Page 11 of Tempted By the Princess

I started to suggest that we order in, but then I realized it would be fun to go out and explore Carrie’s favorite food cart. Besides, I’d never eaten at one even though they were ubiquitous here in Seattle.

“Let me figure out a disguise,” I said.

Carrie nodded. “Help yourself to whatever you can find in there.”

I returned ten minutes later wearing baggy tan cargo pants, a tank top that hugged my small breasts in a way that made them look larger than they usually did, and a hat I found in the closet.

“You look good in a trucker hat,” Carrie said.

“Do I look like a normal Seattle girl?” I asked lightly.

Her eyes traveled down my body and then up again, and it almost felt like a caress.

“You sure do,” she said, her voice suddenly husky. “Let’s hit the road. It’s about eight blocks, are you okay walking?”

“Yeah, I could use the exercise.”

Her eyes traveled up and down my body once more, but Carrie didn’t comment.

It was a warm, sunny day and as we left the house I inhaled deeply, happy to have a dry day. Back in Saint Marenne we got our fair share of rainy days, but it was nothing like Seattle where it sometimes rained for days on end. It was mostly a mist or light rain, nothing terrible, but I definitely preferred the sun.

Burrito Burrito was part of a pod with half a dozen other food carts, but its neon yellow paint job made it stand out. There was a line waiting, despite the fact that it was three o’clock in the afternoon, but it moved quickly. While we waited I studied the menu, trying to decide what to order.

“What’s your favorite burrito?” I asked Carrie.

“Chicken and veggie fajita,” she said without hesitation. “Although there’s literally not one thing here that’s not delicious.”

Fifteen minutes later Carrie and I were ensconced at a picnic table near the far edge of the food cart pod with burritos and two bottles of Mexican Coke in hand.

“I forgot how much better Coke is when it’s made with real sugar,” I said as I took a sip of my icy cold drink.

“Yeah, I like Coke fine, but this shit is delicious.”

I watched as Carrie rolled the foil halfway down her burrito, leaving the bottom wrapped, then I did the same with mine. It was a huge burrito, large enough that I had to hold it with two hands, and when I took my first bite I couldn’t help the sound of pleasure that left my mouth. The chicken was perfectly grilled, and combined with fresh vegetables, cilantro, guacamole, and cheese it was delicious.

“This is incredible.”

“Right?” Carrie mumbled around her food.

As we ate I studied her, noting the way the sun brought out the gold in her hair. She had a smudge of blue paint that she’d missed on the inside of her wrist and several small speckles of paint on her shirt that I was pretty sure she wasn’t aware of. Or maybe she was and didn’t care.

“What do you paint?” I asked.

Carrie chewed a bite of burrito before answering, her voice carefully neutral. “Things that interest me. People. Landscapes. Animals.”

“Have you ever put your paintings in an exhibit?” I asked. “Or sold them on Etsy or something?”

“Nah, I’m not that good. But what I lack in skill I make up for in enthusiasm.”

I wanted to ask her more, but she changed the subject.

“Tell me about growing up in a castle,” she said.

“It’s really more like a giant villa than a castle,” I said. “It was… restrictive. Even though Saint Marenne is a small country, there’s still a lot of security around the royal family. We spent a lot of time attending balls and ribbon cutting ceremonies and entertaining foreign dignitaries. It was dreadfully boring. My sister never seemed to mind but I wanted to claw my eyes out every time I got dragged to one of those things. Still do.”

Carrie looked thoughtful. I knew I was playing the ‘poor little rich girl’ card but everything I was saying was true. But I also didn’t want to give her the wrong impression about my family. All things considered, they were pretty great.

“I love my family,” I continued. “My sister never acted like she was better than me just because she was born first and next in the line of succession. My parents love me and up until now they’ve mostly let me do whatever I wanted, as long as I didn’t embarrass them or do something unsafe.”