Page 14 of A Girl and HER Prince
Deedee shut it behind him, swinging around to Livvy with a bright smile. “C’mon, let’s get into our swimsuits.”
Already? She was just starting to like it here; the last thing she wanted was to compete with those high-maintenance socialites on the deck outside who’d do anything to make it big with royalty, and worse, expose herself to the duke’s teasing. Livvy wasn’t sure she could face himorthe prince again.
Forget that molten hot stare, this was getting out of hand.
She sat heavily down on the bed. “How about we just leave these guys alone? We can have our own vacation—we don’t need this fancy cruise. Seeing Greece by foot is good enough!”
“Ha!” Deedee fixed her hair at the ornate mirror. “You don’t see Greece by foot—you need a boat… and this is the best in the harbor.” She glanced distractedly over at Livvy. “What’s the matter? You’re getting second thoughts after meeting that duke, aren’t you? I should’ve known you wouldn’t get along with him. You’re so picky, not even royalty can live up to your expectations!”
That got a laugh out of Livvy. “I don’t think anyone can get along with him.”
Deedee giggled. “You could be right about that, but he was cute, don’t you think?”
“No!” Livvy exploded. Was Deedee trying to set her up with that dreadful duke? That was not going to fly… for either of them. “He’s not my type, so just… can wenotmake this trip about romance?”
“Honestly, Livvy. You need to relax.” Deedee retouched her makeup next. “It’s not like you have to marryanybodyon this trip. Just enjoy yourself for once.”
Pretty hard when we aren’t really invited.
“Don’t ruin the trip with your high-minded ideals, either,” Deedee continued. “You know what your problem is? Guys won’t have anything to do with you because you act like you’re too good for all of them.”
Livvy was stung at Deedee’s assessment of her. “Me? What doIhave to do with this? We’re in this mess becauseyoucan’t leave Venice alone.” She gasped when she realized the implications, especially because this man’s inner fire was also causing her to melt all over. “You’re not trying to win him back, are you?”
“No, no.” Deedee burst into more laughter. “I’m just going to make him jealous. I think I’ll go for the duke. How about that? You won’t even have to deal with that arrogant flirt. I’ll take him off your hands.”
Livvy gaped at her. That player was trouble walking around in flip-flops and board shorts!
“It wasn’t Venice’s choice to break up with me anyway,” Deedee confided. She dragged her suitcase over, opening it to get to her swimsuits. “You heard Achilles telling Venice how he caves in to everybody. He’s right, you know.”
Livvy suspected the charge also applied to the duke’s influence over his friend. “Achilles got the two of you to break up?”
“No, but his father did,” Deedee muttered through clenched teeth. “When that arrogant grump told Venice I wasn’t good enough for him because I didn’t happen to be royalty, well, that’s when Venice dumped me. Talk about caving—helovedme!”
That wasn’t the story Deedee had been pouting over these past few months. “You said that he didn’t like what you did for a living,” Livvy reminded her. That was why she shouldn’t be going after him again. “Andthat he was mean about it.”
“That was him saving face,” Deedee grumbled into her suitcase.
Is that what she’d finally convinced herself into believing? Deedee needed serious intervention, and now she was breaking into a giddy smile, waving her fingers to show off that elegant ruby ring she’d been wearing for months on her thumb. “Guess what I’m going to do with the ring Venice gave me?”
That was from him? Looking closer, Livvy noticed that it held a cluster of silver and rubies in the shape of a shield. Was that the Tyndarian family’s crest then? “Why did he give you his ring?” It was so big!
“Well, actually I took it from his finger,” Deedee admitted. “It was our little thing—but… by the time we’re through here, he’ll wish he’d given me a ring that fit!”
“No!” Livvy had enough of this talk. “Throw it out to sea. You’ve just got to move on—that’s the ultimate revenge.”
“Sure, sure.” Deedee’s eye roll would make a teenager proud. “Youwouldsay that…” She smiled to herself.
Livvy grew still. “Finish that thought, Deedee! Why wouldIsay that?”
“Because you’re perfectly happy doing nothing with your life. Sorry!” She looked defiantly contrite. “Someone had to say it. You always keep yourself in your protective little bubble wrap, like you’re afraid of losing someone else important in your life.”
“How could you say that?” But Livvy knew Deedee was always hinting at this; ever since her father had died, she’d poked and prodded at her in a crazed effort to make Livvy leave her comfort zone.
“Friends tell!” Deedee said in her defense. “You never tried to go anywhere before this, and it took you feeling sorry for me to go. Admit it! But you’re happy now that you did, huh?”
“Yeah, but…”
“Seriously, Livvy, I’ll teach you how to live if it’s the last thing I do. You’ll fill that bracelet of yours with so many charms it’ll be too heavy to wear. Stop being a scaredy cat.”
