“We sanitized your table with every cleaning product in the restaurant,” the woman chirps, propping her elbows on the counter. “You, Mr. Beaumont, deserve a spotless area for your first time here!”
This is one of the resort’s newer and nicer restaurants, and Kingsley has never taken the time to try it. Why am I not surprised?
“Thank you.” He flashes a smile, and it doesn’t reach his eyes, but it’s good enough for the hostess. “But all the guests deserve a clean area, Marlene.”
Marlene’s jaw drops, and I swear her whole life flashes before her eyes. “Of course! We treat all guests like royalty, as we’ve been taught. I meant that you being… well,you, we want your guest experience to be top-notch.”
God, this woman needs to get a grip. She’s practically foaming at the mouth for him. Sorry, Marlene, but the prince doesn’t enjoy having two-way conversations with people, let alone fraternizing with his employees.
I know that for a fact.
“Don’t worry. I understand,” Kingsley murmurs, his hand resting lightly on Marlene’s as he offers a faint smile. “I know you would never treat customers any less. Not even for me. That’s why you’re my favorite hostess, darling.”
My face involuntarily pulls into a repulsed scowl. Am I dreaming, or is Kingsley engaging? Not only is he engaging, but he’s also… flirting.
And did he call her bloodydarling?
I take a dramatic step forward, bumping shoulders with Mr. Flirtatious and alarming Mrs. Can’t Stop Batting My Eyelashes. Their heads snap my way so hard you’d think I was intruding.
“So sorry to interrupt this lovely conversation,” I say, my smile sickly sweet. My eyes find the hostess. “Is our table ready?”
Timidly, she looks down at her tablet. “Uh, yes.”
I clap my hands while my teeth grind against each other. “Would you look at that? Instead of holding up the line, you could be bringing us to our table. Doesn’t that seem like something you should do, Marlene?”
Marlene shrinks under my hard gaze, and I almost feel bad for the girl. Key word, almost.
A second later, she’s gathering menus and walking us to our table in a quieter area away from the main crowd. Marlene sets the menus down, letting her hair fall to obscure her view of me. I almost laugh out loud.
“Thanks, Marlene,” Kingsley says softly, almost like an apology.
“Enjoy.” She curtsies before rushing off.
Thomas’ eyes are boring into my soul the way they do when he has an opinion he’s dying to share. That opinion is usually unwanted on my part, which is why I ignore his hard stare and focus on the menu.
“Should I get the truffle-infused risotto or the sous vide wagyu beef?” I peer at the menu. “Hey, I think I pronounced that right.”
Kingsley and Thomas, sitting across from me, share a look. Eventually, Tommy speaks. “I heard the risotto is good.”
“It’s the guest’s favorite,” Kingsley adds. Our eyes meet.
I raise a brow. “Is that what you’ll get?”
“I’ll probably just order an appetizer.” His response is quick. “Anyway, what will we be filming today?”
“I don’t know if you saw it, but I already texted you the script,” Thomas tells him. “It’s short. I also figure I can take a couple of shots of our food. We can wait until after we’re done eating to record your lines, though.”
“Goodie,” he mutters sarcastically. “Thank God acting isn’t my full-time job. I’d hate my damn life.”
“I don’t know why. With all the views the ads are getting, clearly you’re a natural,” Thomas compliments.
The social media thing has been doing better than we thought it would, considering neither of us knows anything about advertising. Either the algorithm has been extremely kind to us, or Tommy has a knack for marketing.
Our waiter interrupts, and we give him our orders. Kingsley orders an appetizer, as he said he would, while Thomas and I order practically half of the menu.
When the waiter leaves, Kingsley continues. “That’s just because of my name. I could stand in front of a camera andbreathe, and it would get views because I’m a Beaumont. Unlike our last social media manager, you two realized that, capitalized on it, and now you’re on my dad’s good side.”
“Glad to know we’re on Xavier’s good side.”
