by Noelle Adams
I doubted that was true, but it was nice of him to say it anyway.
***
Late that evening, I was on my way over to Alex’s apartment again.
I felt a little like Cinderella as I hurried down the cobblestoned street in my gorgeous ball gown.
It wasn’t even midnight yet, but the party was over.
Alex opened just a minute after I knocked, and he let me in without a word.
“How did it go?” he asked, scanning my face as if searching for a sign of my mood.
I made a face as I slumped down, sitting on the edge of his bed. “It was fine.”
“That doesn’t sound very good.” He sat down next to me. “What happened?”
“Well, nothing really. I looked beautiful, and I smiled, and I made myself available, but he didn’t even come to talk to me.”
It was a genuine disappointment and a blow to my pride since I’d put such a focus on attracting Stefan, but I wasn’t really heartbroken about it.
Maybe I should have been more disappointed than I was.
“It was just the first evening,” Alex said slowly. “Some guys don’t move quickly. Did you notice him looking at you?”
“Maybe.” I was pretty sure he had been watching me, which should have given me hope. It just made me feel strange and uncomfortable though.
“He had to have noticed you. Did you make an attempt to talk to him?”
I slanted him a look.
“Lisette, some guys won’t make a move unless they’re sure the girl is interested.”
“I don’t do that. I don’t make moves.”
He chuckled. “I know.”
“So if he’s interested, he’ll have to man up and do something. Otherwise, it’s not going to happen.”
“You can at least make yourself available. Did you move over in his direction at all?”
My lips tightened.
Alex rolled his eyes. “Did you just stand in a corner all night and try to hide?”
“No. I talked to Victoria and Edward and Henry. Oh, and old Monsieur Cabot. He likes to tell me about all his cats.”
Alex looked like he was hiding a smile. “All right. We’ll call that the first try and move on from there.”
“I’m hopeless,” I said, reclining back onto the bed and staring up at the ceiling. “This whole plan is futile, given my limitations.”
Alex lay back too, reaching over to put a hand on my thigh briefly. “You are not hopeless. If the guy has any sense in his head, he’ll be in love with you in no time.”
I turned my head to look over at him. “I know you’re just trying to make me feel better, but I appreciate it. Thank you.”
“It’s true. You just need to give a guy a chance to see you for real, and he’ll fall desperately in love with you. He’ll never be able to pull himself out.”
I lost my breath for a moment, staring at him, wondering what he’d say next.
Then he sat up, shaking his head slightly. “When will you see him next?”
“I guess tomorrow—around the palace. His parents leave on Monday, and then he’ll be taking a place in town, so it will be harder to just accidentally run into him then.”
“Then we’ll try to think of something for tomorrow.”
“Oh,” I said, remembering something then. “Victoria invited us to breakfast with her and Edward tomorrow—at their place. Do you think you could come?”
“I don’t see why not. I don’t have anything scheduled.”
“Good. She might have some ideas too.”
Alex chuckled. “Are you pulling everyone into this scheme to snare that guy?”
I had a passing thought that he almost never used Stefan’s name, and I wondered about it briefly. Then I focused on answering his question. “Not everyone. But I need all the help I can get.” I glanced back to the open laptop on the bed. “Are you still working, this late at night?”
He shook his head. “I finished that paper I was working on. I was just… doing email.”
Something about his expression struck me as off. “What? What is it?”
“I, uh, heard back about my application for that job in Provence. I have an interview.”
I straightened up, clasping my hands together in excitement. “Truly? That’s fantastic! Why didn’t you tell me first thing?”
“I was going to, but then we got distracted with that guy.”
That guy.
“I’m so happy for you,” I said, turning my mind to priorities. “When is the interview?”
“In a couple of weeks. I’ll have to drive out to Aix. A friend from school said I could use his family’s cottage nearby, so I was thinking of staying for the weekend. It should be really nice this time of year.”
“That’s amazing! You’ll have a weekend in Provence, as well as the interview.”
“You could… uh, you could come with me if you wanted. The cottage has two bedrooms.”
My eyes widened. “Are you being serious?”
“Of course. Why not? It would be more fun for me to have someone to travel with.”
My heart was racing wildly, and I had to remind myself he wasn’t inviting me for a romantic weekend. He was just being friendly. Friendly. “I would… I would love that.”
I paused, wondering if it was really in the best interests of my heart to be alone with Alex for a weekend. It was long past time for me to start being smart.
“I’ll… I’ll have to check the schedule though, to see what’s going on that weekend.”
“Sure. Just check and let me know. I’ll be going either way.”
We sat in silence for a moment, a strange resonance I didn’t understand hanging in the air between us.
Searching for something natural to say, I asked, “So what time is your interview?”
“It’s at nine on the Monday morning. He scheduled it early so it would be easier for me to come for the weekend and not take two whole workdays off.”
“That was nice.”
“I thought so.”
“I’m sure he’s going to love you.”
“I don’t know.”
“He’d be crazy not to. I mean, who else works as hard or is as smart as you. It might be your dream job, but you’re anyone’s dream employee.”
This was supposed to be encouraging, but it seemed to make Alex uncomfortable, perhaps just because it was an open compliment. He looked away, stared at the floor. “I… I hope so.”
I leaned over so I could see his expression better. “What is it? Don’t you think you’ll be good at the job?”
He gave a little shrug. “I’m going to try. I’ve been working toward it all my life.” His gaze was very far away. “I want to… I want to…”
“You want to what?” My question was no more than a breath.
“I want to do my own thing, be my own person. I want to be seen as a… as a success. Not just be a servant at the palace.”
I gasped. “I’ve always seen you as more than that, Alex!”
He gave me a faint, almost bittersweet smile. “I know you have. But that’s only you.”
I didn’t know what he meant by that, and for some reason the whole conversation was upsetting me.
Trying to move us away from the discomfort, I added, “Sometimes I try to imagine what it would be like to have a job. I honestly can’t even imagine.”
“You could get a job.” He looked back over at me.
I snorted. “Right.”
“You could. Why shouldn’t you?”
“And how would that work, exactly? Having a job in Villemont as a princess?”
“It would probably have to be somewhere other than Villemont. Like Amalie. She’s going to get a job at an art museum when she graduates, isn’t she?”
“Yes. But that’s different.”
“Why is it different?”
There was only one answer to that question. “Because she’s Amalie, and I’m… me.”
“That’s ridiculous. What kin
d of job would you want?”
“I don’t even know. What kind of job can you get with a degree in literature? Not much, right?”
I’d just raised the topic as an innocuous change of conversation, but Alex was obviously taking it seriously.
“You can get all kinds of jobs. It’s a liberal arts degree that helps you think, read, and write well. A lot of employers are looking for those skills. What would you like to do if you could do anything in the world?”
When faced with the direct question, I answered it honestly. “I would love to work with old books somehow. You know, like working with those books in our library? I’d love to do something with rare books. Are there jobs like that?”
His forehead wrinkled. “I’m sure there are. I’d have to do some research. You’d probably need some more training or education or—” He reached back for his laptop.
“Alex, stop,” I said, laughing and putting my hand on his forearm. “Don’t waste your time.”
“Why would it be a waste of time?”
“Because I’m never going to get a job like that. I’m never going to rebel like Amalie did. I’m going to be a good princess of Villemont and stay here until I’ve found a suitable husband. Then I’m going to marry and have a life like Victoria’s.”
“Why couldn’t you do something else?”
I just shook my head, the reality so firmly set in my mind that it didn’t even need explanation. “Victoria is incredibly happy, you know.”
“I know she is, but you’re not the same person as Victoria. What if something else makes you happier?”
“I’ll be perfectly happy.” I cleared my throat, wishing that we’d never brought this topic up. “But I won’t be able to have even that sort of life if I can never attract a man. So that’s what we need to focus on first.”
Alex didn’t look convinced. His expression was still slightly worried. But he didn’t press the subject, and after a few minutes, I was convinced he’d forgotten it.
***
The following day was Saturday, and Alex and I went over to my sister’s house for a late breakfast.
Victoria had married Edward six months ago, and they seemed to be happier and more in love every time I saw them. It was nice. I was glad for them. But occasionally it was a bit annoying to see people so blissfully delighted in each other.
They weren’t doing it on purpose, but it seemed to rub in the fact that I didn’t have a man. I’d never had a man, and there was some doubt that I would ever get one.
I tried not to be depressed, but after my failure to attract Stefan last night, I wasn’t feeling particularly optimistic this morning.
“It was fine,” Alex said, evidently reading my mind when I drifted out of the conversation over waffles and fruit. “He definitely noticed you.”
I didn’t keep secrets from Victoria, so she knew what Alex was talking about. “He definitely did. I saw him looking at you.” Victoria no longer lived in the palace since she was married, but she still regularly attended royal functions. She’d always taken her role as princess very seriously.
Far more seriously than I did.
I rolled my eyes. “It’s nice of you to make me feel better, but I’m not stupid. He didn’t even talk to me.”
“It was just the first step,” Alex said. “It’s not like you to give up so quickly.”
I wasn’t sure what was like me since I’d never really set out to win a man’s interest before—except for Alex’s, which had been a complete flop.
“You need to try talking to him,” Victoria suggested gently.
“I know.” I took a deep breath and stared down at my plate, vaguely embarrassed about the entire conversation. “I’m just no good at that.”
“Edward and I would still be sitting in silence if I hadn’t made the effort to talk to him.” Victoria’s smile was fond as she slanted a teasing look over at her very handsome husband.
Edward arched his eyebrows in ironic inquiry, and it was more than answer enough.
I laughed softly. Edward was even quieter than me—even around people he knew and was comfortable with. I was known to talk a lot with those in my inner circle. Edward was not.
“I will try,” I said, responding to my sister’s earlier statement. “I just need to work more courage up. It would be nice if he was interested enough to make the effort to talk to me though.”
“He’s probably used to girls falling all over themselves to get to him.” Victoria was obviously thinking as she spoke because her brows drew together reflectively. “Now that I think about it, I wonder if it might be better strategy to play hard to get.”
Edward nodded at this, which made me immediately believe it was a good idea. Edward might not talk a lot, but I knew he was incredibly smart.
Alex nodded too, more slowly. “That’s not a bad idea.”
“Play hard to get? How exactly would that be different from what I’m doing now?”
There was a mischievous gleam in Victoria’s eyes, and it made me decidedly nervous. I’d seen that look before—whenever she was secretly plotting something. “Oh, I know! You should make him jealous.”
“Jealous?” I repeated, my incredulity evident in my tone. “How would that work? He’d have to notice me first.”
“He did notice you. He was watching you last night. This is perfect. You need to make him think there’s competition for your heart. That’s exactly the way to make a man like Stefan interested.”
Frowning deeply, I asked, “And how am I supposed to make him jealous? I’d need a man to do that.”
“You have Alex.”
I gasped.
Victoria went on, ostensibly not noticing my shock and discomfort at her suggestion. “You and Alex can easily make him jealous. Just pretend the two of you have something going on.” Her mouth wobbled slightly, as if she were hiding amusement. “I’m sure the two of you could manage it.”
“But that’s ridiculous! Alex isn’t going to want to pretend he’s interested in me.” I glanced over at my friend, my cheeks flushing at even the possibility of it. My heart was racing now—with excitement as much as confusion.
I wished I didn’t like this idea quite so much. It wasn’t good for my emotions.
“I’d do it,” Alex said in his normal matter-of-fact tone.
“You would?”
“Sure. Why not?”
I’d never in my life believed that practical Alex would agree to such an outlandish plan. What was he even thinking?
“See? It will be perfect. It won’t take much. Just make sure Stefan sees Alex coming on to you a few times.” Victoria paused, her expression changing. “Just make sure Mother doesn’t see.”
I chuckled, imagining how our mother would react if she saw an employee making moves on me. She’d hit the roof.
“We can do that,” Alex agreed.
I peered at his impassive face, trying to figure out what he was thinking, why he would agree to such a scheme.
“Don’t you think it’s a good idea?” Victoria asked, turning to her husband.
Edward raised his eyebrows again. “You could give it a try.”
He sounded skeptical, and who wouldn’t be when faced with this ridiculous plan.
“There’s no formal event tonight, is there?” Victoria asked, obviously assuming all were in agreement and moving on to details.
“No. Just an informal dinner.”
“Perfect. Try to figure out where Stefan is after dinner, and then arrange to run into him. Then have Alex show up and make his move. That way, it will happen outside the public eye so you won’t end up with other complications.”
I sighed as I met Alex’s eyes. “You sure this is all right?”
“Why wouldn’t it be? I’ve come on to women before, you know.”
I knew he had.
He’d just never come on to me.
***
The “informal” dinner that evening was actually a rather stuffy affair. It was only called inform
al because we weren’t dressed in evening wear and it was fewer than six courses.
I’d dressed carefully, in a green top that Alex had suggested I wear—one that clung to my figure in a way that made me a little self-conscious.
I’d worn the top once before and had never worn it again, but Alex evidently remembered it. I wore it with a black skirt and my favorite high boots. My hair was loose, and I’d put more makeup on my eyes and lips than normal.
I’d looked like a sexy stranger in the mirror, and my mother’s eyebrows had arched sky high when she saw me.
I hoped that was a good sign.
I occasionally caught Stefan’s eyes on me at dinner, but he only said a few polite nothings. I didn’t try to engage him—not in front of my parents and his.
After dinner, however, he went out to the garden—either to walk or to get away from everyone else. That worked perfectly for our plans. I found Alex in the hallway, where he’d clearly been lurking to meet with me.
“He’s in the garden,” I murmured.
Alex nodded. “Okay. Go out and find him. I’ll show up in about fifteen minutes.”
“What are we going to do?” We hadn’t made a detailed plan, and I was having trouble imagining how Alex would make it natural to come on to me out of the blue.
“I’ll call you over to me, and then just follow my lead.”
“All right.” I took a deep breath, my blood pulsing as much from the thought of Alex showing interest in me as from the thought of attracting Stefan’s attention.
I really needed to get my priorities straight.
“Here I go,” I said after a few seconds.
Alex’s brown eyes rested on my face, almost gently. “You’re not moving.”
“I’m moving now.” I still didn’t move.
He chuckled and reached out to put a hand on my shoulder, turning me around so I was facing the doors out onto the garden. “Go on. You can talk to him for a few minutes. Then I’ll come and rescue you.”
“You better.”
“I’ll rescue you anytime you want.”
There was a different note in his voice, and it made me turn my head back to look at him. I met his gaze, and something in his expression held me.
My chest tightened almost painfully.
Then he gave his head a quick shake and gave me a little push in the right direction.
