by Lara Hunter
Layers upon layers of thoughts about Kasper filled my head. Great.
“Thanks,” I said, acknowledging what was obviously a reward for my good work. “I appreciate it.”
Barb smiled. At least she was being nice to me; she could be quite prickly at times. Apparently, me being in a mood brought out some warm, maternal side of her. I knew I shouldn’t squander it.
“Let me know if you have any questions,” Barb said, gathering up her bucket of supplies. “I generally just go in there and give everything a good dust. He doesn’t make much mess. And remember that I still need you to get all the kitchen cabinets before you go.”
I thought back to how Kasper had cleaned up after our dinner on Friday. Or tried to, at least. In so many ways, he just wasn’t what you’d expect of a prince. He didn’t throw his weight around just because he could.
Or, at least, that was what it had seemed like on Friday. In that moment, I didn’t know what to think of him.
FIVE
I grabbed my cleaning supplies and set to work, at first intending to leave Kasper’s study for last. As I got going, however, I was frustrated to find that being in the places we’d been together only made me think of him more, so I decided to head to the study before moving to the kitchen. Maybe it would take my mind off things.
For a royal, Kasper had a pretty standard study. There was a large, mahogany desk in the corner, with a lamp and some neatly arranged stationary on top. A leather sofa and a coffee table took up another corner of the room, and the far corner was occupied by a tall bookcase, stuffed to the brim with Dutch texts.
I took my time dusting. It was nice being in this part of the house, even if it was connected to Kasper so personally.
When I got to his desk, I smiled when I saw the pens neatly arranged on the left side of it. It was then that I noticed the right-hand drawer was open a crack. It had a small keyhole at the top, so I expected it to be usually locked, but he must have closed it and left in a hurry, not realizing it hadn’t closed all the way.
Keep moving, Laurie. Focus on your work.
But my body didn’t want to keep moving. I stilled, looking at the drawer with curiosity. What could it hurt to have a peek inside? Either there would be nothing of interest in there, or there would be something that might make me feel better about waking up alone on Saturday morning.
I inched the drawer open a little more, keeping a careful watch on the door. In the stillness, the sound of the scraping wood made me cringe.
Inside the drawer was a selection of letters. They were haphazardly stacked, as if Kasper had read them at his desk before stowing them away immediately. I was curious what kind of letters a man like him would keep so close and private. Unable to stop myself, I picked up the first one my hand settled on, unfolding it to read the first few lines.
It was from a food bank, thanking Kasper for his generous donation and continued support. I carefully refolded it and pulled out the next one: from a women’s shelter, with the same message. Then one from a veteran’s support charity. Then a children’s charity. Dozens of letters from dozens of different charities, all thanking Kasper for his aid.
I was dumbfounded. Why had I never heard about any of this? When your crush often makes the gossip columns, you tend to keep up on these things. And yet, I’d never heard about Kasper performing any sort of charitable deed. Perhaps he’d attended a couple charity balls in the past, but I’d always figured the reason was that he just liked to party.
Now, I didn’t know what to think. Why would he keep all this a secret? It would be great for his image. Wouldn’t he want to use these contributions to help makeover his reputation as a heartless party boy?
I was disturbed by a commotion coming from the ground floor. I hurriedly thrust the letters back in the drawer, trying to arrange them the same way they’d been when I found them. Barb had perfected the art of moving around the mansion like a ghost, and the fact that I was hearing footsteps could mean only one thing—Prince Kasper was back.
My heart leapt into my throat, dreading the thought of seeing him. What was I supposed to say? What was he going to say? What if he acted like last Friday had never happened? Was I expected to act that way, too?
I finished up tidying the study, formulating a plan. I would head downstairs and regroup in the laundry room. If I could make it unseen, there was a chance that he would be gone by the time I came out.
With that plan in mind, I headed out into the hall. The study was at the top of the stairs, so all I’d need to do was descend and bolt across the foyer. It shouldn’t have been difficult.
Except, as soon as I stepped into the hall, the sound of male voices drifted up from the foyer.
I came out onto the landing and, sure enough, saw Kasper and one of his personal staff members standing just at the foot of the staircase. If I wanted to go down, I’d have to walk right past them.
“Sir, I wouldn’t place too much faith in her arrival,” the Prince’s PA—Christopher, I think—was saying. “The Burnistons aren’t known for their dependability.”
Kasper was facing away from the stairs, adjusting the cufflinks of his white tuxedo. I couldn’t even see him properly and I knew he looked amazing. The suit was perfectly tailored to his lean, toned physique, and his hair was combed back elegantly.
Since I couldn’t just stand there and do nothing, I began polishing the bannister. If either of them happened to look up, I doubted they would think there was anything odd about it.
“I told you as much, Christopher,” Kasper said, sounding disinterested. “I’ll just go stag. I don’t care.”
“But, sir,” Christopher persisted. “You can’t show up without a date. You never go anywhere without a date. This is a formal and especially important event. It would look…odd. Don’t you think?”
Thank you, Christopher, for another reminder of how much of a playboy Kasper is.
Kasper huffed a sigh. “What do you suggest I do, then?”
“I’ll keep trying to contact Miss Burniston,” Christopher replied. “But in the meantime, I think we should start considering alternate dates.”
Kasper shook his head. “It was bad enough that I had to attend with Alicia Burniston,” he said derisively. “Can’t I just do this one alone? I’d rather deal with the media backlash than suffer the attentions of another girl like the one from the Hartfield Gala.”
Interesting. I hadn’t considered the possibility that Kasper might not have actively pursued these women. Maybe this instance was an exception to his normal behavior, but I was beginning to have my doubts.
A hand landed on my shoulder, and I turned sharply to find Barb glaring at me.
“I told you I wanted you to do the kitchen after you’d finished in the study,” she scolded in a hushed tone. “Instead you’re eavesdropping?”
The men continued their conversation downstairs, unaware. I couldn’t focus on what they were saying.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I didn’t want to interrupt them.”
Barb glanced over my shoulder to the foyer. “It’ll be fine,” she said. “He won’t poke your eyes out just for walking past while he’s talking to someone.”
That hadn’t been my concern at all, but I pretended like it was. “I guess,” I said, gathering my supplies.
“I’m heading out soon. Make sure the kitchen is finished before I go.”
As Barb swept off to continue doing whatever it was she’d been doing, my head swam at the thought of having to go downstairs and face Kasper. Why couldn’t he have conducted his conversation somewhere else?
I strode down the stairs, keeping my steps light and my head down. He’d have to be blind not to see me walk past, but maybe if I made it obvious that I didn’t want to be seen, he wouldn’t say anything.
Who was I kidding? He wasn’t going to say anything anyway. Why would he?
My cheeks burned as I passed Christopher and Kasper. They continued with their conversation as if I wasn’t there—j
ust as I’d suspected. I was too focused on making it past unseen to focus on what they were saying. I needed out!
That being said, part of me still wished Kasper would stop me as I passed. Maybe he’d apologize for disappearing without saying a word on Saturday and tell me about whatever emergency he’d had that had caused him to leave so quickly.
Or maybe not—he barely even looked up at me as I passed.
I was halfway down the hall to the kitchen when I heard someone clear their throat behind me. I assumed it was Barb; she’d probably forgotten to tell me something. I turned to face her, plastering on an apologetic smile in advance.
But it wasn’t Barb.
“Oh,” I gasped. “Kasper.” Was I still allowed to call him that now that there were other people around? I hurriedly corrected myself. “I mean, Prince van Dijk. Sorry.”
Up close, Kasper looked even more resplendent. I almost felt like I should avert my eyes, before I reminded myself that he wasn’t a prince of my country—and my country had no royalty.
“I told you, Laurie,” Kasper said, strolling casually toward me. “You can call me by my first name.”
Based on his recent behavior, I hadn’t expected Kasper to acknowledge the night we spent together, let alone fall back into the level of intimacy we’d established. The fact that he did sent heat flooding to my cheeks.
“Sorry,” I replied. “Do you need something?”
He stopped his approach a few feet away from me, but close enough that I had to tilt my head to meet his stormy blue eyes. Would I ever get used to the way it felt when he focused them on me?
“Actually, I have a question for you.” He smiled. “Would you care to accompany me to a ball this evening?”
I felt like I’d stepped out of real life and into a fairy tale—except a real-life prince had just asked me to a real-life ball.
“I can’t go to a ball!” I said quickly, my voice squeaky.
“Why ever not?” he replied smoothly, not breaking his gaze.
“I told you, I’m just a girl from the Bronx. I have no idea how to act around the upper crust.”
“You only have to know how to act around me, and you did a pretty good job of that last Friday.”
“But I don’t have anything to wear!”
Kasper’s eyes swept over my body. I practically felt his gaze searing through me.
“I think you’re around the same size as my sister,” he replied. “She keeps a selection of gowns here for when she’s stateside.”
Not only had a real-life prince invited me to a real life ball, I was now really arguing with him about it. Could my life get any more surreal?
“I just don’t think it’s a good idea,” I said. “I’ll only end up embarrassing you.”
Kasper took another step toward me, his long legs carrying him close enough for me to smell his sultry, smooth cologne. I resisted the urge to lean into his heat, especially when he placed a gentle hand on my cheek. It was all I could do not to open my mouth in surprise.
“I’ve been to dozens of dinner parties, balls, and galas over the years,” he said. “Hundreds, probably. And yet, I’ve never had a more enjoyable evening of conversation than I did with you last week.”
I wanted to pinch myself. The improbabilities of the situation were stacking up like tiramisu.
“Kasper,” I said. The fact that I could still speak surprised me. “I just don’t… It’s not…”
“I won’t beg you,” he said, when I failed to come up with a proper reply. “But how about I pay you? Triple your hourly wage for the evening.”
With a dream as expensive as medical school, every dollar counted. And that was why I knew I couldn’t say no.
And I didn’t want to.
SIX
The fact that the shimmering emerald gown fit me like a glove was just another reason I was beginning to think tonight was a fever dream, and my real body was at home, bedridden. I even tried pinching myself while I tried it on, but that did nothing but give me a little red welt on my arm.
Rather than being annoyed to hear that I wouldn’t be finishing my work that day, Barb was thrilled to hear I would be going to a ball. She insisted on helping get me ready, an offer which Kasper accepted on my behalf. I had no idea how to do any sort of elegant hairstyles, but after having three daughters, Barb had perfected the art of the chignon.
When I put the dress back on after being primped and perfected, Barb gasped.
“You look like a princess,” she cooed. “This is so wonderful.”
I admired the slim fit of the dress in the mirror, loving the way the sweetheart neckline and trumpeted skirt accented my figure. I felt like I was going off to prom again, except this time I was wearing a couture dress that likely cost more than my car, rather than a sale item from the mall.
“You do look beautiful,” Kasper commented from the doorway.
I spun and faced him with wide eyes. I hadn’t been aware that he was there, watching me. Did he really just call me beautiful?
“Thanks,” I said to both of them. “I guess Cinderella’s all ready to go.”
Kasper offered me his arm. “Our carriage awaits.”
Our carriage, as it were, was a white limousine with an impeccably luxurious interior. No sooner had the driver shut the door behind him, Kasper offered me a glass of champagne, which I gratefully accepted.
I was full of nervous energy, and couldn’t think of anything to say while we drove, so most of it was in silence. I was too excited and nervous to feel awkward. I just hoped Kasper felt the same.
“We’re getting close,” Kasper said after a while, city lights flashing past the windows. He reached over to the cabinet he’d produced the champagne from, pulling out two tissue-paper-wrapped packages.
“What’s this?” I asked when he passed one of them to me.
He grinned. “Open it.”
I did as instructed, pulling a black-and-silver half mask out of the paper. It had vines and leaves intricately woven along its sides.
I looked up at Kasper, who was already affixing a similar mask, albeit in a more masculine design, to his face.
“It’s a masquerade ball,” he explained. “Did I forget to tell you that?”
I glared at him playfully. “It must have slipped your mind.”
“I know you’re nervous about being here tonight.” Kasper smiled. “But the great thing about masquerades is you can be whoever you want to be.”
“Who do you want to be?”
Even with half his face covered, Kasper was still disarmingly attractive. His lips lifted into a little smile, his eyes studying me from behind the mask. “I’m too well-known to become someone entirely new,” he replied. “But luckily the only person I want to be tonight is the man who has you on his arm.”
I flushed, glancing down at the mask in my hands. “You sure know how to make a girl blush.”
He chuckled. “A beautiful woman, no less.”
“I’ll just be me,” I said after a moment. I glanced back up at him, a smile dawning on my face. “Except, maybe, let’s just skip past the years of school I’m still missing and go straight to the Laurie Flowers who’s a doctor already.”
“That’s the spirt,” Kasper said approvingly. “I personally can attest to your medicinal skillset.”
“How is your finger, by the way?” I asked, suddenly remembering. That snowy Friday night seemed like it had happened years ago. “I should probably check it for gangrene.”
Kasper held up his finger for my inspection. The small wound had almost completely healed over.
“I think you’ll live,” I declared. “Though if it gives you any trouble, let me know and I’ll lop it off immediately.”
“Of course, Doctor,” Kasper said with a cheeky grin.
The limo stopped. I knew we must have arrived because the tinted windows were being assaulted with flashing lights, and there was a tremendous racket going on outside.
“Ready?” Kasper asked.
The limo driver came around and opened the door for us, and Kasper grasped my hand just as the flashing lights found us.
“Prince Kasper! Prince Kasper!” the mob cried.
I squinted against the assault, trying to keep my lips spread into my most dazzling smile. Kasper led me from the curb to the red carpet, where other attendees were posing for photographs.
