when mother would kill spiders. So I’d try to save them all before she saw them.”

Dahlia shivered. “I don’t know if you should have told me that. In a battle between icky crawling creepy things and me, I win.” Her eyes teased and she nudged him. “That’s actually kind of sweet, in a deranged sort of way.”

“Now you go.”

“Well, you saw my biggest current secret yesterday.” She stiffened and he wished he hadn’t brought up secrets. But then she relaxed. “I’m glad you know about them. I feel less of a burden.”

He squeezed her. “I wish I could share all your burdens.”

She nodded. “Let’s see, that’s cheating though if you already know it. How about this? The best part about Christmas is the anticipation. I always feel deflated on the day of.”

“Hmmm. Interesting. A girl who likes surprises. And the hope of something special.” His mind spun with opportunities. “I will plan to surprise you every day.”

“What?” She smiled. “You don’t have to do that.”

“Of course I want to. Now that I know the whimsies of my long time crush, I will utilize everything I can to win you over.”

She turned to him. “Your long time crush, really?”

“Of course. You knew. You must have known. I crushed on you hard core all through our high school years, middle school too probably but I didn’t know the difference between a crush and an irritation.”

She looked away. “I was blind. Though I did respect you. Always so smart, stood your ground. Spoke up for the nerdy kids.”

“They were my friends, what are you talking about?”

She laughed. “True. I forgot.”

“Let’s just say, these past few days have been a long time dream of my young heart.”

“Ugh. Stop.”

“Too cheesy? It’s totally true. You can hate on my sincerity if you want, but you should know. It’s taking everything in me to not geek out over the fact that I’m here with you.”

“Too much. Tone all of that down about twelve notches.” She laughed. Then turned to face him. “Though, you are charming. I will give you this. I’m quite flattered to hear of the international sensation Thomas Castellanos crushing on me, even in that ridiculous hat as a red head.”

A couple girls near them went quiet and shuffled closer, trying to get a good look at Thomas.

He shifted the angle, put his back to them and held Dahlia closer. Through his teeth he whispered, “I think they heard you.”

She gasped, quietly beside him.

When he glanced back out of the side of his eye, one had her phone up and took a picture. He groaned. Then he turned to them. “Hey you three.”

Their mouths opened in surprise.

“Come look at this will you?”

They approached, giggling and staring at him like he was Clark Kent turned superman.

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