Page 29 of A Princess for Christmas

Leo knew what she was doing, offering more of her princessness for Gabby to use as currency at school. He hoped Gabby would say no. As much as tea at the Plaza was not his thing, having his sister’s teen tormenters there would guarantee thatnobodywould have a good time, not Gabby and not Marie, either. Marie would be in princess-performance mode, which made her project a stiffness and snootiness that wasn’t really her—though it was a little startling to realize he knew her well enough to say that.

“No thanks,” Gabby said. “I think it will be more fun if it’s just us.”

Atta girl.

A few minutes later, Leo was pulling up at home.

“I don’t have anything planned this evening if you want to stay with me rather than go with Leo,” Dani said to Gabby.

He could see Gabby waffling. On the one hand, the drive into Manhattan and back would take a ridiculously long time. On the other hand: princess.

“We can watch some more ofI Am Not a Robot,” Dani added.

Gabby got out of the car. “Yes!” But then she paused and looked back at him. “But we should wait for Leo to watch.”

Oh, this girl and her big heart. She was going to kill him.

He’d insisted on Thursdays for their formal K-drama nights because he hadn’t wanted to tie Dani up on weekend nights, in case she wanted to go on dates or out with friends. But Dani’s social life was about as exciting as his was, and she didn’t have guardianship of a tween and impending financial disaster as excuses. Still, it gratified him to know that their little ritual meant as much to Gabby as it did to him. He cleared his throat. “Don’t wait for me to start the show. I’ll bring home pizza.”

“Oh, we’re waiting for you,” Dani said.

“How else are you going to know what happens to Seung-ho and Ji-ah?” Gabby said teasingly.

“I’m sure you’ll fill me in.”

“We’re waiting,” Gabby confirmed, and he could not argue.

“Leo.” Marie placed a hand on his forearm. “I am going to call a car to take me back. That way you can—”

“Nope.” She was paying him a ridiculous amount of money to drive her around, and drive her around was what he was damn well going to do. That aside, Leo definitely owed her for whatshe’d done for Gabby today. Marie Joséphine Annagret Elena, Princess of Eldovia, was getting a ride back to the Plaza whether she wanted it or not.

“But I don’t want you to have to postpone—”

“Will youhush?”

She hushed.

It was very gratifying.

She didn’tstayhushed, though. As soon as they got on the road, she started interrogating him. “It sounds like you’re watching a television program with Daniela and Gabriella? Is it one I would know?”

“Probably not. It’s a Korean drama. A soap opera, basically. Dani got us hooked on them.”

“I’ve heard about those! I should try one. Do you have any recommendations?”

He must have looked as puzzled as he felt—it was hard to wrap his mind around the idea of the princess doing something as mundane as watching TV—because she said, “I watch a lot of TV.”

“Youdo?”

“But only American TV. I should branch out.”

Leo chuckled and shook his head, because, again, he wasn’t seeing it. Ice skating in the Alps, yes. Bending over watches with one of those eye things jewelers wore, okay. But sacked out watchingReal Housewives? Not so much.

“My mother was educated in America, and she developed quite a fondness for American TV,” Marie said. “When she came to Eldovia—she was French, but she married my father right after her graduation from Yale—she brought a trunkload of VHS tapes and DVDs with her, and she continued to order them.”

“And you watched with her.”

“Yes.”

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