Once Upon a Princess

by Holly Jacobs

It was time to lay all their cards on the table. He wanted to know why Parker had left, why she’d had him fired.

  And he wanted to tell her that he’d quit. He no longer worked for her father. She wasn’t a job. She was Parker.

  Suddenly he knew what he was going to say. Parker, I want you, I want to give our relationship time to grow and—

  “Jace?” Shelly called.

  There was something in her voice that made Jace hurry out to the living room. “What’s up?”

  “It was Hal. He’s coming for the kids. Would you mind doing the handoff? I just can’t face him right now. I’m still so furious about last night.”

  “Maybe he wants to apologize,” Jace said.

  “I doubt it. Hal isn’t into apologizing. But if he wants to, he doesn’t owe it to me. He owes it to Amanda and Bobby.” She paused and said, “Please?”

  Jace glanced at his watch. Everything in him wanted to leave and get to Parker. “How long until he gets here?”

  “He said any minute.”

  “Yeah, I’ll wait.”

  “Thanks. I don’t know what I’d do without you,” Shelly said.

  “You’ll never have to find out,” Jace promised.

  Where the heck was Jace? He’d called and said he’d be late, that he had to help Shelly out and would come over as soon as he could.

  She’d thought the extra time would allow her to figure out what to say. She’d practically worn a ring on her carpet as she paced around and around her small living room.

  Jace, I just want to tell you—

  She kept trying to think about how to phrase what needed to be said.

  I just want to tell you that I’ve officially broken things off with Tanner. He knows that there’s never going to be anything between us. And I called my father…you’re fired.

  Yeah, that was a good start.

  Then she’d add, There’s something between us. I’ve agreed to spend a few months a year at home to help out, and my father’s agreed that my real life is here, in Erie, on Perry Square. I’ve finished running and I was hoping you’d consider—

  This is where she got hung up. How to finish that sentence?

  Consider exploring our feelings.

  Consider seeing me socially.

  Consider letting me be a part of your life.

  Consider being a part of mine.

  They were all the truth. She wanted all that…but she wanted more.

  Jace, I want you to consider loving me, because I think I love you.

  There. That was it. That’s what she wanted to say.

  The I-think part wasn’t quite the truth. But things had happened so fast, adding I think I love you sounded better than saying she was sure she loved him.

  She knew she had to say the I-think part—at least for now. Because she wanted to take it slow.

  The feelings she had for Jace were the first blush of love. But she was also sure that they could grow into something bigger. She didn’t want to rush that.

  She kept pacing.

  No Jace.

  Pace.

  Check the clock.

  Practice her speech.

  Pace.

  Check the clock.

  Practice her speech.

  Where was he?

  She gave up practicing her speech. She forced herself to stop pacing and refused to look at the clock. Instead she skimmed through all one hundred and twenty-five channels.

  The doorbell rang.

  He was finally here.

  All the words she’d thought she could hold on to felt decidedly loose and ready to fly free at the first opportunity.

  She ran down the stairs and opened the door.

  “Sorry I’m late,” he said.

  “That’s okay,” she said, feeling odd now that he was here, now that it was time to really talk to him. “Come on up.”

  What on earth was she going to say? She tried to remember what she’d prepared and couldn’t come up with a thing. Not a single, solitary thing.

  “Have a seat,” she said, feeling unbelievably formal as she took the chair opposite him.

  “Parker,” he said, sounding as formal as she felt. “I talked to your father.”

  “And he told you that I had you fired. I did. I won’t apologize for it. I told him that I won’t be coming home, at least not to stay. But I did promise to go back to Eliason from time to time for royal functions on the condition he fire you. I still am not comfortable with the thought of my life being public, but I hate feeling I turned my back on my family and my duties. So I’m going to work at balancing my life here with my life there.”

  “I’m happy for you.”

  “I also told him I won’t be marrying Tanner. And—”

  Jace interrupted. “I quit before he told me that you had me fired.”

  “Good, then there’s no problem. I want to talk to you about how I feel.”

  There, that was a good start, she thought.

  “No,” he said, almost a growl. “Don’t say anything. Don’t tell me anything. You see, I came here to tell you I quit and goodbye.”

  “Goodbye?” Parker repeated.

  “I’m off the case, so there’s no need for us to see each other anymore.”

  “But I thought you…that we… What about last night?”

  “Last night was an aberration. I forgot who I am and who you are. Now you’re going back to being a princess—”

  “Part time.”

  “A part-time or full-time princess—same thing. We’re too different, and no amount of time will change that.”

  Different.

  The word hit Parker like a slap in the face.

  “I’m not the kind of guy who will lead you on,” he said softly. “So it’s better to make a clean break now and just say goodbye.”

  He rose and started to the door.

  “Jace, can’t we discuss this? What happened today since I left? I know you’re put off by the whole princess thing. I didn’t ask for being born into a royal family, and if I had been asked, I’d have turned it down.”

  “You’d have turned down two loving parents? Then you’re a fool. All this poor-me-I’m-a-princess crap. You don’t have a clue.”

  “I—”

  “Don’t feed me any more of your oh-woe-is-me stuff. You’ve always had everything handed to you on a silver platter. Parker doesn’t like Disney princesses? She gets Mickeys. Enough Mickeys to fill a room and then some. She doesn’t want to be a princess? Daddy pays for her to come to Erie and attend a small school and pays off half the city to guarantee her anonymity. Parker wants, Parker gets. Well, Princess, you don’t know what it’s like to really want and never get. To want a parent who cares for you more than himself. My father left without a backward glance, and my mother was forced to pick up the pieces. Mom worked hard to support us, but there just wasn’t anything left for us at the end of the day. That’s why Shelly and I are so tight. We’ve had to be. I look out for her, she looks out for me. Shelly and I are the same, come from the same background and understand how it is.”

  “And because I come from a different background I can’t understand?” Parker asked, her voice barely a whisper.

  “You don’t seem to understand that you and I are two people too different to ever make it.”

  “Just because your parents couldn’t make it—” Parker started.

  Jace interrupted. “Not just my parents. Shelly went and married a man too different, and look at them now. That’s why I was late. I was playing referee for them. Do you know what it’s like to watch people who once swore they’d love each other forever tear each other apart? That’s what differences do—drive a wedge.”

  “It doesn’t have to be that way,” she said softly.

  He laughed a cold, hard laugh she’d never heard before. “It does. After watching them go at it, I come here and you want to talk about us? You and I? Princess, if my parents and Shelly and her soon-to-be ex were worlds apart, you and I are galaxies apart.”

/>   “You don’t know what you’re saying.”

  “Oh, yes, I do. You’re a princess. Boo hoo. Grow up and accept the responsibilities that come with that. Go home, Princess.” He walked out the door and slammed it behind him.

  “I am home,” Parker said to the empty house.

  “I am home,” she repeated.

  Jace drove down the street and went to the dock. He pulled into a space and sat in the car, watching the lights on the water.

  He felt sick to his stomach.

  He kept seeing Parker’s expression. He’d thought maybe she’d be angry or even hurt, but instead she’d looked disappointed.

  Disappointed in him.

  The thought stung.

  He’d done the right thing.

  He was sure he’d done the right thing.

  When Hal had pulled up in his BMW to pick up the kids, it hit him. Hal and Shelly were different. Hal was all about money and status. Shelly wasn’t.

  The two of them couldn’t overcome their basic differences.

  Jace’s parents hadn’t been able to either.

  So how on earth had he ever thought he had a chance with Parker?

  Chapter Nine

  “Men!” Parker growled a week later. She’d thought when Jace had walked out of her apartment that she was probably better off. Despite her feelings, they’d probably end up hurting each other if they stayed together.

  But the last seven days had shown her that being without Jace hurt more than anything else ever could.

  How on earth had she grown so close to someone so fast?

  She’d never been the type of woman to buy into that love-at-first-sight thing.

  But that’s how her mother and father had fallen—a fast, immediate connection that had withstood the test of time. She’d wanted to see if the initial glow could last and build into something as permanent and lasting as her parents had.

  But Jace was too afraid to try.

  “Men,” she said again.

  “Yeah, men,” Shey added, her tone just as annoyed as Parker’s—maybe even more so.

  Parker and Cara had both been trying to find out what was up with Shey. She’d been moody and out of sorts. She’d even been overheard mumbling Tanner’s name in such a way that Parker was glad she wasn’t Tanner.

  Parker felt a stab of guilt because whatever happened between Shey and Tanner was her fault. She’d been the one to throw them together.

  “Men…” Cara sort of sighed.

  Parker and Shey both glared at her.

  “Hey, just because you two have men problems doesn’t mean I do. I’m still looking for my Mr. Right,” Cara said dreamily.

  “So am I,” Shey said.

  “Me, too,” Parker echoed.

  For the tiniest bit of time, Parker had thought maybe Jace was it, her Mr. Right. She’d fantasized that maybe she’d found a man who could overlook her princessness and see the woman inside.

  But Jace was so focused on what separated them that he was blind to what brought them close.

  “Come on,” Cara said with a lot more force than she generally used. “You two may be having problems, but believe me, you’re definitely off the market. Love’s not always easy.”

  “Love?” Parker squeaked. She’d thought the word, but that was different than hearing it said out loud.

  “Yes, love,” Cara assured her. “You and Shey’ve got it bad.”

  “Ha,” Parker said, hoping she sounded more convincing to Cara and Shey than she did to herself.

  Then she studied Shey. Could Cara be right? Was their tough friend in love?

  With Tanner?

  What exactly had gone on between the two of them? Shey wasn’t saying, and Parker had let it go, but maybe she should investigate.

  “Yeah, ha,” Shey echoed, not sounding overly convinced either.

  Cara studied them both for half a second, and Parker thought maybe she’d bought their has, but she just started to laugh. “You two can lie to yourselves, you can even lie to each other, but it won’t work on me. I’ve known you both too long not to recognize the signs.”

  “Signs?” Parker asked, not that she wanted to know. Cara might sell romance novels, might read them a lot, but she definitely wasn’t an expert on love signs by any stretch of the imagination.

  “Signs,” Cara said holding up a finger. “You’re both testy.”

  Another finger. “You’re definitely not yourselves.”

  Another finger. “You’re annoyed with men in general.”

  She put her fingers back down and added, “But when I mention the name Jace or Tanner, you both get a bit soft around the eyes, then get annoyed all over again. Signs. Those are clear signs.”

  “Clear signs of what, exactly?” Shey asked softly.

  “Love,” Cara said, sounding sure of herself. “You two are so in love, you’re all turned around. But I know you both. You’ll land on your feet and straighten things out with Tanner and Jace.”

  “Probably not,” Parker said. “There’s nothing to straighten. Jace quit.”

  “And Tanner—” Shey cut herself off as Shelly walked into the bookstore.

  “I’m done next door,” Shelly said. “Do you need anything else before I go?”

  “No,” Parker said. “We’re fine. I should ask if you’re fine working here?”

  “Why wouldn’t I be?” Shelly asked. “Did I do something wrong?”

  “No,” Parker assured her. “It’s just, well, there’s all the weirdness between your brother and me.”

  “Hey,” Shelly said, “that’s your business and his, not mine. All I know is you’ve given me a job and you’re great with my kids. That’s more than enough for me. What’s between you and Jace is between you and Jace. I have enough on my plate right now.”

  Shelly looked as frazzled as Parker felt. “What happened now?”

  “Men—or rather, a man,” Shelly said, her tone more like Parker’s and Shey’s than softhearted Cara’s.

  “Your ex giving you more problems?” Parker asked.

  “Well, yeah, but that’s par for the course. Hal’s annoyed I left him so he’s not going to let anything be easy, but I’m used to that. Living with Hal was a lot less easy than dealing with the fallout from not living with him.”

  “Then what’s the problem?” Cara asked. Then before Shelly could answer she said, “Man problems. If it’s not the ex, it must be a new man.”

  “Yes. A new man who won’t take no for an answer. I’ve told him that I’m not ready for a relationship or anything that even hints at a relationship. The ink is barely dry on the divorce papers. I mean, it’s only been five days since we signed them,” Shelly said.

  “Men—you can’t live with them,” Shey started.

  “And you can’t live without them,” Cara finished.

  “Wrong,” Parker said. “You can’t live with them, you can’t live with them.”

  “What she said,” Shelly said, plopping down on the couch. “Men.”

  “You three are pathetic,” Cara said. “You know what I hear? Blah, blah, blah. You just expect love to be easy? Well, it’s not. Love is work, and to be honest, it should be. Anything worth having is work. Look at the stores. Monarch’s and Titles. It wasn’t easy, even with Parker’s money footing the bill. Remember how much we put into getting them up and running? All the work at attracting customers? Well, they’re just businesses. If getting them up and running was hard, why would you think love would be easy? Love? That’s real life. It should be hard.”

  “Easy for you to say,” Shey muttered.

  Shelly nodded her head in agreement.

  And though she didn’t say anything, Parker agreed, as well. It was easy for Cara to chew them out for wanting their relationships to be easy. She was blissfully unattached and wasn’t having to deal with the vagaries of the male mind.

  “Easy?” Cara asked. “I keep telling you, love is never easy. I just know that when my time comes, I’ll be willing to work at it and not
whine like you all.”

  “Whine?” Shey repeated, sounding put out. “I might bitch, yell and occasionally snap, but I do not whine.”

  Parker had been right. Shey and Tanner. Well, well, well. Maybe she didn’t need to apologize. Maybe she was a matchmaker. She listened to Cara and Shey argue over the whining and to Shelly’s laughter at their antics.

  This…her rock-solid friendship with Shey and Cara and even her new, growing friendship with Shelly…this was easy. Why on earth should falling in love be so much harder?

  They sat around moaning and laughing, and despite missing Jace, Parker left for home feeling better. She was still wondering what to do, but for the first time in a week, she felt more hopeful.

  Cara was right. She was in love, and love wasn’t easy.

  Jace was running this time, she decided. She had years of experience and recognized those signs. She’d been lucky to have people who loved her enough to force her to stop.

  Maybe she could do the same for him—make him stop and realize what they could have. Because despite all his talk about differences, she knew he felt something.

  She started to cross the street, thinking about going to Jace, when a man walked out of the shadows of the park. For a moment she thought it was Jace and her heart did a double beat.

  Then she realized it was Michael.

  Her brother.

  Here in Erie?

  She vaguely recalled her mother mentioning he was going to try and stop by while he was in the States.

  “Michael,” she said, flinging herself into his arms.

  He hugged her back. “I wasn’t sure you’d be happy to see me.”

  “Of course I am. I’ve missed you. Missed you all.”

  She led him to a bench and they sat in the quiet park. “How long are you here?”

  “Just a short layover. I’ve been shaking hands, meeting with people on father’s behalf. I was in D.C. for a few days and I’m off to New York after this. But I couldn’t be this close and not see you.”

  “I’m so glad. If you haven’t talked to Father, you’ll be happy to know I’m coming home in a few weeks.”

  “He mentioned it,” Michael said. “Is it for good?”

  “For a visit,” Parker said firmly. “We’ll be working out some kind of schedule for me. Figure out some compromise.”