Page 22 of His Princess

“So Piper…” Vanessa’s voice breaks into my thoughts, making me blink and quickly look somewhere else.

It’s well after dessert has been served and we’ve all just been sitting here talking as our meal settles. Mom picks out a new topic just as the current one begins to wane. I regret having missed the opportunity to call it a night and set myself to be prepared for the next one.

“Have you given anymore thought to going back to college or anything?” Mom goes on. “I’d be happy to help you with applications and whatnot if you need it.”

This piques my interest and I listen intently for Piper’s answer. I’m surprised that her response doesn’t come right away. All through high school she was almost obsessed with ballet and dance, that’s all she used to do. She was so dedicated, to the point that I couldn’t help but find her inspiring. I can’t help but wonder what might have changed between then and now…

“I’m still thinking about it,” she finally says, not looking up from her wine glass. “I just haven’t found something that interests me enough.”

I see Leo and Vanessa exchange a glance. They’re concerned, but they want to be supportive and encouraging rather than pushy. My Mom reaches across the table and pats her hand, while Leo just grins and tells her, “ah don’t worry, kiddo, you’ve got plenty of time to decide.”

Then his gaze flicks over to me. A silent plea. I can just hear him saying, “you’re her stepbrother, maybe you can help her now.”

For a moment I almost waver, feeling that perhaps chasing Piper isn’t such a good idea. There’s no denying how badly I want her, but I don’t want our issues to cause problems for our parents. The notion is swiftly dismissed. It’s only one night, that’s it, one night of total bliss to get her out of my system. Since that should put an end to our feud then Vanessa and Leo never need to know anything about it.

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