A Princess for Christmas - Jenny Holiday Page 0,44
this one better?”
“I just do.”
It was the truth. And here was another truth: she didn’t want to leave.
It was hard to say good-bye.
Leo didn’t like to think of himself as a sentimental person. He had accepted the fact that he was when it came to Gabby, but that was because they were related. He was her de facto parent. She didn’t have to get under his skin because she was already there. She belonged there.
But damn, it seemed like the princess had somehow wormed her way in there, too.
She was prissy and uptight and entitled, he reminded himself as they all stood awkwardly near the door. She had insisted that her handler dudes pick her up, firmly rebuffing Leo’s offer to drive her back to the hotel.
He held her coat for her—the ridiculous pink one—then reached for his, intending to walk her downstairs, but then Mr. Benz appeared in the hallway.
“Your Royal Highness.” He inclined his head. “Are you ready?”
Right. It was a good reminder. Marie was a person people literally bowed down to. She was a person who had a fucking manservant.
Leo would admit that the last few days had been, to quote Marie, a surprisingly refreshing break from reality. By god, he’d had a snowball fight with a princess and kissed her. But a break was just that: a break. Reality still loomed on the other side of it.
Marie turned to Dani. “I’m sorry we didn’t get to talk more about literature, but I so enjoyed meeting you, and I wish you the best. I can’t wait to read your book.”
Dani smiled, and the women shook hands. Then it was Gabby’s turn to receive the royal blessing. “I so enjoyed meeting you, too, Gabriella, and attending your play. Thank you for your hospitality this evening. Your sandwiches were delicious.”
Gabby and her big heart responded by throwing her arms around Marie. Mr. Benz sniffed.
Well, fuck that. As soon as Marie parted from Gabby, Leo grabbed her and wrapped her in a big hug. He did it to annoy Mr. Benz. Or at least that’s what he told himself.
She was small and strong, and she made his chest hurt. He bent down to whisper in her ear. “Keep your chin up, Princess.”
“And you as well, Mr. Ricci.”
And then she was gone.
The break from reality was over.
He spared a moment, as he, Dani, and Gabby started clearing the dishes, to wonder if he could text Marie. Just once, late tomorrow, to check that she had gotten home okay.
But that was dumb. She had a snooty butler-manservant and a shredded bodyguard whose sole tasks were to make sure she got places okay. She didn’t need him.
Back to reality.
Except . . . fuck it. The way the school calendar fell this year meant Gabby didn’t have to be back at school for more than two weeks, and he literally had fifteen grand in his back pocket. “What do you say we go to Florida?”
A dish clattered into the sink as Gabby swung to face him. “What? Like for Christmas?”
“Yeah. Why not?” He made eye contact with Dani, who looked as surprised as Gabby. “We can leave tomorrow. All of us.”
“Um, first of all because it’s expensive?” Gabby said. “And second of all there’s no snow there, and you have to have snow for Christmas.”
“Right.” She was right. He looked around for something to distract himself. “Hey, what do you say we hang our stockings?” He picked his up. In the old days, he used to wish for stupid shit like the Islanders to win the Stanley Cup. Last year he’d wished for Glinda the Good Witch to be attacked by flying monkeys. What about this year? The first thing that popped into his head was—
A sharp knock drew everyone’s attention.
Holy shit. Leo felt like his soul was floating above his body as he moved to answer the door, like there was a mismatch between his physical, embodied self and the runaway thoughts inside his head.
It was her, as he had known it would be. The sight of Marie had the effect of immediately reuniting body and mind. He felt righted, suddenly, like the edges matched up. She would only be here because she’d forgotten something—a purse, maybe—but it felt like a reprieve all the same.
He stepped back wordlessly to let her in even as he surveyed the apartment for whatever it was that had drawn her back, when she said, “Come to Eldovia for Christmas.”