by Ann Omasta
“Okay, sweetie. We can talk about it later,” Tess promised, adding silently in her head that later would be immediately after her brothers left.
“You’re actually considering going?” The outraged question came from Trevor.
“No man gets to summon you two lovely ladies,” Trey made his opinion on the topic clear.
Feeling frustrated by her brothers’ well-meaning butting in, Tess said, “You two don’t know the whole situation.”
“Well, explain it, then.” Trey held up his hands as if he would be thrilled to hear a logical reason why they would even consider immediately going back to Isle de Monsail.
“Aren’t you two important business moguls?” Tess huffed, not wanting to get into this any further with them.
“There’s nothing more important than our baby sister and her best friend,” Trey smiled, obviously not willing to let her off the hook.
It was Mo’s monotone voice that made an attempt to explain. “The prince broke up with me, and I left in a rush. I need to see him in person to find out why, or I’ll always wonder,” she said flatly.
All three of the Donovans stared at Mo, unsure how to respond to her comparative flurry of words. She sounded rational and completely devoid of any emotion, which was concerning.
Finally deciding that what she said made sense, Trey weighed in. “Okay, then, I guess we are going to Isle de Monsail.”
28
Tess bugged her eyes out at her brother. “Wait… WE?!?” She couldn’t believe how he was inserting himself into the situation, even though she’d had a lifetime to get used to his strong personality.
Trey nodded at her as if it were the most normal thing in the world. “Of course. I wasn’t at all sure about letting you two go there the first time without us there to protect you. Now that you’ve been hurt by these men, you will not be going back without me.”
“Us,” Trevor corrected him.
Tess’s brothers both gave her stubborn looks––practically daring her to stand up to them. She knew from experience that there wouldn’t be any changing the two mules’ minds, now that they had dug in their heels. “Fine,” she snapped, “But you need to behave yourselves.”
“Don’t we always?” Trey asked innocently, and Tess wondered if there was any way he honestly believed that.
“Umm… no,” she responded, in case he was being serious. His shoulder shrug and tip of his head to the side told her that he knew his claim was rather outrageous.
“We’ll be on our best behavior,” Trevor promised.
By his flippant tone of voice, Tess could tell that this was going to be a long trip. She doubted if Pierce and Sebastian would be at all prepared to deal with the arrival of her outspoken, over-protective brothers, but she didn’t see another option except to agree to allow them to go.
At her brisk nod, Trey stood and prepared to leave. “It’s settled then. We have a few things to take care of at the office today before we can leave, so the private jet will be prepared for a flight this evening.”
It made Tess smile whenever her siblings downplayed their business dealings. To call the monstrous skyscraper that was the world headquarters of Donovan Enterprises ‘the office’ was the understatement of the year. The fact that her brothers were truly titans in business didn’t quite assimilate with the memories of the boys she had grown up adoring. To her, they were just her older, sometimes-annoying, always-protective brothers.
Trevor followed Trey’s lead and soon they were standing at the apartment’s front door, ready to leave. Turning to address both Tess and Mo, Trey said, “Be at the airport tonight at seven sharp.”
The order might have seemed abrasive coming from anyone else, but somehow Trey made it seem normal. He was obviously used to bossing people around and having them jump to obey his wishes.
“Yes, sir,” Tess said crisply, even though she wasn’t really angry.
Ignoring her smart retort, he turned to leave. Just before closing the door behind them, Trevor said, “The four of us will see you this evening.”
Tess stared blankly at the closed door. It was just like him to drop a tantalizing bombshell like that and leave without explaining. She regained her wits after a moment. “Wait… Four??”
29
Even though she scurried over to throw open the door, the hallway was already empty. “Typical,” she muttered to herself as she reclosed the door and locked it. Her brothers had teased her with just enough information to pique her interest about who they would be bringing with them to Isle de Monsail, but then left her hanging to wonder about it all day.
Deciding that it would have to wait, she fired off a quick response to Sebastian to let him know their plans. Rather than asking permission, she informed him that her brothers and two guests would be coming with them.
When the three dots immediately lit up to indicate that he was answering, she waited with bated breath to see what he would say. His one-word response of, “Great,” made her wonder if he was being sarcastic. Perhaps her brothers’ reputations preceded them. After all, they were overly represented in tabloids and all of the celebrity gossip websites.
She briefly considered calling him to get a read on his real reaction, but one look at Mo, who was staring off into space, told her that she didn’t have time to mess with that.
Even though Mo had been in the room for the entire exchange with her brothers, Tess wasn’t sure how much of their conversation she had absorbed, considering her fugue state.
Moving Mo’s legs, so she could rejoin her on the couch, Tess inserted extra enthusiasm into her voice when she said, “My brothers and their mystery guests are taking us back to the island tonight. We’ll find out exactly what the prince was thinking and set him straight,” she promised.
Mo nodded blankly before saying, “I’m hungry.”
Tess couldn’t keep from beaming at her friend’s statement. It was quintessential Mo. “Yay! She’s back.” Tess gave the woman a warm hug before heading to the kitchen to scrounge for something for them to eat.
The day flew by as the women made preparations to return to the island. They unpacked, made trips down the hall to the coin-operated laundry machines, and repacked. The level of excitement for this trip was definitely much less than the last time they had been preparing to visit the royals, but there was a renewed sense of hope in the air. Mo’s lifeless stare had been replaced with a determined gaze. She obviously wasn’t going to let the prince off the hook without a reasonable explanation for his sudden change of heart.
Having an actionable plan gave the ladies a meaningful purpose. Even if it turned out that they still couldn’t be with Pierce and Sebastian, at least they would get some closure.
Tess offered to accompany Mo to her own apartment, but the woman indicated there was nothing for her there. The way she worded it made Tess wonder how bad things would get if the prince confirmed that he was truly over Mo.
It didn’t make sense that Pierce’s feelings would flip-flop so quickly, but maybe growing up as a royal had given him a sense of entitlement that he could treat people in any horrible way he chose. Some vague instinct told Tess that wasn’t the case.
She silently prayed that her intuition about him was correct. There had to be other influences at play here, right? Maybe his mother had convinced him not to pursue a relationship with Mo?
Deciding that scenario was the most likely answer, Tess felt renewed hope that Mo could find her happy ending with the prince. She knew from being around the two of them that their chemistry was sizzling. If the prince suppressed his feelings for Mo merely out of a sense of duty to his family, it wouldn’t be difficult to convince him to follow his heart.
Mo, however, wasn’t feeling as confident or inspired. When Tess noticed Mo’s simple and elegant jet-black ball gown crumpled on the floor next to their repacked bags, she asked, “Aren’t you forgetting the most important article of clothing for this trip?”
“I’m not going to the ball,” Mo re
sponded, bugging her eyes out at Tess like she had lost her mind. “Do you think I want to go watch Pierce choose a suitable, demure, and graceful bride?” She sounded appalled that Tess would even suggest she go to the gala.
“You’re a perfectly suitable choice,” Tess said gently, before adding, “We just have to remind the prince of that fact––no matter what his mother says.” She added the last part to plant the seed in Mo’s mind that this breakup might not be the prince’s idea… or desire.
Mo turned to her with a fiery look. Even though she looked angry, Tess was glad to see the glassy-eyed stare had been replaced by a more Mo-appropriate expression. “Even if it was his mother’s idea, he should have stood up to her.”
It was the first bit of fight Tess had seen in her friend since the breakup. She was relieved that her friend was still in there somewhere, but she didn’t want to get her too worked up. “He should have,” Tess agreed, before adding delicately, “But we should listen to his side of things before we make any more rash decisions.” She didn’t bother to point out that Mo’s decision to flee the island before hashing things out with the prince had been a monumental mistake.
“I’m not going to that ball,” Mo’s green eyes flashed at her friend.
One thing Tess had learned in all of their years of friendship was that it was never a good idea to contradict the redhead when she was fired up about something. “Okay,” Tess agreed calmly, giving the woman a placid smile before resuming her packing activities.
Tess’s retreat from the argument apparently soothed Mo’s irritation because she asked if Tess was thirsty before going to the kitchen to pour herself a Coke.
Once Mo was in the other room, Tess hummed quietly to herself as she picked up her friend’s discarded ball gown and gently rolled it––to avoid getting any wrinkles. As she tucked the dress into her own suitcase, she decided that she might not get to be the princess of this story, but she was going to be one heck of a fairy godmother!
30
It didn’t surprise Tess in the slightest when her brothers arrived at the airport with two beautiful blondes by their sides. What did stun her, though, was how utterly enamored the men seemed to be. She had never seen either of her siblings fawn over a woman the way they both did these two.
Deciding that Ellie and Millie must be pretty special, for her brothers to have fallen for them, Tess set about getting to know the ladies during their flight. Besides, since Mo had fallen back into her quiet, sulky state, she needed them to keep the boredom at bay.
“Wait just a minute... Trey has been baking?!?” Tess’s mouth fell open as she gawked at the nodding foursome. They were acting as if it were the most normal thing in the world for her arrogant business mogul brother to be making cupcakes.
Shaking her head, she muttered, “Have I slipped into some kind of alternate universe?” The question was only partially sarcastic. It did feel like things were spiraling a little out of control and in very strange directions.
“He’s actually pretty good,” Ellie gave her a genuine smile. Tess couldn’t help but like the open, friendly woman.
“Pretty good?!? I think you mean the best ever.” Trey growled near Ellie’s ear before tipping in to kiss her neck.
Ellie let out a squeal of delight when Trey’s stubble tickled her, which only served to spurn him on. “Okay, okay… you’re the best,” Ellie acquiesced in between her giggles.
Apparently, not wanting to be left out of the fun, Trevor turned his attention to Millie. He whispered something in her ear that made her blush prettily. When he kissed her temple, Millie closed her eyes, obviously savoring his sweet touch.
Tess rolled her eyes, not quite able to believe the sight before her. Sometime when she hadn’t been paying attention, her brothers had fallen in love.
Feeling awkward staring at her brothers’ tandem love-fests, Tess turned her attention out the plane’s window. As she watched the white, pillowy clouds sail past below them, she wondered if she and Mo might be on the cusp of finding their happily-ever-after endings as well.
Ever rational, she decided that things were most likely going to get worse before they got any better for the two of them. When they landed, she found out that was exactly the case.
31
Ellie and Millie gushed as their limo pulled up to the spectacular castle. It must have been exactly what Tess and Mo had sounded like when they first arrived. “Look at the ornate detail on the gold-gilded door… Those are real turrets!... Is that red carpet laid out just for us?”
The Donovan brothers remained unimpressed. Tess was not surprised about their pompous indifference. Not only were they used to staying at lavish estates and luxurious hotels, but they were also determined to dislike the royal family and Sebastian––unless they somehow proved themselves to be worthy. Even though Tess didn’t approve of their guilty-until-proven-innocent approach, she did appreciate the love behind their protective streaks.
Almost as soon as Geoffrey ushered them into the grand entrance, the queen appeared. “You’re back.” Her words were flat and not at all welcoming. “And you’ve brought others.” She didn’t bother to hide the disdain in her voice or her perusal of the group.
Tess was surprised that Sebastian hadn’t sought the queen’s approval for their visit, so she cleared her throat and tried to make the best of the awkward situation. “Your majesty, these are my brothers, Trey and Trevor Donovan… of Donovan Enterprises.”
She bit her lip as soon as those last words slipped out. There was no denying that she hoped the woman had heard of her brothers’ business empire and might be impressed by their success, but it was the first time she had ever tried to use their clout to her advantage. She immediately felt guilty about it.
The queen gave no indication that she had ever even heard the Donovan name, so Tess quickly went on. “And these are their… err…” She stumbled as she looked for the right word to refer to her brothers’ love interests.
Trey stepped in to save the awkward moment. “These lovely ladies are Ellie Thorne and Millie Parks,” he told the queen before gallantly kissing the regal woman’s white-gloved hand.
For the first time since Tess had met her, the queen seemed to be delighted. She actually tittered at Trey’s, and subsequently Trevor’s, charm as the brothers fawned over her.
Ellie and Millie gawked wide-eyed at the queen and the impressive castle as if they felt as out of their element as Tess and Mo did. Tess wondered quietly why her brothers seemed to have sapped all of the supreme confidence from their family tree.
Whatever the men were doing worked, because the monarch actually gave them all a warm smile as she instructed Geoffrey to see them to their rooms.
Tess wanted nothing more than to go find Sebastian, but it was late, and she saw no further signs of life at the castle as the group was led to their sleeping quarters. She was pleased to see that she and Mo were sharing the same room they had occupied on their previous visit.
Even though they felt pumped up, Tess and Mo knew they needed to rest, so they could face the challenges of tomorrow with their brains firing at full capacity. After changing, they both fell into their beds, assuming that they wouldn’t be able to fall asleep.
Their extensive travelling must have taken a toll on their bodies because both women fell asleep within minutes. By the time they began stirring, the full rays of daylight were angling across the room’s plush, snow-white carpet.
Mo stretched and yawned loudly, which awoke Tess with a start. As soon as Tess lifted her pink silk eye mask, which proclaimed her to be “Sleeping Beauty,” her eyes slammed back shut. It felt like she had just climbed into her tall bed, so the blinding sunshine was a shock to her system.
Replacing the mask over her eyes and flopping back down on her bed, she muttered, “It can’t possibly be morning.”
“I think it is,” Mo told her with more pep in her voice than she’d had since the breakup. Getting up and walking to their door, she retrieved their agend
a card. “And we are already late for breakfast.”
“Crap!” Tess grouched, removing the eye mask for real this time and climbing out of bed. She hated the idea of already backpedaling on the progress her brothers had made with the queen’s opinion of them.
The women got ready in record time and headed down to the elegant dining room together. They were surprised to find Tess’s brothers and their love interests eating alone at the massive table.
“Look who finally rolled out of bed,” Trevor teased them before taking a huge bite of a fresh croissant coated with blackberry jam.
Tess glared at her brother before taking a seat at the table. “We’ve had a hard couple of days,” she reminded him. “Where is everyone else?” She was anxious to talk to Sebastian and felt disappointed that neither he, nor the royals, had bothered to join them for breakfast.
“No idea,” Trey answered before weighing in with his opinion, “But it’s pretty rude of them not to greet us properly. We got in late last night, so I was going to let that slide, but this is an inexcusable way to treat guests.”
Tess didn’t bother to point out to her brother that he was technically an uninvited guest, since she wasn’t sure if Ellie and Millie were aware of that tidbit of information.
Geoffrey stepped forward at that moment. It was the first Tess had even noticed that he was in the room, so she deduced he must have gone through extensive training to hone his skills at being completely unobtrusive.
He cleared his throat to gain everyone’s attention before saying, “The royal family and Sebastian apologize that they are unable to be proper hosts to you today. They would like to extend an invitation to each of you to this evening’s ball, and they look forward to seeing you there.”
