Page 3 of Royal Player
Lucas shoots me a dark look, his aquamarine eyes narrowing. “No touching. She’s mine.”
“I’m being friendly,” I say, all innocence. Lucas and I are close and frequently team up to tease our siblings. He can’t stand when he’s the one being teased.
“Be friendly somewhere else,” he bites out.
“I know, I know, you’re in love.” I flutter my lashes and put a falsetto into my voice. “It’s such a dreamy romantic time.”
“Bite me.”
“Lucas!” Alice exclaims. “I just gave you a promise ring. You know I’m committed to you.”
He gives her the goofiest lovesick smile I have ever seen in my life. Pathetic. I exchange a look with Adrian, embarrassed for Lucas. And then, to make it even worse, Lucas produces a tiny emerald ring clearly meant for a woman’s finger from his pocket and holds it up, announcing proudly, “Everyone, Alice gave me a promise ring. It’s her commitment to me.”
Anna, Gabriel, and my mother approach at the “big news.” What the hell is a promise ring?
Anna’s brown eyes immediately fill with tears. She’s eight months pregnant, wearing a short-sleeved purple dress that hugs her huge belly. “Oh, Lucas, that’s so wonderful.”
Gabriel immediately puts an arm around her shoulders, giving her a squeeze. He has the same thick dark brown hair and aquamarine eyes as me, but he’s always clean shaven and carries himself with a regal dignified air. He’s been groomed to be king since birth and now he is. “She’s very emotional with the pregnancy,” he tells us. Like we didn’t know.
Anna looks up at him. “You see, Gabriel, you thought the fake engagement was a terrible idea, but now look!”
Like I said, never a dull moment around here, what with fake engagements, princess impersonators, and worse. My family runs wild. We can’t help it, being descended from a renegade Viking tribe known as the Wild Ones. It’s in our genes. Anna fits right in.
Anna goes on, pointing at Lucas and Alice. “Lucas is happy and grounded, and Alice loves it here. They’re committed! And did you know she’s setting her next book series on Villroy? Do you have any idea of her fan base? It’s exactly the clientele we want for the day spa. They’ll travel here in droves to see where her book is set. A superstar romance author spotlighting Villroy! That’s what they call free advertising.” She beams and turns to Alice. “No offense on the marketing angle. I know you want to set it here for your own creative purposes.”
Alice smiles. “True. It’s so inspiring.” She gives Lucas’s hand a squeeze. He gives her another embarrassingly lovesick smile. I’m happy for him, but does he have to look like such a sap?
Anna goes on in her smug manner to Gabriel. “And now Lucas is staying on Villroy, so he can officially be CEO of our business venture.” She looks at him expectantly.
I stiffen. Globe-trotting party guy Lucas as CEO? That’s been Gabriel and Anna’s responsibility. I mean, I know Lucas was helping them bring in more capital for the new day spa and cosmetics manufacturing venture, and was successful at it. I heard they made him CFO recently, which was a surprise, but…Lucas as CEO? He’s like me, a middle-of-the-pack prince, not important to the kingdom. And now he could be running the most important thing our kingdom has ever done.
Villroy has long been a major seafood supplier, but our economy is faltering as fish populations dwindle and our fishermen have to venture out farther to sea for less catch. It was Anna, a former beautician, who came up with the idea of using the fishing industry and shifting it to cosmetics using ingredients from the sea—algae, fish oil, sea salt, stuff like that. The day spa is nearly complete on the east side of the island and will use those cosmetics as well as sell them. The next step is to ramp up manufacturing. It will likely save the kingdom. I’m so used to being passed over, I didn’t think I’d be given serious consideration for any of this. Now with Lucas being considered for such a high position, I realize I may have missed my opportunity to be part of something important.
All eyes go to Gabriel, who appears deep in thought over Anna’s suggestion of Lucas as CEO. Finally, he inclines his head and tells Anna, “I’ll sit down with him later to work out the details.”
Lucas looks elated. “Thanks, Gabriel, Anna. I appreciate your faith in me, and I won’t let you down.”
“We always had faith in you,” Anna says, giving his arm a squeeze. “We just needed to know you were going to stick around.” She sighs happily. “Everything is working out like it should. Alice, we’ll definitely be selling your books at the spa. We’ll arrange some signings there too if you don’t mind.”
Alice smiles. “Of course I don’t mind! I love meeting my readers.”
Adrian cuts in. “I have an idea to complement the day spa—a casino. It would give the men something to do while the women are at the spa. And then the women would naturally want to try their hand. It could go both ways—win big, treat yourself at the spa. Lose at the casino and get a soothing massage. And people relaxed at the spa will be looser with their wallets at the casino.” He’s a card shark and spends half his time in Monte Carlo. Now he wants to bring Monte Carlo to Villroy. Will Gabriel allow it?
“It could be a solid investment,” Lucas says, rubbing his beard.
Maybe it’s not up to Gabriel. Lucas is CEO now.
“It worked for Monaco,” Adrian says. “Casino de Monte-Carlo is the primary income for the royal family and the economy. We could do the same, employing a lot of locals and bringing in a steady income stream. We don’t have to go full out with hotel, shops, and the like. Keep it small and luxurious. We can’t compete with Monaco, but we could come up with some way to make it unique.”
Everyone chimes in on the Rourke family business, and I’m feeling more unnecessary by the second. Lucas will be CEO, Gabriel and Anna have their hands in it, even my mother and sisters have been involved in research for the spa’s services. And now Adrian is throwing out the idea of a casino, the perfect place for him.
Life is passing me by. I’m unimportant to the kingdom, to my family, to the business. I’m only a former football player forced out of the game.
In a rush of energy, my aggressive, competitive nature that once helped me win games returns with a vengeance, and I burst out, “I want in on the casino!”
All eyes turn to me.
I go on. “I know I don’t have the gambling credentials that Adrian has, but I’m no slouch at cards, and I do have a degree in marketing.” Not that I ever used it.
