Page 6 of Once Upon a Royal Summer
Nor did she want to be. Besides, Lacey wasn’t delusional. She knew none of this was real. But once upon a time, she’d been one of the little girls completely enchanted by the sight of a theme park princess. And that encounter had been one of the most comforting, magical moments of Lacey’s life. It’d been what she’d needed most, and what could be more real than that?
All Lacey wanted was to give more people—children, especially—those much-needed moments. It didn’t seem fair that she should rush to give that up before she married the love her life.
“He just wasn’t the one,” she said. “I thought he was, but he wasn’t.” Disappointment and regret tied themselves up in knots in the pit of her stomach. She stood and smoothed down the front of her blush-colored ball gown—inasmuch as it was possible to smooth down an explosion of tulle.
Her eyes ached. Her entire face hurt from crying, and beneath her theme park princess makeup, her face was a blotchy mess. For once, she might’ve preferred her former role of Baby Bear, so she could hide beneath a big plush head again.
She really should’ve seen last night coming. It had been a while since she’d felt as connected to Mark as she had in the beginning. They used to have such a good time together. They’d take walks on the beach or go to their favorite movie theatre in Coconut Creek, where all the seats were deep, plush couches and the popcorn was topped with real melted butter. A few times, they’d even gone up to Boca Raton for tea and a walk through the Japanese Gardens.
It had been months since they’d done anything special like that, though. Right after Christmas, Mark had gotten a promotion at work. He didn’t have much time for weekend trips or movie nights anymore. When he wasn’t busy working, it always seemed like Lacey was pulling an extra shift at Once Upon A Time. She’d been so ready to chalk up the disconnect to their crazy schedules, but if either of them had truly missed spending time together, wouldn’t they both have been willing to make a bigger effort?
Why should she quit her job before she was ready, or before the fall semester even began, if Mark hadn’t considered making adjustments to his schedule as well?
Deep down, Lacey had a feeling she knew exactly why. Mark loved his job as much as she loved hers. She’d just never realized they hadn’t loved each other quite as much.
“Don’t worry,” Ava said. “You’ll find someone else.”
Lacey shook her head. “No, thank you. I’m taking a break from dating. A long break. Princess Sweet Pea has far more important things to think about.”
Never mind the part of “The Princess and the Pea” about marrying the prince. Hashtag #details. If Lacey had been this wrong about love, she clearly wasn’t ready to jump into another relationship.
Ava gave the red bow of her hood a final adjustment. “Like what, exactly?”
Lacey glanced at the clock above the dressing room door. It read three minutes to ten. Almost showtime. “Like hosting a tea party for fifty or so small children.”
“Point taken.” Ava shrugged. “I’m headed outside for a meet-and-greet by the Ferris wheel. See you later for lunch.”
Lacey bid goodbye to her friend and darted out of the dressing room. Ever After Castle held a rotating series of events throughout each day, and Sweet Pea’s Royal Tea Party—Lacey’s signature event—was one of the hottest tickets at Once Upon A Time. Seating was limited, with park visitors situated at large round tables throughout the castle’s ballroom.
Lacey always made stops at every table, greeting each guest and making conversation—totally in character, of course—while children and their parents enjoyed the ultimate high tea experience. Tiered china plates held scones, finger sandwiches, and sugar cookies decorated to look like glass slippers, crowns, royal coaches and, specific to Sweet Pea’s particular fairy tale, a canopy bed stacked high with twenty mattresses. Other characters from “The Princess and the Pea” milled about the room too, most notably Prince Charming and his mother, the queen. Tea was served in real china teacups, and near the end of the tea party, Lacey took a few minutes to give her partygoers royal waltzing lessons.
Everything ended when a big grandfather clock struck twelve and Lacey dashed out of the ballroom. Technically, that was mixing fairy tales. The Brothers Grimm were probably rolling over in their graves, but the kids always loved seeing her run away in a flurry of glitter and tulle, so Once Upon A Time bent the rules just a tiny bit.
Lacey’s voluminous skirts swished around her legs as she reached the employees-only entrance to the ballroom. Behind the huge walnut double-doors, she heard the footman announcing her arrival.
“Presenting Her Royal Highness, Princess Sweet Pea.”
Right on cue, the grand doors swung open. Lacey held her dress up with one hand, posed the other hand in perfect princess position, and swept into the ballroom with a dazzling smile. A chorus of oohs and ahhhs greeted her, as well as dozens of cell phones, recording her every move.
The footman, dressed in a brocade costume and powdered white wig with tall bunny ears, offered Lacey his arm and escorted her to the first table.
“Good morning, boys and girls,” she said in a sing-song voice. “Welcome to my tea party. I’m ever so sorry if I’m late. I woke up with a terribly sore back because I tossed and turned all night long. Imagine my surprise when I woke up this morning and discovered a pea under my mattress!”
She held her finger and thumb a fraction of an inch apart, indicating the minuscule size of the pea, and the children collapsed into giggles.
Anxious to show Lacey her sparkly pink manicure, one of the little girls held up her hand for inspection. “Look at my pretty nails, Princess Sweet Pea.”
Lacey pressed a gloved hand to her heart. “Oh, so beautiful. Did your fairy godmother do that for you?”
The child gave Lacey a shy smile and shook her head.
“It must’ve been your mice friends, then,” Lacey said.
Everyone seated at the table laughed, and Lacey posed for a picture with the child as she gazed at her young guest’s sparkly pink nails, lips curved into her practiced Sweet Pea smile.
At the next table, a toddler dressed in a tiny replica of Lacey’s Princess Sweet Pea costume greeted her with a wobbly curtsy. Lacey felt her practiced smile grow even wider. Adorable. She dropped into her own deep curtsy in response, and a collective awww rose up from the ballroom.
The footman kept Lacey on track, giving her a silent signal when it was time to move from one table to the next. Servers carrying gleaming silver trays topped with teapots and delicate cups and saucers swished past her. Across the ballroom, Prince Charming visited the tables she’d yet to greet, while the queen moved in Lacey’s wake, entertaining the guests who’d already met Princess Sweet Pea.
