The Engagement Game

by Hunter, Talia

  “We have to get away.” The little girl’s eyes were wide. “There has to be a happily ever after.”

  A lump rose in Carin’s throat and she blinked back sudden, hot tears. She’d believed the same when she was the girl’s age. But there was no happily ever after, was there? Not for her and Jake. She’d fallen in love with him, and now they weren’t even friends anymore. It hurt worse than anything she’d ever felt.

  “You’re absolutely right,” she said softly. “All of us here are brave and strong, and very, very smart. So together we can figure out a way to get our happily ever after.” She took a breath, then cupped her hand to her ear. “Hark. What’s that sound? Can you hear trumpets?” Nodding to her buglers with their plastic horns, she smiled at the loud honks they produced.

  Finally, they’d escaped from the castle and defeated the Duke — for now, at least. Then it was time to put the lights back on and pack all the costumes back into her enormous bag for next time. Except there wouldn’t be a next time.

  Carin stood in front of the children with her bag open, knowing she had to tell them she was moving away. Only she couldn’t say the words. Not seeing them for a week while she was in Fiji had been difficult enough. How could she leave them forever?

  “That was the best story yet,” said Jacquie’s mom, handing her a crown. “You’re wasted in the coffee shop. You should do this instead. I mean, all the time.”

  Carin’s mind was still in turmoil so it took a moment to register what Jacquie’s mom had said. But then the words filtered into her brain and vibrated there. What would it be like to do this all the time?

  Telling stories was what she loved.

  The TV show hadn’t just opened her eyes about Jake, it had also shown her what being a professional actress would really be like. Not as glamorous as it had seemed when she’d had her short stint on Home and Away. Back then the show had been her only escape from her home life, and it had eased the feeling of being a constant disappointment to her parents.

  But now? She’d built a real life for herself, one she loved. And performing for the kids was almost the best part of it. Second only to being with Jake.

  “You’re right,” said Carin slowly, dropping the crown into her bag. “Maybe I should look into it.” She’d always assumed she could never make her living this way because she’d always done it for free. But what if she turned professional and expanded her reach? Could she actually make money by telling stories?

  Jacquie’s mom started to bend to pick up a sword, but Carin caught her arm. “Have you ever heard the story of how Sylvester Stallone got his big break?” she asked.

  “Actually I have.” The woman smiled. “He wrote the script for Rocky and put himself in the lead role, didn’t he? It’s a great story.”

  “I want to be just like him.” Carin imitated Stallone’s accent. “I wonna eat lightning and crap thunder.”

  The woman’s brow creased and she looked at Carin as though she’d lost her mind.

  “A line from the movie,” Carin explained with a laugh. “You haven’t seen it? Never mind. What I’m trying to say is that Stallone knew what he wanted and made it happen. And now I’m finally figuring out what I want.”

  “You’re lucky,” said Jacquie’s mom. “A lot of people go their whole lives without knowing what they really want to do.”

  “The trick is going to be convincing people to pay me to do it. But what if I film my next story time session and send it to all the other children’s hospitals? I could make it look professional. Get a website and a business card.” Carin’s head was spinning as more and more possibilities flooded in. “And maybe it’s not just hospitals who’d like me to visit. What about schools and libraries? Or school holiday programs?”

  “Will you need endorsements? All the parents from the ward will want to help.”

  “Endorsements would be great, thank you.” Carin bent to pick up the sword and put it in her costume bag. “I’d decided to move to LA, but I wasn’t feeling excited about it. Not like this.”

  “I’m going to sound selfish, but I hope you change your mind about leaving.” Jacquie’s mom smiled. “I love how my daughter only answers if I call her Princess Jacquie of Tulasia, and the serious way she explains how Phantasian goblins can be banished. Your stories are the highlight of her life. She’d be devastated if you left.”

  “I’d miss her too. If I can make this work instead, it would be a dream come true.”

  As Carin tidied up her props and costumes, the idea took shape in her mind. She knew which story she’d tell for the video she’d put on her website, and how she’d present it. And she had some contacts. The department heads and oncology surgeons had always welcomed her visits and told her how good she was for the kids. They’d help her figure out who to approach at other hospitals.

  Truth was, her first instinct after she’d gotten home from the TV show was to pack up and leave because everything here reminded her of Jake.

  Now, she found she wasn’t angry at him anymore.

  Sure he’d hidden his feelings, but he’d thought he was doing the right thing. His heart had been in the right place.

  He’d be in the Northern Territory by now. He was saving his father’s business because he’d do anything to protect the people he loved. Including her.

  How hard must it have been for him to lie about his true feelings for all these years?

  He should have told her. But now she’d had time to get over her outrage, she could understand why he hadn’t.

  If only she hadn’t hung up on him when he’d called to say goodbye.

  She tugged out her phone and hit the button to call his number. It went straight to voicemail and she hesitated before hanging up. There was probably no cellphone reception where he was, in the desert. Still, she didn’t want to leave a message, not knowing when – if – he’d get it.

  “You okay?” asked Jacquie’s mom. “Is something wrong?”

  “Not really.” Carin wiped impatiently at her eyes. “I was just thinking about how every story needs a happily ever after. Working out if there’s a way I can make my own come true.”

  Jacquie’s mom raised her eyebrows. “And is there?”

  “I think so.” If she stayed here, she could see Jake when he came home. She could wait two years for him. Two years sounded like an endless amount of time, but she’d be busy with her new business. By the time he got back, she’d be established. And she’d be waiting for him.

  Two years wasn’t really that long, was it?

  30

  Jake adjusted the long black jacket he wore, cinched in at the waist with a leather belt. The boots that went with the costume were a little tight, but he didn’t have far to walk. The oncology ward was just down the corridor.

  When he got to the door, he heard a loud burst of children’s laughter. The lights in the ward had been dimmed, and the kids all held glow sticks. Carin had her back to him, wearing a queen’s gown with large puffy sleeves and a drawn-in waist. She wore a crown too, as did many of the kids. As he’d hoped, he was going to fit right in.

  Carin hadn’t seen him. In a hushed voice she was describing how one of the children was climbing on the back of a dragon. The kids’ eyes were wide, their rapt attention focused on her. Of course they were. She was utterly breathtaking. He was used to her costumes and had caught the tail end of her stories a few times when he’d picked her up from here. But tonight she really did look like a queen.

  She only ever wore her strawberry-blonde hair down to hide her scars, but today for the first time, it was pinned up under her crown. She was lovely with it up, with the shape of her chin and cheeks exposed. Looking at her made his heart speed up and his velvet jacket tightened across his chest.

  One kid’s eyes swiveled to him, and the child gaped. Then they were all looking at him. Carin’s voice faltered and she swung around to see what had captured their attention.

  He gave a formal bow. “My lady,” he said formally. “I’m a king fr
om a distant land and I bring you glad tidings.”

  When he straightened, her lips were parted and her hand was on her chest. “Jake,” she whispered. She glanced at the kids. “My lord,” she corrected. Then she added in a tone of amazement, “What are you doing here?”

  The glow stick in her hand reflected into her eyes, making them glow with pure gold. She really was a beauty out of a fairy tale.

  “I had to see you and figured you’d be here,” he said.

  “But what are you doing in Sydney? Shouldn’t you be in the desert?”

  He bowed again, this time to the children. “Kind royals, I beg audience of your queen. In private,” he added. “But I’ll return her in a minute.”

  They all giggled, but one thin girl in an oversized blonde wig shook her head, her eyes wide. “You’re only pretending to be a king,” she declared in a loud voice, her hands on her hips. “You’re really the evil Duke of Dastardly. I can see right through your disguise.”

  Jake looked at Carin as gasps and mutters ran around the room. He’d heard enough of her stories to know that the Duke was her worst villain. And unfortunately, he couldn’t argue with the little girl. She really had seen through his disguise.

  “It’s true,” he admitted. “I am the Duke of Dastardly.” He waited while the children gasped louder, then held up his hand. “But I don’t want to be evil anymore. I’ve come here because I think Queen Carin is the only person in the world who can turn me into Prince Charming. One kiss from her and my cold heart will melt.”

  “How do we know you’re not lying?” shouted one of the boys. He was wearing a fake moustache so big, it covered his mouth and both his cheeks. “You’re evil, so how can you change?”

  Jake turned to Carin. She still wore a stunned expression. Was she glad to see him? At least she hadn’t stabbed him with one of her plastic swords yet, so it couldn’t be going too badly.

  “You won’t know until I prove it,” he told her. “And I want to prove it every day. For ever and ever, if you’ll let me.”

  “What are you saying?” Carin sounded breathless. “What about your miner’s houses?”

  “I sold the land, with the plans for all the houses.” It hadn’t been easy, but he’d eventually put together a deal that meant he could bank a small profit and walk away. It wouldn’t keep the wages paid for long, and he and Hendrix were under pressure to get their new venture up and running as quickly as possible. But he was confident they could manage the transition without having to lay off a single staff member.

  “What are you talking about, Duke Dastardly?” demanded the thin girl who’d challenged him. “Is this one of your evil schemes?” All the kids were staring at him with narrowed eyes, as though they really believed he was the villain of Carin’s stories come to life.

  “I have a scheme,” he told them. “But it’s not evil. More of an adventure. I’m going to build tiny houses, here in…” He had to rack his brain for the name of Carin’s made up land. “In Tulasia. I’ll build teensy little houses that people can put anywhere they like.”

  “Doll houses?” mumbled a young girl around the thumb she had in her mouth.

  He couldn’t help but laugh at the idea. “A little bigger. People houses, but small enough to have only what you need and nothing more.”

  “Like our shelter on Lantana,” said Carin.

  “Exactly.” He gave her a smile, knowing she understood him completely. As basic as it had been, the time they’d spent together in their shelter had been the best of his life. Was there any wonder he wanted to recreate it?

  “But how do we know you’re not still evil?” asked the boy with the enormous moustache. “You could be saying you’re not just to trick us.”

  “Yeah, that’s something the Duke would do,” agreed one of the other kids, nodding hard.

  “I’ve made mistakes,” Jake admitted solemnly. “Bad mistakes, like not telling Queen Carin something important that she deserved to know. But I’m learning how to admit what I feel. And I’m determined that from now on, I’ll always be completely honest with my Queen, no matter what.” He turned to Carin and gave her a low, sweeping bow. “If she’ll forgive me for the evil deeds I’ve committed in the past.”

  It wasn’t quite the apology he’d planned, especially because the kids still looked suspicious. Tough crowd.

  Carin had a sparkle in her eyes though, and a smile was lifting her lips. The sight made the tight bands around his heart unwind a little. Taking her hands, he stared into the brown-and-gold eyes he’d loved for so long. “Sweetheart… Queen Carin. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you how I felt about you. And though I can’t quite manage to be sorry I punched Bozier, I am sorry for barging in and ruining your career. And I should have kept well away from Sally.” He grimaced. “I have a lot to make up for. I’ve been a fool.”

  “You have,” she said. Then she glanced toward the kids. “What do you think?” she asked them. “Can the evil Duke change his ways? Shall we give him a chance?”

  “No!” shouted a dozen voices at once. The kid with the moustache booed.

  Jake winced. “Not even a maybe?”

  Carin’s laugh made his heart unwind a little more. It was a joyful, unrestrained laugh. No matter what the kids said, surely she couldn’t laugh like that if she was still angry with him.

  “What if your queen is in love with the Duke?” she asked the children.

  “You are?” asked the girl in the wig.

  “I am.”

  “And the duke is very much in love with his queen.” Jake’s voice lowered as he moved closer, wanting to kiss her more than he’d ever wanted anything. “Hopelessly, madly, deeply in love with her.” Who cared what the kids thought? Nothing mattered but the way she was looking at him, with his love reflected in her own eyes.

  “I’ve always loved you,” he whispered. “And I always will.” Then her lips were under his and he kissed her until the hoots, catcalls and shouts of, “Gross,” and “Ewww,” got so loud that they were both laughing instead of kissing. They pulled apart and Jake gave a mock bow to the room. Carin was blushing hard, grinning and curtseying.

  “While we’re still establishing the business, I’ll need to be based here in Sydney,” he told her over the noise. “But I’ll visit you in LA every chance I get. We’ll have to do the weekend thing for a little while, until I—”

  “I’m not going to LA.” Her eyes glistened as if she were holding back tears, but her smile was full of nothing but joy. “I’m going to be a professional storyteller. I didn’t even know there was such a thing, but I’ve applied for a grant to visit more hospitals, and right after I set up my website, I had a retirement home contact me. They want me to come and do a storytelling session there. A bit different from the kids, but I’m looking forward to it.”

  “That sounds perfect for you.”

  “Doesn’t it? I’m still pinching myself.”

  “Stop,” shouted the girl in the wig over the clamor of a dozen kids all talking at once. “Be quiet.” The noise level dropped, and the girl glowered at Jake. “We were in the middle of a story when you turned up,” she said, folding her arms with a huff of outrage. “We still haven’t finished it. And now you’ve gone and distracted us.”

  Jake tried to look repentant. “My apologies, fair maiden. What part of the story were you up to?”

  “The happily ever after,” said Carin, laughing. “Without a doubt.”

  Epilogue

  Carin never got up this early. Ever. She’d been warm and cozy in her comfortable bed, and had protested when Jake insisted they get up to watch the sunrise. They were on Lantana Island for Rosa and Dalton’s wedding, which meant they were finally getting to stay in one of the resort’s luxurious bures. Why leave such a nice room while it was still dark?

  But Jake had her hand firmly in his, and they were walking to the beach on the other side of Lantana Island. The beach where the TV show had been filmed.

  “The scene of the crimes,” Jake
had joked. And now they were almost there, Carin was eager to see it again.

  Not that it would look anything like it had when they were on the show. That had been shot a year-and-a-half ago, and Carin and Jake’s lean-to would be long gone by now.

  Still, Carin wanted to see where it had stood. She wanted to remember the times they’d made love in it.

  “We’ve caught the dawn,” said Jake, craning his neck to see through the trees. “I wasn’t sure we would.”

  She wrinkled her nose at him. “This had better be worth it,” she mock-grumbled. “I haven’t had any coffee yet.”

  “It will be.” He shot her a look that was difficult to read, though it was a million miles away from that old, expressionless look he used to put on. This one was filled with good humor and love. And maybe a little anticipation? Nervousness? She could usually read him well, but this morning she couldn’t quite tell. Probably because it was so damn early and she was caffeine-deprived.

  When they broke out from the tree line, the beach was laid out in front of them. The sun was just rising over the horizon and Carin froze, caught by the brilliant red of the sky. In the dawn light, the sand glistened pure white and the water was a dazzling blue.

  “Wow,” she said softly. Then she squeezed Jake’s hand. “You were right. This was worth getting up for. I’d forgotten how beautiful it is.”

  His lips tugged up into a smile. “Come on. We can sit over here to watch the sunrise.”

  He led her onto the sand toward where the show had been filmed. Toward where their shelter had stood.

  Carin blinked at a silhouette on the beach, outlined by the vivid red sunrise. It was where their shelter used to be, but it was bigger. Somebody had built a proper little hut from driftwood and leaves. It was intricately constructed and quite beautiful.

  “What’s that?” she asked. “How did it get there?”