Page 109 of Prince Charmless
He puts it on the table and opens the latch. The box is completely empty. It has a couple of compartments and a place to put rings, but there’s nothing inside. He shakes the box again. There’s definitely something clunky at the bottom of it.
I tap in the main compartment with my acrylic. “It sounds hollow.”
“Woah, Melina, that’s like real detective shit.”
I pry at the molding on the sides and then at the front of the box. To my surprise, the panel wiggles. “Damn, it’s a secret compartment.”
“What the hell are you two doing?” Taylor asks after putting down the watch he was looking at.
The drawer squeaks from the sticky wood. When I take it out completely, my mouth almost drops to the floor. Our heads touch as we all lean over the most recognizable piece of jewelry in the country, crumpled up in an old wooden box.
Thomas tries to reach in and grab the emeralds, but Taylor slaps his hand away.
“You’ve done enough with your shaking,” he scolds.
“This is the coolest thing to happen to me on a date,” I say. “This is the coolest thing to happen to me...in life.” Maybe Iamin an Agatha Christie novel adaptation.
“Crazy old bat,” Taylor mutters.
“I thought we sold it off on the black market,” Tom says.
Taylor looks up. “Why are you reading conspiracy theories about your own family? What is there you don’t know?”
Despite telling Tom not to touch it, he carefully takes out the jewelry and spreads it on the island so we can see it in all its glory. Charlotte’s necklace is made of eight rectangle-cut emeralds, each surrounded by a complicated chain of diamonds.
“She must’ve snagged it when she was at our house,” Taylor says.
“Who does it belong to now?” I ask.
“It’s the Crown’s heirloom. The thing is ancient. Our mother was given it when she married my dad, who I should probably call.” Taylor takes his phone out and leaves the room. “You’re not going to believe this,” he says in the distance.
“Could be yours one day, Melina,” Tom mumbles.
My eyes roll unconsciously.
“I’m serious,” he says. “You’re the first one of his I’ve met.”
I take a peek to my left to make sure Taylor is gone, then lean over the island. “So like, hypothetically, what would happen if...” I trail off.
“If you guys got hitched,” he finishes at full volume.
I shush him.
“Why?” He smiles, then switches to Spanish. “Are you in it for the cash? I’ve been wondering why you like him so much.”
“No. Nothing like that. I’m just curious.”
“Well, for starters, your name wouldn’t be Melina Ramirez anymore. It’d be Melina, Her Royal Highness the Princess of St. Claire. You would quit your job, and your life would be filled with donating money because you have so much of it, you don’tknow what to do. You’d make a speech here and there, all while looking super hot and making other women jealous because you got to fulfill their childhood dreams. My grandmother would give you a tiara and force you to travel the world for state dinners, where afterward you and Taylor could defile Buckingham Palace by having crazy sex in it. Careful though, squeaky floors that place.”
I blink. “That doesn’t sound real.”
Tom lifts a shoulder. “I guess I didn’t include the obvious stuff like how everything you do or say will be nitpicked and remembered for the rest of your life. Everyone will be waiting for you to sit or curtsy incorrectly. You can’t make any mistakes or complain about anything, or else people will think you’re entitled and out of touch. You’re not allowed to look tired or jet lagged or uncomfortable, even if your heels are making your ankles bleed. And no one will ever give you the chance to not be perfect because there’s an army of press whose success is dependent on you messing it all up.” He nudges the necklace. “Why do you think emeralds are green? Is it because of, like...chlorophyll?”
“Uh, I don’t know,” I answer as the oxygen in the wardrobe begins depleting.
I make a mental note to never inquire about the potential future again. We’ll see how long I last.
35
