Prince Next Door

She answered on the second dial tone.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Lara, it’s me.”

“Hannah! Is everything okay?”

I sniffled and tried to keep my voice level. I didn’t know why I was as upset as I was. “Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You sound like you’re about to cry.”

I let out a shaky breath. “It’s been a rough evening.”

“Bad date?”

“How did you know?”

“I just know you really well. I don’t know why you insist on dating men who don’t deserve you.”

A bitter laugh bubbled past my lips. “Yeah, I don’t know why, either.”

“Are you going to be okay?”

“Probably. Would you mind if I spent the night at your place tonight? I think my little hobbit hole is only going to depress me more.”

“Of course. I’ll have Clarissa and Chuck help me set up the couch for you.”

I drew in a slow breath of cold evening air, using the moment of quiet to refresh my mind. “Thank you, Lara. I really appreciate it. I have to call a cab, but I’ll be there shortly.”

I hung up the phone and stuffed it back in the tiny clutch Sergé chose for me. It was bedazzled with all sorts of little Swarovski crystals. I figured it was probably best if I headed by to my room at the hotel and handed everything back before visiting Lara. Just standing outside the venue made me feel like a walking target for a robbery.

A part of me felt bad for leaving. I didn’t really want to go, but now that I knew my ex-boyfriend was here, a fun evening really wasn’t in the cards for me. And besides, William was too busy. He clearly didn’t need me around. I told myself that that was okay. We were just something temporary. And now that I knew he was a prince, I knew that was an understatement. He’d never truly be interested in somebody like me. He’d eventually settle down with some foreign princess and live in a castle and ride unicorns or whatever right into the sunset. He was leaving in a couple of days, anyways, so how serious could he actually be about me?

William didn’t need me, of that much I was certain. But as I climbed into the cab, I couldn’t help but wonder why I felt so awful and heartbroken.

8

William

I needed to apologize. After Tracey and her Instagram ‘famous’ friend informed me that they’d spotted Hannah climbing into a cab to leave, I knew that I needed to give chase. I felt absolutely horrible about how the evening played out. There were just too many people that I was obligated to speak with, needed to greet before I would even be allowed to enjoy the party. It was one of the worst things about being a prince, even if I was seventeenth in line for the throne. Everybody wanted a piece of me, even if I didn’t necessarily want a piece of them.

I rushed up to the front reception desk and found Cathy toiling away over a stack of documents. She looked up when she heard me approached and immediately broke out into a bright red blush.

“Mister Laurier,” she giggled, “h-how can I help you?”

“Is Hannah here?” I asked, nearly tripping over my own words. I didn’t like how desperate I sounded to my own ears. It wasn’t very gentleman-like.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I haven’t seen her.”

“Do you know if she’s in her room?”

Cathy grimaced. “I’m afraid I don’t know.”

“When’s she scheduled to work next, then? I really need to see her.”

Cathy shrugged. “I’m sorry. Next week’s schedule hasn’t been posted yet.”

I gritted my teeth. I knew I couldn’t blame Cathy for things that were out of her control, but she was being super unhelpful right now. I was scheduled to leave tomorrow evening, and I really wanted to apologize to Hannah. I needed to see her one last time before I went. Tonight hadn’t gone according to plan at all, and I couldn’t bear that thought of leaving things this way. I didn’t even have her phone number, so I couldn’t even contact Hannah directly.

“Can I maybe leave a message for you?” suggested Cathy.

I took a deep breath before speaking. “Yeah. Tell her…” I paused, searching for the right words. What was I supposed to say? Thanks for the great week? That sounded way too impersonal. Thanks for the sexy fun times? Yeah, definitely not. “You know what, never mind. It’s okay.”

I turned away from the desk and headed toward the elevator, silently contemplating why my chest hurt so much. I didn’t expect to be this upset about leaving Hannah behind. I thought she was going to be just another fling, someone to have fun with while I was visiting for the wedding. But Hannah wasn’t like all the other woman who’d come and gone. She was grounded, secure. She was driven, smart and sexy. She had a passion I’d never seen before, a shared love of life and new experiences. Hannah didn’t seem motivated by money or status like everybody else in my social circle, and that’s what made her so unique.