Page 33 of Prince Charmless
“Well, if she’s there,” I start. “Try not to be allyouaround her. She won’t fall for it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Never mind, just don’t mess this up.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell her anything that would ruin your whole cryptic and mysterious schtick.”
“What are you talking ab—”
“Like how you like to sing Céline Dion when you’re drunk.”
“I don’t remember—”
“Pour que tu m’aime encore,”he sings breathlessly. “Pour que tu m’aime en—”
I hang up on him and hand back Alex’s laptop.
“Is there something I should know about?” he asks like a mother.
“No,” I answer as my phone buzzes.
Melina:why did my mom just text me that your brother is visiting her business?
Melina:does this have something to do with you?
Me:tom wants to meet you
Me:dont take anything he says seriously
All the progress I may have made on Melina could be completely ruined by my idiot little brother.
11
Melina
Nail salons are filled with all the things I love. Color, massages, gossip. And as the owner’s daughter, I get special treatment. Mateo could get special treatment too, but he only comes in here if Mom wants him to carry a heavy box.
This place is my mother’s third child. She’s recently half-updated the interior with white leather seating and modern light fixtures, an operation with which I was updated ad nauseam. I’d like to think it’s so popular not only because of the location but because my mom tries to memorize all her regular customers’ names to greet them the second they walk in the door.
Except mom’s too busy for greetings today. The salon is packed. There’s even paparazzi loitering outside. Maybe it’s because today is National Small Business Day, but I’m guessing word got out about Prince Thomas gracing us with his presence. Hopefully, the buzz will drum up some new customers for the place in the long term. I’d assume Thomas is more pleasant to converse with than his brother. From what I heard, they’re complete opposites. Thomas is known for being the messier of the two, always dating a new celebrity and partying at billionaires’ houses. The video that comes to mind is of him and an American actress shotgunning a beer together.
If Thomas wants to meet me, that means Taylor must’ve brought up my name. I wonder what else he’s said to make his brother this interested. I’m not telling Mom that his visit is related to me. I don’t want to ruin it. I’m hoping she assumes that our family getting involved with yet another prince is just a coincidence.
Is this you?she screamed over the phone the night the photo went viral. Though I enjoyed reading everyone’s celebrity guesses, leave it to my mother to be the only person to correctly identify #purpledresswoman.He’s an asshole, Mamá, I don’t know much more about him than that,I told her after the barrage of questions. I didn’t mention he came over to my house that morning. Or that he’s been cooking for me. Or that I find him attractive. All of that stuff would be too hard to explain.
My mother looks exactly like me except older and with curly brown hair. Like me, she has a square face and small hands, which are currently being used to scrub the front desk for the fifth time in a row.
“I think it’s clean enough, Mom.El salón se ve bien.”
Mom speaks better English than she thinks she does, but we’ve always spoken Spanish around her.I’m not translating my thoughts before talking to my own children,she said.
She huffs. “Lo sé.I just want everything to be perfect. A prince showing up at your door doesn’t happen every day.”Ha!“I mean, first you danced with Taylor, and now his brother wants to come here? We should feel very lucky, Lina.”
Should we? They’re just humans. They eat, breathe, and, as I learned recently, cook like the rest of us. The fancy title only means they’re richer.
“Did you see your father yesterday?” Mom asks. For the first time this morning, her giddy and slightly manic smile slips.
I nod. The topic has always been awkward for us.
