A Princess for Christmas - Jenny Holiday Page 0,58
with a human. Get on one of those apps you’re always nagging me to start using.”
“Ugh.”
“You don’t have to date said human. You’re postlove; I get it.”
“The thing is, I don’t really want to have sex with a human. But I started thinking about how Vince has probably had sex with several humans by now. Dozens, even. And then I started thinking, damn, I shouldn’t let him win.” She rolled her eyes. “This is what too much Kate Chopin has done to me.”
“So you don’t want to have sex because you want to have sex; you want to have sex because you want to beat your future ex-husband at some imaginary sex-having game.”
“That is . . . correct.”
“Aww. My cousin broke you.”
“Nah. Anyway, I’m playing mind games with myself. It’s the stupid book. You’re the one who should go on a date. This thing you have going with Giada isn’t healthy. There’s a reason you guys broke up years ago.”
Here they went. One of Dani’s favorite topics. “It’s fine. It’s . . . efficient.” Seriously. Hooking up with an ex was great that way. They didn’t have expectations of each other, yet they knew what worked. No fuss, no muss. Anyway, he hadn’t seen Giada for months.
“Yeah, but meanwhile life is passing you by.”
“When am I going to go on a date, Dani?”
“In any of the many hours per week that we spend hanging out together.” She tilted her head and shot him a quizzical look. “But actually, you’re kind of on a date right now, aren’t you? A magical, palatial date with a princess.”
“It’s not a date. She’s a nice person. She felt bad for us, so she invited us for Christmas.”
“Yeah, but how do you know it’s not a date?”
“You know what? I’m done talking about this.”
“I’m sorry. It’s the mind games. This book is giving me an existential crisis. Show me your room.”
He reversed the phone and made for the bathroom. “Let me show you the soap I ate earlier.”
Chapter Ten
The next day was surprisingly fun. Marie had been busy, holed up with her father, Mr. Benz, and some other humorless-looking men—Leo had seen them all filing into a room on his way out with Gabby. He supposed this was the cabinet she’d referenced.
Frau Lehman had arranged a snowshoeing excursion, and the two city kids had had a blast tromping along forest paths under the guidance of a guy who had met them at a stable on the palace grounds. He was a groom, Leo supposed, though like “footman,” that was a job title that seemed like it should only exist in fairy tales.
Then he’d taken Gabby to the village, which in the light of day was basically a postcard. There was a central square with an enormous tree decorated in shimmering silver ribbons, and there was a little ice rink adjacent to the square. When Leo saw the latter, he resolved to come back with Marie. But then he thought better of it. Skating with the princess was a bad idea. So was slow dancing in the woods. Having snowball fights. Anything with the princess was a bad idea, basically.
Besides, he didn’t know what her level of fame was here. Could she go skating in public without it being a big production? She’d seemed friendly with the woman who owned the pub, which was a bit of a surprise, but that seemed different from being able to stroll around in what was a bustling village.
Regardless, watching Gabby take in everything with wide eyes and unabashed delight was like a sedative. It made him feel calm. Like he could relax for a while. Logically, all his same worries—about their finances, about Gabby’s well-being—were still there, but being outside his usual routine somehow made those worries feel physically far away. What had Marie called her time in New York? A surprisingly refreshing break from reality. It turned out it worked in reverse, too.
After poking around in a few shops, they settled in at the pub for a late lunch. They’d taken a seat at the bar because there was a giant gingerbread house set up behind it, where Leo guessed the liquor bottles would normally have been. Gabby had gravitated to it like it was her true north, and her effusive monologue had charmed Imogen, who was behind the bar.
“I can’t take all the credit, or even most of it,” she said. “I bake, and my friend Kai does construction.”