Chapter 35 A Big Slip-up
It was quiet, though a nurse or assistant would stride by occasionally. Miss Santer’s no-nonsense tone sounded especially sharp in the hospital passageway.
“You knew where he was all along, and you didn’t tell me,” she stated.
Hallie decided she didn’t have to explain anything.
All she wanted to do was keep up the appearance of being Luke’s girlfriend.
Since their worlds had so suddenly collided, there was no telling if word could get back to the people she knew, so she decided to keep her story consistent. She only hoped Luke would do the same.
“The truth is, Miss Santer,” Hallie said, “Luke needed some time off. He didn’t want anyone to know where he was.”
“And we can see where that has led us,” Santer scolded.
Hallie had to admit she had a point.
“Do you have any idea how busy I am?” Santer went on. “With Luke absent, I run the company practically by myself, I have to figure out whether to tell his family about what happened, and do damage control.”
“That’s only three things,” Hallie said, “Doesn’t sound like you’re all that busy.”
“All right, since you’re being difficult, I’m going to tell you plainly: I’m taking over from here. Luke doesn’t need you or your hick friends anymore.”
Hallie put on her toughest act as she tried to stare the woman down.
“I think we should let Luke decide that. And I happen to be his girlfriend, so I have a feeling he’ll want me to stick around.”
“Girlfriend?” Miss Santer laughed obnoxiously. “Luke doesn’t have girlfriend.”
“He does now,” Hallie said. “Looks like you didn’t get the memo.”
“Ha! I know for a fact that Luke never has a girlfriend. He doesn’t do the whole dating thing, ever. Looks like you didn’t get the memo.”
“I did get the memo, and it says I’m his girlfriend.”
Hallie just hoped Luke would back her up on this.
“You’re so na?ve.” Santer shook her head with a pitying smile, “He’s just using you for sex like he’s used lots of women.”
“Actually, we haven’t had sex yet, but I know he’s serious about me,” Hallie said calmly.
“Serious or not, he’s coming back to work as soon as he’s recovered. No more riding horses on the Texas plains.”
Hallie wasn’t going to say this, but since Miss Santer was acting so possessive of Luke, she wanted to test her theory.
“You came to the dance because you tracked his phone,” Hallie began, “but why didn’t you ever come to the ranch where he was staying?”
“I don’t have to answer that.” Santer suddenly put on an air of professional detachment. “But since you are so curious, I knew Luke wasn’t ready to see me. I was giving him time to get his act together.”
“I think it’s because you secretly like him. You wanted Luke to see you in a social environment like the dance, to see you as something other than an assistant.”
“I don’t know where these crazy ideas are coming from. Even if I liked him, I’m not stupid enough to think I could be with the prince of Sar—” She cut herself short before finishing the sentence.
“What?” Hallie asked, genuinely unsure whether she heard that correctly.
“Nothing.” It suddenly seemed like Miss Santer had blurted out something she hadn’t meant to reveal.
“Oh, you mean because he’s quite rich people call him the prince of Sarkadia?” Hallie asked. She wondered if Luke was even richer than she had imagined since he had such a lavish honorary title.
But suddenly she vaguely remembered some news headlines she had seen a few years ago. There really was a prince of Sarkadia. Being a fairly small country, Sarkadia didn’t get much coverage on the local or even regional news.
The mountainous country was perfect for skiing, but nothing much seemed to happen there... except when it concerned the royal prince. Prince Lucas, she suddenly remembered.
It all made sense now: his arrogance, his picture-perfect attire, what he said about playing polo.
Hallie gasped, unable to form a clear sentence. “Is he really...”
“I didn’t mean to say that,” Miss Santer said, her eyes scouring the floor. Then she looked up at Hallie, and it seemed she knew Hallie had figured it out.
“The prince...” Hallie murmured.
All those times he had tried to win her over, as if he couldn’t quite believe she could reject him. And that time he talked about introducing tater twisters to Sarkadia as if his every whim could create changes in the country’s culture.
“It’s in his and your best interest to keep this a secret,” Santer warned.
“Believe me,” Hallie said, “I know.”