Her Secret Prince by Madeline Ash Page B

so it erupted in a sudden squealed, “What?”
    He grinned.
    “Jed, you’re serious!”
    “I’ll move to LA when we’re done here. We’ll make it work.”
    She laughed, overjoyed, and said, “I can’t believe in this movie moment you look like heaven and my face is all puffy from crying.”
    “No, it’s not,” he reassured her.
    She raised a disbelieving brow.
    “You haven’t slept in twenty-fourhours.” He smiled. “It was already puffy.”
    “Oh, a comedian.” She turned to the fridge, not letting go of his hand. “What are your thoughts on champagne and pastries in front of the fire? And by champagne and pastries , I mainly mean sex, and by what are your thoughts, I mean that’s what we’ll be doing.”
    Jed paused. “I think I’m okay with that.”

Chapter Six
    ‡
    A s he parked near Café Georgette, Jed scanned the quaint city center of Leguarday, ignoring the anxiety punching up his stomach. Hardly any people out—suspiciously few compared to the outer city streets. Might be the rain and fierce wind, but the icy grip of winter rarely halted peoplefrom getting on with living.
    Royalty, on the other hand, could halt anything.
    Nerves seemed to restrict his veins, tightening each painful thud of his heart.
    “Okay, let’s do this,” Dee said, unbuckling her seatbelt and twisting to face him. “I’ll wait here until you text me that it’s safe. If I don’t receive anything after ten minutes, I’ll come inside to scope the scene, but pretend I don’tknow you. If you look like you’re in trouble, I’ll call the cops. Gendarmes. Whatever. Right?”
    Guilt ate into Jed’s bones as he nodded. He was lying to her and didn’t intend to come clean. Not until he’d met Oscar and got his head around the whole thing. Not until he could explain it in complete sentences and conclude that none of it mattered anyway, because he was going to move to Los Angelesto be with her. That was how the story would end. No questions. He just wanted to wait until he understood how the story got them there.
    It still wasn’t right, especially after she’d been so honest about wanting his future. But about that, he hadn’t lied. Dee was his home. Today was about answering a life-long question, so he could finally settle with her without wondering. That was all.
    “Howyou feeling?”
    Jed met her concerned blue eyes. “Okay.”
    “Because you look like you’re about to vomit.”
    He nodded as nerves coiled and sprang in his stomach.
    She rolled her eyes. “And that constitutes feeling okay? Remind me not to believe a word you say when you’re sick.”
    Jed’s gaze settled on the café. It had a small two-story street front, tucked in between what looked to be a post officeand clothing store. The stone facing made way for large windows and doors on the ground floor, and a neat little balcony on the second. A cobalt awning covered a cluster of outdoor tables—all unoccupied—and a sign of the same blue was being thrown back and forth by the wind. It looked welcoming, comfortable, and innocuous for a place that housed a man who’d been Jed’s biggest childhood fear.
    “You’ll be fine.” He heard Dee’s concern. “You’re meeting in public…even if this place is like a ghost town.”
    “Thank you,” he said. “For doing all this.”
    As she smiled, he took her hand. Ran his thumb over her knuckles. Raised it and kissed her palm. Then he got out of the car and, with his head bowed against the gale, jogged up to the café. Pushing in the door, a bell jingled into silence. Completesilence. Like the whole place was poised and listening.
    Jed closed the door quietly behind him.
    The front seating area was narrow, housing only a handful of tables-for-two. A sole businesswoman sat by the window, and as Jed glanced over, she picked up her mug and met his eye. He looked away, but sensed that she didn’t.
    Now or never.
    “Hello?” he called, for no staff could be seen.
    A waiterglided out from the