so he didn’t have to talk to her.
He walked into their living room, caught her shoulders and put a soft kiss on her cheek. She suspected he’d done it for the benefit of her mother, but the unexpectedness of it stole her breath, made her heart ache all over again.
“Sally has informed me that gifts have begun arriving.”
Her eyebrows rose, but her mother clapped her hands together with glee. “Oh, that’s marvelous.” She faced Eva. “This is the most fun part of getting married.”
Alex laughed. “Really? Getting gifts is the best part of a wedding?”
“It’s not about being materialistic.” Her mom sniffed. “Gifts are kind of like a way to see what people really think of you.” She tapped Alex’s arm. “Trust me. You’ll know who your friends are by what they get you.”
Eva shook her head in shame at her mom’s one true vice. She liked presents. “Sorry, Alex.”
Alex shrugged. “Maybe she has a point. Maybe it will be fun.”
“It’ll be a blast,” Karen assured him. “Are you going down now to start weeding through?”
“We could.” Alex caught her gaze. “Or we could get some lunch. I’m kind of hungry.”
Realizing he wanted time alone for a private discussion, maybe even to explain his staff’s plan to return the gifts since there really wasn’t going to be a wedding, Eva said, “Great. I’m hungry too.”
“There’s a wonderful little bistro that serves the best salads.”
She glanced down at her jeans and top. “Is this okay?”
He smiled. “You’re with me, remember? The Prince of Scruffiness.”
She laughed. “That’s not exactly what I called you.”
“But it’s close,” he said, directing her to the door.
They said goodbye to her mom, then walked in silence through the echoing corridor to the elevator.
When the door closed behind them, she said, “So what’s up?”
“Up?”
“What do you need to talk about?”
He frowned. “Nothing.”
“You didn’t ask me to lunch to talk?”
“No. I asked you to lunch because I’m hungry.”
“At the engagement party, you said—” She stopped herself. “Never mind.” He might have said they were seeing too much of each other two days ago, and he might have warned her off at the engagement party, but today, the day after a real kiss and their honest conversation, he’d asked her to lunch for no reason except that he was hungry. And she was not questioning it.
He drove the Mercedes to a bistro so far out of the way she knew it wasn’t a haunt for tourists but somewhere locals ate, drank and had fun together. Bodyguards escorted them to the restaurant, but instead of Alex opening the door, he pointed at a cluster of tables on the sidewalk bathed in hot sun and the breeze coming off the ocean.
She frowned. “Outside?”
“Among friends,” he said, guiding her to a table in the corner. The wall of the restaurant was at their back. A clear view of the ocean was on their left. The other diners were to the right and in front of them.
“Prince Alex!” A tall man wearing a white apron scurried out to greet them.
Alex rose to shake his hand. He faced Eva. “This is Angelo. He owns the place. And this is—”
“Your beautiful bride,” Angelo said before Alex could finish.
She smiled at him. “Thank you.”
“Lunch is on me!” Angelo said effusively.
Alex laughed. “No. You cook. I pay.” He took his seat again. “Amaze us with a salad that will fill us up, but not make us fat.”
Angelo happily raced away, and Eva sucked in a long drink of the sea air.
Alex laughed. “You’re getting a tad too comfortable with our weather.”
“I know.” She shook her head. “I’m in for so much culture shock when I get home.”
Alex glanced around. “You mean when we get home.”
She nodded, realizing she’d forgotten the charade, but ready to pick up the ball and do her part. “You know we’ll live in a wing of Grennady’s palace the way Dom and Ginny do.”
A waiter arrived with a
He walked into their living room, caught her shoulders and put a soft kiss on her cheek. She suspected he’d done it for the benefit of her mother, but the unexpectedness of it stole her breath, made her heart ache all over again.
“Sally has informed me that gifts have begun arriving.”
Her eyebrows rose, but her mother clapped her hands together with glee. “Oh, that’s marvelous.” She faced Eva. “This is the most fun part of getting married.”
Alex laughed. “Really? Getting gifts is the best part of a wedding?”
“It’s not about being materialistic.” Her mom sniffed. “Gifts are kind of like a way to see what people really think of you.” She tapped Alex’s arm. “Trust me. You’ll know who your friends are by what they get you.”
Eva shook her head in shame at her mom’s one true vice. She liked presents. “Sorry, Alex.”
Alex shrugged. “Maybe she has a point. Maybe it will be fun.”
“It’ll be a blast,” Karen assured him. “Are you going down now to start weeding through?”
“We could.” Alex caught her gaze. “Or we could get some lunch. I’m kind of hungry.”
Realizing he wanted time alone for a private discussion, maybe even to explain his staff’s plan to return the gifts since there really wasn’t going to be a wedding, Eva said, “Great. I’m hungry too.”
“There’s a wonderful little bistro that serves the best salads.”
She glanced down at her jeans and top. “Is this okay?”
He smiled. “You’re with me, remember? The Prince of Scruffiness.”
She laughed. “That’s not exactly what I called you.”
“But it’s close,” he said, directing her to the door.
They said goodbye to her mom, then walked in silence through the echoing corridor to the elevator.
When the door closed behind them, she said, “So what’s up?”
“Up?”
“What do you need to talk about?”
He frowned. “Nothing.”
“You didn’t ask me to lunch to talk?”
“No. I asked you to lunch because I’m hungry.”
“At the engagement party, you said—” She stopped herself. “Never mind.” He might have said they were seeing too much of each other two days ago, and he might have warned her off at the engagement party, but today, the day after a real kiss and their honest conversation, he’d asked her to lunch for no reason except that he was hungry. And she was not questioning it.
He drove the Mercedes to a bistro so far out of the way she knew it wasn’t a haunt for tourists but somewhere locals ate, drank and had fun together. Bodyguards escorted them to the restaurant, but instead of Alex opening the door, he pointed at a cluster of tables on the sidewalk bathed in hot sun and the breeze coming off the ocean.
She frowned. “Outside?”
“Among friends,” he said, guiding her to a table in the corner. The wall of the restaurant was at their back. A clear view of the ocean was on their left. The other diners were to the right and in front of them.
“Prince Alex!” A tall man wearing a white apron scurried out to greet them.
Alex rose to shake his hand. He faced Eva. “This is Angelo. He owns the place. And this is—”
“Your beautiful bride,” Angelo said before Alex could finish.
She smiled at him. “Thank you.”
“Lunch is on me!” Angelo said effusively.
Alex laughed. “No. You cook. I pay.” He took his seat again. “Amaze us with a salad that will fill us up, but not make us fat.”
Angelo happily raced away, and Eva sucked in a long drink of the sea air.
Alex laughed. “You’re getting a tad too comfortable with our weather.”
“I know.” She shook her head. “I’m in for so much culture shock when I get home.”
Alex glanced around. “You mean when we get home.”
She nodded, realizing she’d forgotten the charade, but ready to pick up the ball and do her part. “You know we’ll live in a wing of Grennady’s palace the way Dom and Ginny do.”
A waiter arrived with a
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