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Jan knew it was more than Alex had ever planned to give anyone. It was more than she’d ever thought she’d wanted for herself.
And she did want it.
With him.
Standing at the farmer’s table, Jan squeezed the tomato in her hand. It gave. Much like her resolve to give up on love.
“Excuse me, miss,” said a fellow shopper to her left. “Can you help me choose? I’m a terrible cook.”
Jan turned to face the woman. Helping the culinary-challenged was a favorite hobby of hers. But the moment she looked into the woman’s shrewd gaze, Jan reared back.
“I have nothing to say to you.” Jan put the ripe tomato in her basket and gave the reporter, Lila Drake, her back.
Lila raced in her heels to keep up with Jan. The pavement was cobblestones. Jan hoped the woman’s spike heel got caught in a crack and broke her back.
“Did you see this morning’s papers?”
Jan remained mute as she marched on to the next crate. She gave her full concentration to the long, orange carrots neatly placed in rows.
“I just need a quote from the would-be bride.”
“Would be?”
“Oh, come on, honey. You don’t really expect Prince Alex, the playboy prince, to actually get to the aisle? From what I hear, you have some experience with that.”
Jan bit the inside of her cheek. She knew what the reporter was doing. Trying to get a rise out of her so that she could get a scoop.
Jan gave her a sweet smile. “Guess you’ll just have to wait and see, won’t you. And if it happens, I’ll be sure and contact your competition to give them all the details.”
Lila snorted. “Right, because a handsome prince is going to marry a jilted, plain-looking, pie maker from New Jersey. That’s how the storybooks go.”
Jan felt the sting. She wanted to say it wasn’t true. She wanted to say that there was a thing between her and Alex. But she wouldn’t believe it.
“He’s never getting married,” said Lila. “He’s just going to live off the people’s tax money until he dies. This is clearly a stunt to detract from that. But everyone loves an underdog story; the dog being you. I can easily make you into a sympathetic character if you play ball.”
Jan squeezed the carrot in her hand. Unlike the tomato, the vegetable didn’t give. It snapped.
She had had enough. She was used to people talking and believing poorly of her. But Alex was a good person inside and out. He hid behind a facade so that he could go around the world making people’s lives better. And people like Lila Drake did nothing but spew negativity and lies.
“You were there in Nairobi weren’t you?” said Jan. “You know he didn’t hook up with that actress or model or whatever.”
“Oh, honey, he hooked up with a model, believe you me.”
Jan grit her teeth. “You saw what he did in the village.”
‘With the green house thing? So what?”
“Why not report on that?”
“Because no one wants to read about a do-good prince,” Lila said as though Jan were the most naïve schoolgirl in the world. “Women don’t dream about a charitable prince. Notice how little press King Leo gets. Every girl wants the bad boy.”
“The people should know the truth of their prince. That he doesn’t spend extravagantly. When he goes off on these trips, he’s always helping the less fortunate. That he barely spends a dime. Others just gift him services because they want to use his name. Everyone just wants to use him.”
“But not you?” said Lila.
“Of course not.”
“So you’re not after his inheritance? I’d bet you could open many restaurants with that money.”
