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The owner of the café appeared and nodded at Alex. ‘The usual coffee and cake, Your Highness?’ Alex nodded. ‘And for the beautiful lady?’
‘You should go and look in the glass cabinet. The cakes are amazing.’
Ruby stood up and walked over to the cabinet, spending a few minutes talking to the café owner before finally settling on a strawberry and cream sponge.
It was surreal. Sitting in the warm sunshine of Euronia with Alex.
These were the kind of things that had drifted into her imagination in the early days. Fanciful thoughts of what might have been.
Alex seemed happy here—more relaxed than he was in the palace, which was strange, as that was his home.
He drank his steaming coffee and devoured a piece of chocolate cake as soon as it appeared. He held out his fork towards her. ‘Try some.’
She hesitated, then leaned forward, opening her mouth. ‘Mmm, it’s delicious. You’re right. The cakes here are nicer than in Paris.’
He licked some chocolate from his lips and nodded towards her strawberry and cream sponge. ‘What? All of them?’
She raised her eyebrows at him and waved her fork. ‘I’m warning you—Prince or no Prince. Touch my cake and I’ll spear you with my fork.’
He threw back his head and laughed. ‘I’m sure you offered me a piece of your cake in Paris.’
She winked at him as she took another bite. ‘I might have. But I was trying to impress you then.’ She smiled and shrugged. ‘Those days are gone.’
‘You’re not trying to impress me now?’
‘No,’ she said solemnly. She reached one hand over to his. Her other one was poised carefully. ‘I’m just trying to distract you so I can steal some more of your chocolate cake.’
Her fork swooped in and she grabbed another piece.
He held the hand resting over his. ‘That’s what I like about you, Ruby. What I remember. A girl who likes to eat cake.’
She licked her fork. ‘It’s my best talent. It’s taken years and years of practice.’
She liked this. He was relaxed here. He was much more like the Alex she remembered. Around the palace he seemed so much more uptight.
‘How long has the casino been open?’ She watched the stream of people entering and leaving.
‘Almost three hours.’
She glanced at her watch. ‘But it’s only one o’clock in the day. I thought gambling would be a night-time kind of thing.’
‘Have you ever been to Las Vegas or Atlantic City?’
She shook her head. ‘So people gamble here all day?’
He nodded.
‘And is that good or bad?’
He fixed his blue eyes on hers. ‘You mean for the people, or for the place?’
She shrugged, ‘Both, I guess. I don’t really know that much about gambling.’
‘Neither do I. But tourism is one of the ways to bring money into Euronia. The new port means that cruise ships can easily moor here. We open up part of the castle for tours at different times of the year. We’ve spent money building five-star hotels that keep the rich and famous happy. And we have some of the most beautiful venues for weddings in the world. That, and the tax benefits, mean that Euronia thrives.’
She listened to his words carefully, hearing the underlying pride as he said them. Ten years ago there had been financial predictions that Euronia would have to be taken over by another country to remain viable. None of those predictions had come true.
‘Is that why you went to Harvard and studied business—to find a way to help Euronia?’
He gave a rueful smile. ‘If I’d had my way I would have gone to Harvard to study chemistry or physics.’
She sat back in her chair. ‘Really? You like that kind of thing?’
He nodded. ‘Of course I do. Doesn’t every little boy want to be an astronaut? I still want to. Science, maths or engineering—that’s what you need a degree in.’
She couldn’t help but smile. This was the Alex she’d met back in Paris. This was the guy who’d kissed her until her toes tingled. This was the guy she’d lost a tiny little piece of her heart to.
‘You really looked into this?’
‘Of course I did.’
She finished the last piece of her cake and licked the fork. It had been delicious. Now she knew this place existed she would try to take a daily trip.
He glanced towards her and it sent a tingle right down to her toes. A cheeky look, a flirtatious look, a maybe-none-of-those-things look, but there was no denying its effect.
It made her feel exposed. It made her feel as if all those fleeting thoughts, all those ridiculous daydreams about being here in Euronia, were being instantly read in her mind.
‘Now I’m sold on the cake here I want to come back.’
‘I’ll bring you any time you like.’
‘Good. Because I want you to bring us tomorrow.’
‘Us?’
‘Yes. You, me and Annabelle. I’ve watched her in the palace. Later on I’m going to watch her at nursery. But I also need to see how the two of you interact together.’
‘But you’ve seen her with me in the last few days.’
‘That was in the palace. This is different.’ She held out her hands. ‘This is normal.’
He raised his eyebrows at her. ‘My life isn’t normal?’
She sighed. ‘No, Alex. Your life isn’t normal. But Annabelle’s should be. She’s just a little girl. I want to see her come and eat cake or ice cream with her dad.’
If it was possible his tanned face paled. He took a few moments, and she could almost see the thoughts flickering across his face.
Alex had been so relaxed around her for the last hour. She was just praying that the palace portcullis wasn’t about to come down, slamming into place.
He gave a slow nod and lifted his bright blue eyes to meet hers. He didn’t get it. When he looked at her like that it was magnetising. She couldn’t pull herself away if she tried.
She hated it that after ten years he could still do that to her. Still make her feel as if she was the only person around. Make all the noise and people around them just fade into the background.
Her mouth was instantly dry. She wanted to lick her lips, but was afraid of what that might suggest. It might let him know exactly what she was thinking. And none of her current thoughts could ever be acknowledged between them.
There was one way to break this spell.
‘Tell me about your wife, Alex. Tell me about Annabelle’s mother.’
There. He looked as if she’d just sucker-punched him. Truth be told, she really didn’t want to talk to Alex about his wife. She didn’t need to hear how beautiful or wonderful she’d been—the press had already let the world know that. She especially didn’t want her stomach to clench so hard she might be sick.
But this was it. This was the way to stop her thinking about her prince. Her prince. She was still doing it. It was natural.
And this was a natural question to ask Alex. If she wanted to assess Annabelle properly she had to know the family circumstances.
‘What do you want to know?’ His voice was hoarse.
She signalled to the waiter. ‘Can we have some water, please?’ She needed to do something with her own scratchy throat.
The sun was shining down on them, warming her arms and legs. This should be perfect. She was sitting in the most gorgeous setting. From this café she could look across the square at the port and see million-dollar boats bobbing on the sea in front of her. Across from her was the guy she’d thought about for the last ten years.
But she’d just managed to ruin the mood completely. It was time to stop things being personal—it was time to be professional.
‘What happened with Sophia? I’ve se
