Page 28 of Once Upon a Royal Summer
That was the very definition of un-princely behavior, wasn’t it? Henry was pretty certain it was.
The log swished beneath a waterfall, spraying Henry and the rest of the group with water. It was cool against his skin, a relief from the warm Florida sun. He didn’t have time to dwell on the pleasant sensation for long before his attention was dragged to more urgent matters, such as a fierce-looking troll that lunged toward their log as they passed beneath a rickety bridge. The clip-clop sound of billy goat hooves crossing the bridge echoed overhead.
At the front of the log, Rose let out a squeal, and then Lacey wrapped her arms around his daughter as they tumbled down a steep drop. The ride ended with an enormous splash, drenching almost everyone aboard—especially Ian, who got the brunt of the tidal wave, thanks to his seat at the back of the ride.
They scrambled out of the log and back onto dry ground. Tiny droplets of water were caught in the delicate tulle of Lacey’s dress, glittering like diamonds in the bright summer sunshine. Miraculously, she didn’t have a hair out of place. Ian’s soaked athletic shoes sloshed with every step he took.
Henry did his best to swallow his laughter as Ian pushed wet hair from his face.
“At least I’m no longer hot,” Ian said, arching an eyebrow at Henry. “And I’m not sure what you’re laughing at, considering you just lost your precious baseball cap.”
Henry froze in his tracks and reached for the brim of his disguise, but Ian was right. His cap was no longer there.
“Oh, no.” Lacey’s white-gloved hand flew to her mouth. “It must’ve flown off on the drop after the bridge.”
Henry glanced back toward the ride, half hoping to find his hat bobbing nearby in the water. No such luck.
“Don’t worry. There are souvenir stands all over the place. Surely we can find you something suitable.” Lacey turned to gesture toward a kiosk farther down the path but stopped and bit back a smile.
The cart contained row after row of royal-themed head coverings, from oversized, plush purple king’s crowns with faux ermine trim to plastic knight’s helmets and replicas of Princess Sweet Pea’s elaborate tiara.
Lacey cringed. “As far as disguises go, I don’t suppose any of those would be effective.”
“I think not,” Henry said, raking back his damp hair. “Let’s not worry about it. I’m sure we’ll stumble upon something.”
Rose skipped toward the next closest ride—the spinning teacups. If Henry’s baseball cap had managed to survive the log ride, it definitely would’ve been a casualty of the centrifugal force of a whirling china cup. Rose turned the wheel in the center of their teacup as fast as her dainty arms could, and when Lacey pitched in, Henry began to regret his second sausage-on-a-stick.
Blessedly, the whimsical music faded and the ride ended while the contents of his stomach were still intact. Rose, however, was ready for more.
“Can we go again?” She bounced on her toes, spinning in circles on the pavement just outside the lime-green iron gates of teacup territory.
“Already?” Lacey said, sounding a bit wobbly.
Henry shook his head. “Why don’t we take a break for bit, sweetheart?”
“It’s okay. I’ll take her. I think all the spinning is helping me to wring out. Why don’t you two do something a bit tamer?” Ian said, as his gaze flitted over Henry’s right shoulder.
Henry turned to see a tall, white Ferris wheel looming behind him, turning gently to a lyrical piano tune.
“Rapunzel’s Fantastical Ferris Wheel. It’s definitely tame,” Lacey said, and then her perfect princess smile slipped a bit. “But if you’d rather not, we don’t have to—”
“No, let’s do it. That sounds—” Henry cleared his throat. Lovely, he’d almost said. It sounds absolutely lovely. He shouldn’t say such things, though, should he? Not when they might hint at the feelings he was beginning to have for her. “Like a great idea.”
Rose was already tugging Ian back toward the line for the teacups.
“See you soon,” Ian said, flashing Henry a wink.
He’d wondered why his protection officer seemed so eager to give him a few minutes of freedom. Now it seemed as if Ian was trying to add royal matchmaker to his resumé.
Lacey and I are friends, Henry reminded himself. Maybe if he kept dwelling on that fact, he wouldn’t keep crushing on her like a schoolboy. He didn’t have a clue if she was attracted to him or not. She was supposed to be at his beck and call, so of course her face lit up every time their eyes met. It didn’t necessarily mean anything.
But then Lacey smiled at him, and he became hyper-aware of his heartbeat in a way that didn’t feel altogether friendly. “We should get some cotton candy,” she said, floating in her puffy gown toward a pink stand with a striped awning situated near the entrance to the Ferris wheel.
Henry followed and stood beside her, watching a man dressed in an old-fashioned barber shop quartet-style costume spin a puff of cotton candy on a rolled paper cone.
“More food on a stick.” Henry nodded. “I’m in.”
Laughter leaped in Lacey’s big brown doe eyes. “It’s peppermint-flavored. It’ll calm your stomach after the teacups.”
