24. Willa
Chapter twenty-four
Willa
A fter we wrapped up our meeting with Princess Estelle, our group toured two nearby estates.
Then Jasper and I split off from the group and attended our second etiquette lesson with Lady Berringer, which was just as boring as it sounds.
Especially since I couldn’t concentrate on anything other than the fact that I saw Nick again.
I mean, Prince Nicholai.
He's a freaking prince! I can barely refrain from rolling my eyes at my own idiocy.
On the few occasions when Nick mentioned Alex, Ellie, or the mysterious family business, I now realize he was referring to King Alexander, Princess Estelle, and the Belgrovinian monarchy.
Nick is a member of the freaking royal family of a European country, and I had no idea about his double life while we were together in Saltside.
I truly am an idiot.
But damn, I cannot believe the time I spent with Nick in Saltside, time that meant the world to me, meant absolutely nothing to him.
Nick kept large— huge —parts of his life a secret from me, but he didn't even tell his brother, his self-proclaimed best friend, about me.
That hurts more than the secrets he kept.
And I hated how Nick treated me today. He acted like he hardly knew me. Like we hadn't spent weeks getting to know one another. Intimately.
When Nick stood in front of me expressionless, staring at me like I was a stranger, my heart dropped from my chest into my bowels as a zap of electricity slammed violently through me.
Sure, Nick exhibited that one moment of concern when I stumbled, but that was it. For the remainder of the strained interaction, Nick ignored me. Granted, I ignored him too, but I was only following his lead.
He watched as his brother openly flirted with me. Flirted! With me! And Nick did nothing to stop him. He acted unfazed by everything, the jerk.
Jasper's deep, melodious voice jars me from my brooding. "You finally ready to talk about it?"
"Talk about what?"
"Your history."
"History?"
"With that guy. Y'all know each other, right?"
"Do you mean King Alexander?" I question. "I don't know him. I only met him today. Same as you.”
Jasper shakes his head with a rueful smile. "Nope, girl," his southern accent shining through his simple words. "Not Alexander. Nicholai. There were definite vibes between the two of you."
How the hell did Jasper pick up on that?
After my initial moment of shock, I did some of my very best acting today. As soon as Nick was assured that I wasn't launching into a panic attack, he steered clear of me, chatting politely with Hugh and Stewart, while King Alexander fawned all over me.
My head rears back, feigning confusion. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I met Prince Nicholai,” his formal title feels bitter as it rolls off my tongue, “about a month ago, but I'd hardly call that a history.
I met him at a hotel bar in my hometown.
Well, technically, I encountered him at a coffee shop first and then his dog knocked me down on the beach later and then I ran into him in the bar the following night.
That's when I actually had a conversation with him.
But regardless, I barely know the guy. Obviously, you know, since he ignored me today. "
Make it stop .
Make me stop.
The babbling is uncontrollable as my nerves get the better of me. I slap on another smile and force my jaw to stay closed.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Jasper wiggles his finger in front of my face. "No, ma'am. I'm not buying what you're selling. I only met you a few days ago, but girl, don't ever go to Vegas. Your poker face is shit."
I slump against the leather seat and roll my head back with a groan as I clamp my eyes shut.
"Spill. The. Tea."
Popping one eye open, I assess my co-star. He's saved me from Hugh's annoying touchy-feely crap more than once. He seems genuinely nice and protective. He gives off an older brother vibe. And he can see right through me.
I sit up and face Jasper. "Fine, you win. Yes, I met Nick, and we had a brief dalliance. It was…serious without being serious." I explain lamely, as the inflection in my voice raises with each word I speak.
So much for sticking to my story. I have the spine of an invertebrate.
"Serious without being serious? What does that mean?"
"Hell if I know, Jasper." I mutter, debating whether or not to explain further.
Am I willing to reopen the wound that Nick created when he left?
It feels like it's barely scabbed over, and disclosing the nitty-gritty details of my short-lived romance with Nick to Jasper will rip that scab right off, causing me to bleed again.
"You know we have a mutual friend in common?"
"We do?" Emotional whiplash aside, I'm grateful for the change of subject.
"Yep. I grew up with Hayes."
"Hayes from the band Outlaw?" I shriek. "My brother works with him in Nashville. Get out! What a small world. I love-slash-hate Hayes."
Jasper laughs and I find myself returning his smile. "Yeah, I can see that. Hayes is an annoying asshat, but also a freaking great human being. It's hard to be both, but somehow he manages to walk that fine line."
"Exactly," I agree with a nod. "He's the kind of guy I would never in a million years want to date, but if I had children, I'd list him as my next of kin because I know he'd take those kids in and love them to pieces if anything ever happened to me."
"Maybe he just hasn't met the right woman yet."
I think about how Hayes acts with Jane. "Maybe so."
As if Jasper is reading my mind, he quips, “Because it sure as shit ain’t Jane.”
I snicker and agree.
By sharing that we have a mutual friend, I feel more comfortable disclosing details of my fling.
"Hayes has actually met Nick too," I admit, broaching the subject again .
"I put that together just now," Jasper smiles. "I talked to Hayes before we left on this trip. He mentioned that I needed to razz you about Nick, but I had no idea when Hayes mentioned Nick, he was referring to His Royal Highness Nicholai Windingham, Prince of Belgrovinia."
Twisting my lips, I admit the embarrassing truth. "Yeah, I didn't either. The whole time that Nick and I were together, he never told me about this part of his life. Hence why I call him Nick and not Prince Nicholai."
Ugh, I moan to myself as another memory slams into me. When Nick and I were in Saltside, how many times did I call him Nicholas? He always thought it was so funny. Now I know why.
Because Nicholas is not his name!
Looking back at our time together with the knowledge of who Nick really is…
It's like I'm unwrapping layer upon layer of my naive stupidity and it's mortifying.
"For real? He never told you who he was?"
"No," I shake my head. "Like I said, we were serious without actually being serious."
"I still have no idea what that means, darlin'."
Darlin' reminds me of Nick. Well, technically, darling with the g pronounced, but whatever. It feels different, but also nice, when Jasper uses it too.
"We—" I falter because I was about to say that we shared a lot, but that isn't true.
I start again. "I shared a lot with Nick.
I opened up to him in a way that I seldom do, which made our fling feel more serious to me.
Unfortunately, it's blatantly obvious now that the lines of communication were one-sided. "
"That's tough." Jasper squeezes my shoulder. "I'm here if you need me. You know, we could always make him jealous," Jasper raises an eyebrow at me. "We could pretend to be together. Or at least, flirt with each other."
"To be jealous, he'd need to have feelings for me," I surmise sadly. "And like our lines of communication, the feelings only go one way too."
Jasper snorts softly and shakes his head, disbelievingly. "I wouldn't be so sure of that, Willa. That boy has it bad for you."
"What? No way!" I sit forward in surprise. "You saw how he ignored me. He acted as if I was a total stranger."
"His attention was focused on you the entire time.
Prince Nicholai may not have intervened when his brother was talking to you, but he hated every minute of watching King Alexander flirt with you.
" Jasper smiles at me naughtily. "Seriously, he was shooting lasers out his eyeballs at his older brother. "
My lips twitch as I mutter, "It's silly and immature, but that little nugget of information makes me feel about a thousand times better. Thanks for that, Jasper."
Our phones chime in unison, a series of little dings that fill the rear cabin of the chauffeured car.
I grumble under my breath. If we're both being messaged, it's probably from Hugh.
I know this is a work trip, but I feel like I deserve a short mental health break from the annoying Frenchman.
Hugh's okay, but he's one of those energy vampires who sucks all the energy from the room. It's exhausting to be around him.
So, how am I going to spend months shooting a movie with him?
Jasper slips his phone out of his pocket and one side of his mouth tilts down. "You're probably not going to like this, but we’ve been summoned to another meeting at the palace tomorrow morning. "
Ugh. At least I'll have over twelve hours to compose myself before seeing Nick again.
Lord knows, I'll need every available minute to accomplish that herculean task.
After a pregnant pause, Jasper adds, "You're probably really not going to like this next part."
I groan plaintively. "God, what could be worse than a follow-up meeting?"
"After our meeting, we’re leaving for Bainbridge Castle, where we'll be staying for the next few days. And our royal tour guide is none other than your number one fan, Prince Nicholai."