Page 9 of Once Upon a Royal Summer
Then, before Henry could thank her for all the personal attention she’d given his daughter, Princess Sweet Pea floated toward the next table in a flurry of pale pink tulle and good wishes.
He glanced at Rose. A spot of glitter shone on her cheek as she shoved an entire sugar cookie into her mouth. Henry’s mother would’ve been appalled on multiple levels. Not Henry, though. For once, his daughter looked like a child—a normal six-year-old on holiday, and the sight of her with crumbs on her lips and glitter on her face filled Henry with warmth.
“Having fun?” he asked.
He’d had his doubts about the tea party. Given a choice, Henry would’ve opted for a ride through Hansel and Gretel’s Haunted Forest or the Little Mermaid water attraction. But again, Rose was calling the shots.
She nodded.
Henry leaned closer and whispered in her ear. “This is a bit different than our palace at home, yes?”
Different, and just what she needed—what they both needed. Rose wasn’t the only one who needed to find her smile again. Henry did too. Happiness wasn’t such a terribly selfish thing to want, was it?
Rose grinned up at him with a mouthful of cookie crumbs. She’d never looked less like a princess in her life. “It’s better.”
CHAPTER THREE
Just an Ordinary Dad
Lacey was sweating beneath the bodice of her ballgown. She usually didn’t get rattled by guests, but the exchange with Grumpy Baseball Cap had left her feeling oddly unsettled.
She blamed it on the brooding man’s accent. He sounded like James Bond, minus the charm.
A blatant lie, actually. Charm oozed out of Grumpy Baseball Cap’s pores, which made him all the more annoying. Lacey’s princess character might be slightly naive, but Lacey herself wasn’t stupid. She’d spotted the laughter in those dreamy blue eyes of his, and it hadn’t been the usual sort of good humor typical of park attendees. It felt as if he’d been mocking her in his mind.
She smiled so hard that her face hurt as she greeted the guests at the next table. Perhaps she was letting her last conversation with Mark get to her. Why would a random dad have an opinion about her silly princess rules? He was at a tea party in the ballroom of a theme park castle. What else would he expect?
His daughter had been awfully cute, though. “Princess Rose.” How adorable.
Lacey’s footman—yes, the one with the bunny ears—nodded at her, indicating it was time for the waltzing portion of the party. She wrapped up her visit at the final table, posed for one last picture, and glided to the front of the room as music began drifting from the overhead speakers.
Prince Charming stood waiting for her and greeted her with a deep bow. “May I have this dance?” He held out his hand.
Lacey placed her gloved hand in his, and then Prince Charming—who was actually a PhD student named Drew—rested his opposite hand on her waist, and they began moving in time with the music, weaving among the tables in a simple box step.
In the five years Lacey had been playing Princess Sweet Pea, she’d gone through almost half a dozen Prince Charmings, and not one of them had stepped into the character’s regal shoes by learning how to waltz. Lacey hadn’t known how, either, when she’d first started, but after waltzing her way through the ballroom on a daily basis, she’d gotten quite good at it. So good, in fact, that she gave lessons to incoming royalty at the theme park. Having just started at Once Upon A Time a week or so ago, Drew still got slightly panicky every time they danced together. Beads of sweat broke out along his forehead as they crossed from one side of the ballroom to the other.
“You’re doing great,” Lacey murmured.
Drew shot her a pained smile. She was going to have to lead again. If she didn’t, he’d steer her straight into a table full of teacups, scones, and small children wearing plastic tiaras. Their waltz would be all over YouTube within minutes.
She squeezed his hand and tried her best to steer him toward the narrow spaces between the tables. Thankfully, Drew got the hint and let her take over. He practically sagged in relief as they continued spinning through the ballroom.
Against her better judgment, Lacey snuck a glance at Grumpy Baseball Cap when she danced past his table. Big mistake. His gaze immediately fixed with hers, and she caught a definite hint of amusement in his eyes. Again.
Her face went warm and she nearly stumbled backward into a server carrying a silver platter topped with macarons. She didn’t dare breathe until the waltz ended and she was once again safely at the head of the ballroom. Drew kissed the back of her hand and bowed, relinquishing the spotlight to Lacey once more. Time for her to teach a quick waltzing lesson to her party-goers…
Fifteen more minutes.
Why did time seem to be passing so slowly? This felt like the longest tea party in the history of fictitious royal gatherings.
“Would anyone like to learn how to dance a royal waltz?” Lacey pressed a hand to her heart and glanced around the room.
Hands went up, and Lacey called guests forward, one by one. There was a mother-daughter duo, a little boy and his grandma, a brother and sister, plus a group of tween girls who seemed especially eager to dance with Prince Charming. She lined them up in front of the big grandfather clock and counted.
“Let’s see, that’s nine so far. We still have room for one more dancer,” Lacey said. “Doesn’t anybody else want to give it a try?”
The room went quiet. The partygoers seated at the table closest to her all stared down at their dessert plates. In fact, most of the guests seemed to be avoiding Lacey’s gaze at all costs…save one.
