Page 40 of Royal Cocktail

Her phone chimed, and she rolled over to find a text from Hannah about a possible client referral. As Skye started to type an answer, Leo slid out of bed, motioning that he was going to the kitchen.

She sent the reply and started to follow, only to stop when she heard the voices just beyond the door.

“Sleeping with my fiancée?” The humor in Bart’s voice was clear.

“Hey, if you couldn’t keep her satisfied…”

Skye clapped her hand over her mouth so as not to laugh aloud at Leo’s response.

“A fair point,” Bart said. “But, listen, I’ve got to say this, because I love her, too, you know? Not the way you do, but…”

“I get it.”

“Yeah, well, for the record, you hurt her, and we’re going to have issues.”

“That’s why I like you, man.”

From behind the door, Skye grinned.

“I’m glad to hear it,” Bart said.

“But I have to be honest,” Leo continued. “In the end, Skye and I both know that hurt is inevitable.”

“Yeah,” Bart said. “The royal thing is cool, but I gotta say, I don’t envy you.”

“Understood. There are times I don’t envy me, either.”

She sighed, then headed into the living room to join them. And, hopefully, to lighten the mood. “You two talking about me?”

“No,” said Bart.

“Of course,” said Leo.

Bart shot him a glance. “Tattletale.”

“Don’t worry,” Skye said, holding up her phone. “It’s what all the … cool kids are doing. Here’s the latest. It flashed on my notifications as I was answering Hannah’s text.”

She pulled it up again, then passed her phone to Bart with the headline filling the screen.

“It’s L-L-Love for the P-p-pr-ince,” he read. “Good grief, that’s horrible. And you don’t stutter.”

“Right?” She held out her hands as if in exasperation. “If they’re going to … make fun of me … at least get … it right.”

She turned to Leo, expecting him to join in the banter. Instead, he just looked sad.

“It’s … okay.”

“No. It’s not. I’m so sorry.”

“For what? You … didn’t encourage them.”

“She’s right,” Bart said. “You’re not the asshole here.”

Leo’s mouth twitched. “Fair enough.” He reached out and ran a lock of Skye’s hair through his fingers. “We should get dressed. The limo will be here within the hour.”

The professor had invited them over for cocktails, and Leo had offered to rent a limo to take all three of them from the professor’s home to the auditorium where he’d be receiving his award, something to which the professor had eagerly agreed.

Skye was looking forward to it, too. A limo might not be a treat for Leo, but she’d only been in one once before, after her father had rewarded her for graduating first in her law school class.