Page 30 of Once Upon a Royal Summer
“I suppose so.” Ava scraped the bell pepper into the large wooden salad bowl on the kitchen counter and reached for a tomato. “Why do you ask?”
“I just thought exchanging letters might be nice if people still did that sort of thing.” Lacey shrugged. Something about the fact that she was considering communicating with a person who lived in a palace seemed to mandate pretty stationery and crisp, thick envelopes.
Ava stopped chopping to peer at her. Her eyes narrowed. “Might this proposed pen pal be a royal prince?”
“No, don’t be silly. I’m sure Henry is far too busy for that sort of thing.” Lacey scooped a handful of lettuce into the salad bowl.
Ava gasped. “You called him Henry! Not Prince Henry, but just plain Henry.”
There isn’t anything remotely plain about him, Lacey thought as her face went warm. “He asked me to call him that. He’s trying to fly under the radar, remember? Anyway, I was actually thinking about writing letters to Rose.”
“Aw.” Ava tilted her head and smiled. “That’s really sweet, Lace.”
“She’s such a sweet little girl. I know she’s royal, but I can relate to what she’s going though, you know?” Lacey’s chopping slowed.
Rose was such a spirited child. Lacey had loved spending time with her these past few days…Henry too. They might’ve gotten off to a rocky start, but now Grumpy Baseball Cap’s impending departure was looming over her head like one of Florida’s infamous thunderstorms.
It was raining right now, in fact. The sky had opened up shortly after Lacey and Henry had ridden the Ferris wheel together. Lacey’s Sweet Pea costume was currently hanging from the shower curtain rod, dripping onto the towel-covered bathroom floor.
She was going to have to do something about the wet ballgown after dinner. She might even have to blow dry the tulle skirt, but Lacey couldn’t think about that right now. Tomorrow was Henry and Rose’s last day at Once Upon A Time. Lacey wanted to make it extra special, but she wasn’t sure how.
“I’ll bet if you asked her, she’d love to exchange letters with you after she goes back to Bella-Moritz.” Ava grabbed a bottle of rosé from the refrigerator and started working to remove the cork.
“I wish we had horseback riding at the park,” Lacey heard herself say.
“Horseback riding?” The cork popped and Ava reached for two wine glasses from the cabinet. “It’s probably the one thing we don’t have at Once Upon A Time. Why?”
“No reason in particular. It was just a thought.” Lacey focused intently on her head of lettuce, which by now, was practically shredded on her cutting board.
She didn’t want to betray Henry’s confidence, but she couldn’t stop thinking about Rose’s pony problem. It must’ve been really weighing on him if he’d brought his daughter all the way to America to give her a break.
A few days away was probably just what Rose needed. People usually came home from vacations feeling relaxed and de-stressed, didn’t they? That was what Lacey always heard, anyway. Other than quick trips to Dallas to visit her dad and stepmom, it had been years since she’d taken an actual vacation. She always joked that she worked at one of the world’s most popular vacation spots, so why would she want to go anyplace else?
Lacey had never even gotten around to going away for a romantic weekend trip with Mark. They’d talked about it all the time, and Mark frequently traveled for work and often went on trips with his family, but something had always come up that had prevented Lacey from tagging along. Yet another red flag she should’ve spotted from a mile away. If she’d really wanted a weekend away with Mark, she could’ve found a way to make it happen. Lacey had loads of accumulated vacation time at work that she’d never used.
It was strange how easily Mark had slid right out of her life. She’d hardly thought about him at all the past few days, and already, the thought of Henry leaving and going back to Bella-Moritz made her feel a little panicky deep inside.
All along she’d been telling herself not to get attached, and she’d gone and done it anyway. This was why there were rules against breaking character. If she’d managed to stick to her Princess Sweet Pea role instead of letting Henry get to know the real her, she probably wouldn’t be worrying about Rose and her pony or dreading their last day at Once Upon A Time.
But she couldn’t quite bring herself to regret a thing.
“I guess we sort of have a horse.” Ava sipped her wine and handed Lacey a glass filled halfway to the top with blush-colored liquid.
Lacey swirled her glass and laughed. “How so?”
“Well, we’ve got a donkey suit in the costume department. It got retired when Once Upon A Time discontinued the Pinocchio ride.” Ava gave a little shudder. “Rightfully so, in my opinion. That attraction was straight-up terrifying.”
“Not the same. At. All.” Lacey shook her head. “Donkeys aren’t horses, and I’m talking about riding them, not dressing up like one.”
If the park offered horseback riding, she might be able to help Rose get over whatever anxiety she had about her pony. The little girl liked to imitate everything Lacey did. She’d worn her Princess Sweet Pea costume every day, and it seemed as if she’d been practicing the fine art of Cinderella hands. When Lacey picked up her skirt to step onto a ride, so did Rose. When Lacey curtseyed, Rose curtseyed. She ordered the same snacks and meals when they stopped for lunch, and except for the few times Lacey had ended up seated beside Henry on park rides, Rose was always nestled right next to her. If only Lacey had access to a horse, she might’ve been able to help Henry with his dilemma.
“I’ve got it!” Ava pointed at Lacey with her wine glass. “The carousel.”
Lacey gasped. “The carousel!”
Once Upon A Time’s Fairy Tale Carousel sat on the far right side of the park, kitty-corner from the Ferris wheel she’d ridden with Henry. Since it wasn’t located anywhere near Ever After Castle, and park guests tended to favor more modern attractions over the carousel’s quaint, old-fashioned simplicity, Lacey sometimes forgot about it.
“The carousel totally has horses.” Ava grinned in triumph.
