Page 29 of The Stolen Princess
“Wait,” Myka looked between the two of them. “Don’t you know him?”
Drake shook his head.
“This is Rommel’s wife. I thought you said you guys were friends.”
He reached his hand out to Joett. “I only know Rommel. I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting his wife. I’m Drake Vestry. It’s nice to meet you.”
Joett licked her lips nervously as she took Drake’s hand. “Drake. Yes, I’ve heard of you.” She glanced around fidgeting with the skirt of her dress. “Uh, Rommel isn’t here. He stopped on the way to talk to a friend.”
Myka’s brows bent in confusion. Why was Joett acting so weird?
“That’s okay. I’m not here to see Rommel,” Drake said, smiling at Myka.
Joett looked at them both. “Uh…this is our…a…granddaughter...” her eyes were wide as she glanced at Myka as if she didn’t know what name to call her by “…Mildred?”
“Mya!” she barked, trying to get the name out before Joett came up with one of her own, but she was too late.Joett had always been a terrible liar.
Myka exchanged a glance with her. Why hadn’t Joett assumed that Myka had already given Drake a name? This was the second time they had talked.
She cleared her throat. “It’s Mya-Mildred,” she said, turning to Drake. “One of those double names that everyone hates. Do we call her Mya? Do we call her Mildred? Or both? It’s so confusing.” She let out a laugh that definitely made her sound like a psycho.
“Mya-Mildred?” Drake said, repeating it back to himself.
Myka winced.
Mildred?Come on, Joett! Couldn’t you have come up with something more attractive than that? Like Analyn or Gwendalyn. Give me a “lyn” for heaven’s sake.
“Let’s just stick with Mya,” she said, pointing at Drake. Who points at people? It’s not cute. All of Myka’s non-flirting skills were showing up at the wrong time.
Everyone stared at each other for an awkward beat until Drake’s eyes zoomed in on her. “Well, Mya-Mildred,” he said with a glimmer in his eyes, “I’m glad I ran into you.” He stepped forward so that Joett couldn’t hear. “And I can’t wait until next month.”
Myka looked at Joett, hoping she didn’t hear that her and Drake had planned to meet each other again, because she didn’t know how she would ever explain that to her. “Enjoy your salt,” Myka said, with one big clap. The clap was almost as bad as the pointing.
Drake turned to go, smiling back at her. “Oh, I will.”
Joett walked up beside her. “What did he want?”
Myka shook her head. “Nothing.” Her voice sounded strange. “Except for salt.” She looked into Joett’s light blue eyes, nodding. “He bought salt.”
Joett shook her head like she didn’t believe her.
“Did you find the medicine?” Myka asked. “I should probably start heading back to Tolsten House.”
Joett placed a small bottle into the palm of her hand. “I did.”
Myka sighed, hugging her tightly around the shoulders. “Joett, you are a life saver, literally.”
“I hope the medicine works and that your father gets better soon.”
“I hope so too,” Myka said, burying her head into the hug. She glanced at Drake’s retreating back as he rounded the corner to the next aisle. She couldn’t think about Drake right now. She needed to focus on her father.
9
Myka
Myka nudged Bronze into a full gallop. She raced against an illness she hated. Now that she had Joett’s medicine, returning to her father’s side was all she could think about. She steered Bronze off of the main trail, leading him into the thick aspen forest and the path that led to the west gate where she would meet Arco.
She hadn’t been on the back trail very long when someone jumped out in front of her, arms up. She pulled on Bronze’s reins as hard as she could, trying to avoid a collision. The horse’s front legs lifted in the air, and her body raised out of the saddle. She held tighter to the straps, digging her feet into the stirrups and her thighs into the horse’s side. Bronze whinnied, and just when Myka thought she would fall back into the air, Bronze’s front legs landed on the ground again, lurching her forward in her seat. She glared at the man who had stepped in front of her horse.
