Page 57 of Prince Charmless
“How come I never get smiley and nice?”
“You don’t have any money. At least the kind I’m fishing for.” He doesn’t have to say it all matter-of-factly, even if it is a matter of fact. “Sorry, you’re stuck with crotchety old Taylor tonight.” His apology sounds oddly serious.
“Whatever,” I tease. “That prince guy seems like a smarmy douche anyways.” Although I do commend his willingness to schmooze for a good cause.
Taylor clinks his champagne glass with mine. “Santé.”
His attention shifts to the woman waving from across the room. She’s a redhead, probably in her late thirties. Holding her hand is an adorable little girl in a yellow dress.
“I wanted to say hi before bedtime,” the woman says when she approaches. The little girl hides behind her thigh.
Taylor shakes her hand. “Thank you for coming, Marissa. How are you guys doing?”
I’m surprised he knows her name without Alex by his side.
“Kayla’s been really excited to go to class now that she has music twice a week, but we’re still in the fight for other schools. The arts are always the first on the chopping block for under-funded districts. It’s hard to stress to non-parents how important it is. Sometimes I feel like we’re just screaming into the void. I can’t thank you enough for listening.”
Kayla is staring at me, so I wave at her.
“Well, I have no intention to stop working with you,” Taylor says. “Your organization is the standard for the types of groups we want to associate with. I hope you feel the same about us.”
This woman isn’t a donor, rather, she’s a recipient. Nonetheless, I can tell Taylor is being genuine. I don’t know why, I just can.
“Are you a princess?”
I almost didn’t hear her. When I look down, Kayla is chewing her thumbnail, entranced by my dress. My little heart could flutter away.
Taylor cocks his head at me and mouths, ‘Are you?’ like he doesn’t already know the answer.
“No, I’m not,” I say to both of them.
The girl scrunches her nose. “Are you married?”
Taylor’s lip does the tiniest quiver. Even he can’t resist an adorable child.
Marissa laughs, then apologizes to us. “What did we say about asking people if they’re married, Kayla?”
Taylor looks down at her. She must resemble an ant from his height. “If I married Melina, she’d be a duchess.” He corrects her like she’s an adult.
“Then how do you get to be a princess?” she asks.
“I’ll tell you, but you have to keep it a secret.”
She nods like her life depends on this information. Taylor makes a show of scanning the room before getting on one knee and murmuring something into her ear. Whatever he saidmust’ve made her happy because she gets all wiggly in that way kids do when you give them a piece of candy.
“Really?” she whispers back.
Heart. Fluttering. Gah.
When he stands, Taylor squints and puts a finger to his lips. Kayla copies him, of course. Marissa and I exchange smiles because this is the most delightful shit I’ve ever seen, and coming from Taylor of all people, whose first word I’d use to describe wouldn’t be ‘delightful’.
Marissa tucks some hair behind her daughter’s ear. “Let’s go bother some other people,” she says.
They leave, but not before Kayla gives me a tiny wave.
I wave back and turn to Taylor. “You’re adorable. What did you tell her?”
“Just that Santa Claus isn’t real.”
