Page 42 of Once Upon A Royal Christmas
“Let me guess—you think that makes me abominable. Like I’m locking my dog away in a tower.”
“I didn’t say that.” But she’d been thinking it, and they both knew it.
“No one outside the palace knows about Mittens,” Nick said. He looked away for a second and then back at Gracie. “Except you.”
“Oh.” Before last night, knowing that she was the only non-royal who knew about Mittens’s existence probably would have made her feel special. Now, she knew better. Still, her heart de-thawed an infinitesimal amount.
“I don’t understand, though. He’s so sweet. Why keep him a secret?” Gracie stopped short of pointing out the obvious—the presence of a marshmallow of a dog in his life might help his “abominable” reputation.
“I’m not going to use my dog to rehabilitate my image, if that’s what you’re implying.” A knot in Nick’s jaw ticked to life. Had she accidentally awakened the beast? “It’s also nice to have a bit of privacy when most of your life is spent in the public eye.”
Well, that certainly explained a lot.
Gracie nodded. “So that’s why you lied.”
Nick’s eyes flashed. Beast mode definitely activated. All that was missing was the beard full of icicles. “When have I lied to you?”
“Are you serious?” An incredulous laugh escaped Gracie. “‘My name is Nick.’ Sound familiar?”
“My name is Nick.” The knot in his jaw flexed again. Gracie couldn’t seem to take her eyes off of it.
She blinked and looked away. “You left out some crucial information, and you know it. If you’d told me you were a prince right off the bat, we both could have avoided last night’s awkwardness.”
Her face went warm. Awkwardness was putting it mildly. Much to her mortification, Gracie’s feelings had ventured dangerously close to heartbreak territory. Which was preposterous. She didn’t even know this man.
The way he’d looked at her, though…
His entire countenance had changed the moment he’d spotted her costume. She felt like she’d been sitting across the desk from a bank manager all over again. Or worse…as if she’d been singing a duet with Philip back at Juilliard.
Nick took a step closer, so close that she could see tiny flecks of gold in his gray irises. Out here among the evergreens, his eyes appeared more blue than gray. It was a striking contrast to his dark hair. Pure Disney hero. “I did tell you I was a prince, remember?”
He had, hadn’t he?
“Not until after…” Gracie’s voice drifted off.
Not until after I’d developed a giant crush on you.
Nick stared at her for a beat, waiting for her to finish. When she didn’t, the corner of his princely lips quirked into a knowing grin.
“You know what? Never mind. I have more important things to do right now than talk about your royal status.” Gracie huffed. “Like get out of this stupid maze.”
He held up his hands. “It was an honest mistake. I realize that now. I’m sorry I accused you of manipulating the situation.”
Were her ears deceiving her? Had he just offered her an actual apology? Gracie softened ever so slightly.
And then he went and ruined things again.
“It was just a shock when I realized you weren’t Princess Alana and instead just someone who plays dress-up for a living. A big one,” he said.
Gracie crossed her arms and stared daggers at him. “What did you just say to me?”
He held up a finger. “That might have come out the wrong way.”
“Is there a right way to mock what I do? I’m a small business owner. I empower women to earn a living, pay their college tuition, and take care of their families.” Why did this keep happening? Why did everyone who crossed her path seem to underestimate her? “I spread joy and happiness to children.”
Granted, she wasn’t spreading much happiness at the moment. She was borderline yelling. At a freaking royal prince.
She marched past him. Crown or not, he had to be the most smug person she’d ever shared a waffle with. Not that that was a particularly long list of individuals, but still.
