“What are you working on?” He ignored my question and walked around the bookshelf and over to me, eyeing the iPad in front of me.
“It’s a work in progress. It’s bad luck for you to see it in this stage.”
“Bad luck for who?”
“In this case, both of us.”
“Both of us?” He frowned.
“It’s for an event I’m planning.”
“What event?”
I picked up the digital pencil. “Your gala.”
“You’re planning the gala?” His eyebrows shot up. “How did that happen?”
“Madame Rose contacted my company and asked us to plan it.”
“Did she now.” His gaze dropped to the iPad again. “May I see?”
“I . . . I don’t really like to show my sketches to anyone before they’re ready.”
“Even if it’s an event for me?”
“They’re extremely rough sketches.” I pushed the button and entered my passcode quickly.
“The ball is in a week. I don’t think you have time for extremely rough sketches.” He watched me for a long moment. “I thought you had a date that night.”
“I do.”
“Will it be before or after the gala?”
“I’m actually taking him.”
“A work date then.”
“Sort of.” I clicked on the iPad and swiped to the beginning of the sketches. “Maybe it would be unfair for me to take him there.”
“I’d say.” He shrugged a shoulder. “But I haven’t been on many dates, so I don’t know if I should be giving you advice on the matter.”
“You haven’t been on many dates?” I met his gaze.
“I haven’t.” His expression was completely serious, but his eyes twinkled as he looked at me. “Is that so hard to believe?”
“Yes.”
“Have you been on many dates?”
“Define many.”
“I’ve been on five,” he said. “That’s not very many.”
“Five?” I balked, trying not to laugh. “You’re so full of it.”
“I’m being completely serious. Why don’t you believe me?”
“Because you’re Prince Elias, future king of France, most eligible bachelor in the world. People say you’re handsome and charismatic and I just can’t imagine you would have only been on five dates.”
“People say?” His mouth twitched. “What do you say?”
“I definitely think you’re handsome.”
“Not charismatic?” He was fighting a smile.
“I mean . . . not to me.” I bit my lip. “But maybe to others?”
“Not to you?” He frowned slowly, as if thinking about all of our past encounters. “I guess I haven’t really been very kind to you lately.”
“Not really, but it’s okay.”
“That should never be okay.”
“Well, you said it, not me.”
“I’m sorry.” He sighed heavily. “I’ve had a lot on my mind.”
“Thanks.” I felt myself smile at his apology and positioned the iPad so that he could see it. “They’re a very rough draft.”
“This is nice.” He turned his face to read the notes on the side. He raised an eyebrow. “Acrobatics? If this is a preview for a potential engagement, I can’t even imagine what the wedding will be like.”
“Me either.” I laughed. “The theme is a seventeen-hundreds masquerade, since you royals have a thing for masquerades and ballgowns.”
“Us royals.” He was fighting a smile. “I guess we do.”
“I can’t believe you’ve only been on five dates.” I looked at him again. He was insanely gorgeous. Not that dates had anything to do with how many women he’d had sex with, but still. “How old are you?”
“Twenty-eight.”
“You need to go on more dates, Prince Elias.”
“Let me take you on one.”
I blinked. “Me?”
“Why is that so hard to believe?” He chuckled.
“Why would you want to take me on a date?”
“Not for appearances.”
“Of course not for appearances.” I scoffed. I wasn’t an aristocrat or a socialite or the Princess of Austria.
“Believe it or not, I mean that as a compliment.”
“Okay.” I glanced away, to the stack of books I was supposed to shelve by the end of the day. Why was I even entertaining this date idea? A date with a prince was definitely not the way to go unnoticed. I was just barely catching my footing.
“What do you like to do on a date?” he asked, beckoning my attention.
“I don’t think we should go on a date.”
“Why not?”
“A date with a prince is not on my schedule for this month,” I said. “I came here to get away from the spotlight.”
“Why were you in the spotlight?” He watched me closely.
“How does anyone end up in the spotlight?” I shrugged. “Poor decisions. They definitely weren’t reporting on me feeding the hungry.”
“Doesn’t your father own the tabloids?”
“No.” I diverted my eyes again. “He doesn’t own the tabloids, he’s just friends with some of the owners, but even he can’t get me out of this predicament. They need things to report on and unfortunately, I was it this time.”
“I can’t stand them. If my father stands up and speaks in front of a crowd the only thing they report on is his insufferable tone. God forbid they talk about all the good things he’s done.”
I bit my tongue. The king did have an insufferable tone and a superiority complex that made the rest of us work hard not to cower at. I wasn’t about to tell Prince Elias that, though. I looked at him again.
“When was the last time you went on a date?” he asked suddenly.
“It’s been a while.” I caught myself quickly. “Pierre aside, I mean. That was a real date until you interrupted us.”
“Did that one end with a kiss?”
“No.”
“Then it wasn’t a real date.”
“Says the man who’s only gone on five and they’ve all been for pretenses.”
“Says the man who’s going to take you on one and make sure it’s real.”
“Oh.” I swallowed as butterflies flapped deep in my belly. I shook my head. I shouldn’t be entertaining this. “It doesn’t change the fact that we shouldn’t be seen together.”
“Because your father hates me.”
“No. Because I don’t need more attention in my life right now. If I’m seen with you, it’ll look bad for you as well. People will say you were trying to plot against your father or something.”
He scoffed. “Who says I’m not?”
My eyes widened. “That’s . . . ”
“I know what it is. In the olden days, I would’ve been physically hanged. Nowadays we have death by tabloid rumors.”
“And social media,” I added. His eyes twinkled. It felt like a smile, though his lips didn’t move. I felt mine pull up nonetheless and my curiosity got the best of me. “What kind of things do you want your father to do differently?”