Royal Wedding - Meg Cabot Page 0,50
messed it up pretty badly. One might even say royally.”
“Okay,” Michael said. “But maybe treat the Olivia thing carefully.”
“Thank you, Michael, but I do have a little experience in breaking news to people that they’re princesses, you know.”
CHAPTER 31
11:15 a.m., Tuesday, May 5
Frank Gianini Community Center
Rate the Royals Rating: 1
There were almost as many paps hanging around outside the center—the more intelligent ones who actually know me and figured I wouldn’t skip work for nearly a week—as there were outside Michael’s apartment building last night.
I felt it would be better to stop and chat with them for a few minutes this time—as well as give them a few photos (it’s always good to have photos taken outside the center because it reminds people about it and all the services it provides)—than to ignore them. Despite Dominique’s insistence, ignoring them hasn’t worked, and I didn’t want them pestering the kids, their parents, or my staff.
So I put on my sunglasses to cover my twitch—which sadly started going strong the moment I saw the paps—and stepped out onto the curb.
Unfortunately I didn’t notice that one of them was Brian Fitzpatrick until it was too late.
By then he was already holding a digital recorder up to my face and asking, “Princess, can you tell the readers of Rate the Royals dot-com how you feel about your engagement?”
What I wanted to say was, Go away, Brian.
But since that wouldn’t have sounded very royal, instead I said, “I’m over the moon about my engagement, Brian, and that’s why I want to enjoy it for as long as possible. No date for the wedding has actually been set.” (Ha! Sometimes being a world-class liar comes in handy.)
Then I showed Brian the ring and made a huge point of telling him that it was a lab-grown diamond and how proud I am that Michael is supporting the effort to create conflict-free diamonds.
Of course Brian had to be a joy-killer and ask, “But if everyone follows your example, Princess, and buys lab-grown diamonds, how will the poor diamond miners be able to support their families?”
“Well, hopefully governments that earn revenues from the diamond-mining industry will get the message that consumers want diamonds that have been mined in accordance with fair-trade principles and human-rights conditions, and those governments will work to invest productively in their natural resources.”
• Note to self: Bazinga!
Brian looked impressed as he checked to make sure his handheld device had recorded this, then asked if he could get a selfie with me for the site. I guess Pippa gave him one last time she was in town.
I know Lazarres-Reynolds would have wanted me to, since we’re in “crisis management” mode and sucking up to the media is an important part of that, but I just couldn’t bring myself to move my head close enough to Brian’s to pose for a selfie.
I said, “Oh, sorry, Brian, I haven’t got time, I must get into work, I’m running late. Maybe next time, bye-yeee!”
Then I left him standing on the curb.
I don’t even feel bad about it. Maybe this will teach him not to rate people (even royal people) like they’re appliances on a home-improvement retail website.
Three things I’m grateful for:
1. The aviator sunglasses Tina and I bought so we could look just like Connie Britton, aka Coach Taylor’s wife on Friday Night Lights, and which also hide my twitch.
2. Press-on nails, so Brian Fitzpatrick couldn’t see how badly I’ve bitten at my real nails.
3. Platform wedges, which caused me to tower over him.
CHAPTER 32
12:35 p.m., Tuesday, May 5
Frank Gianini Community Center
Rate the Royals Rating: 1
Am attempting to rocket through all my work here (not that I dislike my job, molding young minds and setting them on a path toward success is enormously satisfying, and also important) so I can get busy on my plan for Olivia, but I’m being hampered at every turn by this wedding business (which, of course, is also very important, but not as important as molding young minds or what I’m going to do about my newfound sister).
The kids are so sweet, though! They made me an enormous birthday card and signed their names to it and Ling Su hung it in my office. It takes up most of one wall.
Then yesterday, when they found out about the engagement, they made another card, and hung it on my other wall. Some of the kids seem to have seen the report on Inside Edition and have wished me luck “with the babies.” A few of