Chapter Sixteen

 

Colton

 

 

 

My eyes dart across the cream-colored hallway outside the costume department. Only when I have confirmed that it’s safe do I plant a kiss on Elle’s lips. Even though she and I officially decided to be a couple last week, we still need to sneak around. Need might be a strong word, though. It’s not like someone threatened to end us if we share that we’re in a committed relationship. It’s just that neither Elle nor I want to deal with the pressure and questions everyone will put on us. When a relationship progresses, people except it to go at their pace—date, marry, get a dog, then two kids—and I don’t want to feed into that ridiculous notion. I’m also still thinking up ways of breaking the news to my sister.

“Are you ready?” I ask Elle, my hand on the doorknob.

She nods. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

A few days ago Frank called Elle into his office to ask if she wants to fill in for Sarah, who’s suffering pregnancy complications. Both she and the baby are fine, thank God, but her doctor put her on bed rest for the foreseeable future. It didn’t take Elle long to say yes, and now she’s going to be my princess. Well, Prince Charming’s princess, I mean. To me personally, she already is.

I push the door open, and Macy walks toward us with a big smile on her face. “Hello, you two. Ready for your first day as Princess Charlotte?” she asks Elle.

“Absolutely. This is like a dream come true.”

“I can imagine. No more buns and ketchup hats,” she says. Then, when she thinks I can’t hear her, she whispers, “And working with Colton isn’t bad either, am I right? You’ll never get tired of looking into those blue eyes of his.”

Elle flicks me a look. “It’s definitely a nice perk of the job.”

Macy grabs Elle’s dress and holds it up so that the big skirt hangs right above the ground. I already know she’s going to look stunning in it.

“Do you want me to wait outside while you put it on?” I ask.

She shakes her head. “That’s okay. There’s a dressing room here, right? I’ll just use that one.”

I give her a thumbs-up. She slips into the dressing room and pulls the curtain closed.

Macy busies herself folding freshly washed shirts while we wait for Elle. “Have you heard from Sarah?” she asks.

“She’s relieved the baby is doing okay, but she says she’s bored to death. I’m having some books delivered to her house this week.”

Macy lets out a content sigh. “See? That’s why you truly are Prince Charming. You’re so kind.”

“It’s the least I can do for her. I can’t imagine what it must feel like to first live through the fear that your baby is in trouble, and then you’re not even allowed to work or go shopping to decorate the baby’s room.”

“I know, it’s horrible. My pregnancies were all smooth sailing and I still lived in fear that something might be wrong. I’m going to call her later and see if I can offer up any help.”

“Uhm, guys?” Elle calls from behind the curtain. “Can someone help me wrangle this dress? I can’t get it on properly.”

“Of course.” Macy opens the curtain, and Elle walks out.

I bite my lip to prevent myself from drooling or letting out a weird sound. She looks amazing. Never mind the straps that hang halfway down her arms or the skirt pooling on the ground because she didn’t pull the dress all the way up. It doesn’t matter. She looks like a true princess.

“I think there’s got to be a hidden zipper somewhere, because I can’t get the dress far enough over my hips,” she says, her face flustered.

Macy inspects the back of the dress and sucks in the air between her teeth. “Oh.”

“Oh?” Elle asks. “That sounds ominous.”

“The zipper isn’t the problem. I think there’s an issue with the sizing,” Macy says in soft voice, almost as if she’s afraid to utter those words.

“The sizing?” Elle’s shoulders slump, and I can see her bottom lip tremble. “I’m too fat to be Princess Charlotte?”

I hold my hands in the air. “You’re not fat. You’re gorgeous.”

“You look great. Don’t put yourself down like that,” Macy chimes in.

Elle looks at herself in the mirror, tears pooling in her eyes. “That’s all fine and dandy, but if I didn’t have a muffin top, the dress would fit me. Oh my God, I’m the biggest princess ever.”

I walk over and give her a hug. “You’re the most beautiful princess this park has ever seen, okay? And we’re going to figure this out. Right?” I ask, giving Macy a pleading look over Elle’s head.

“Absolutely. We’ve got an entire hour before the park opens. We’ll make that dress fit.” She rushes over to a table filled with fabric and sewing notions and grabs a kit of sewing supplies.

“I don’t know. I look like a cinnamon bun someone tried to fit into a candy bar wrapper.”

“That would never work,” I say with a frown.

Elle lets out a frustrated sigh. “Exactly! It’s nuts.”

Macy gently leads her away from the mirror. “Calm down. I’ve worked here for a long time and you’ve got to trust me when I say I’ve got this under control.”

No matter how bad I want to stay and console Elle, I think it’s best if I slip out. “I’ll see you at the castle in a bit, okay?”

Elle nods and flashes me a weak smile. “Thank you. I hope I won’t let everyone down.”

“Nonsense. You couldn’t, even if you tried,” I say, and head out.

 

***

 

Forty-five minutes later, Elle strides toward me, giving me a vision of what she might look like on our wedding day. I flinch. Why do my thoughts go there? Thank goodness she’s not a mind reader because if she were, and she knew I was thinking about marrying her, she’d scoop up her skirt and run away. I know they say every girl dreams about a fairy-tale wedding, but not with a guy they’ve only been dating for a week. I think. Women’s minds work in mysterious ways so I could be dead wrong about this.

“Hey, you.”

It’s all I manage to say. Our shift starts in ten minutes, and I need to keep my cool.

She performs a curtsy, then twirls around. “What do you think?”

“I think you look amazing. And I love how you’re beaming,” I say as we slip behind the staff door to a small courtyard where I spend most of my breaks.

“I’m so happy Macy was able to fix this dress. You can hardly tell it didn’t fit me an hour ago.” Relief and contentment are plastered all over her face.

“She did a great job,” I say. “Are you ready for your first day as Princess Charlotte?”

“Ready, but also extremely nervous. What if I make a wrong move or say the wrong things? What if people flip through their pictures on their way back home and cringe because I look silly?”

I put a hand around her waist. “You trained days for this, remember? You’ve got this. Plus, I’m here to help should you need it.”

She grins at me, and I’m about to lose myself in the green pools of her eyes. “That’s right. You’re my knight in shining armor. Better yet, my prince on a white horse. Scrap that, my prince on his trusty beast of a motorcycle.”

“I’m whatever you want me to be,” I say with a laugh.

She leans in to kiss me. It’s a good thing guests are prohibited from entering this space, because the urgency in her kiss tells me things are about to get heated.

I answer her kiss with the same dedication she puts forth and gently push her up against the faux-stone wall. Her hands roam through my hair. She’s going to mess up my Prince Charming hairdo, but I don’t care. This is all too good to stop.

I trail kisses from her mouth to her cheek, to her ear, all the way down to her neck. The sounds she’s making only spur me on. I gently bite her skin and I can feel her fingers press against the back of my upper arms. This is the kind of kiss that will sustain me for the next five years. Why would I ever need food or water or air when I’ve got Elle?

A loud knock on the staff door startles me.

“Colton? Elle?” I recognize Maggie’s voice immediately. What is she doing here?

Elle throws me a panicked look, and without thinking, I push her behind one of the fake bushes, just as the door creaks open.

Maggie enters and her eyebrows shoot up. “What’s with your hair?”

“I don’t know.”

“Are you hiding a girl in here? That looks like make-out hair.”

She tries to take a peek behind me, but I block her view with my body. All those workout sessions come in handy after all. Who knew broad shoulders would be useful in a situation like this?

“Oh, it’s nothing. There’s no one here.” I clear my throat. “How can I help you, sis? My shift’s about to start, so you’ve got to keep it short.”

I need her out of here, stat. The last thing I need is for her to find out Elle and I have been making out back here when right outside that door, guests are queuing for a meet and greet with us.

“Have you seen Elle? I thought she’d be here.”

I shrug, feigning indifference. “Can’t say that I’ve seen her.”

She frowns. “Didn’t you just say your shift is about to start?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Then shouldn’t she be here?” Once again, she tries to get a peek.

I put my hand on her shoulder and steer her back to the door. “She’s in the bathroom.”

“Oh, I get it,” Maggie says. “Her bowels are probably acting up because of her nerves, right?”

“You bet. She had to run out of here fast, if you know what I mean.”

“Ouch, that’s rough. Well, tell her I dropped by to wish her luck on her first day, okay? And that she shouldn’t be nervous. She’s got this.”

“Great, I’ll pass on the message.” I push Maggie out of the door as the clock tower strikes ten. “I’ve got to go now. Can’t keep our guests waiting. See you later, sis.”

Before she can reply, I bolt the door and lean against it. Having your sister interrupt a secret make-out session with her best friend sure is a great way to cancel any cheeky thoughts.

Elle appears from behind the bush. “That was close.”

“Yeah, we should probably be more careful about our kissing locations.”

“And about messing your hair up,” she says with a laugh. She pats my hair down as best she can. “There. We should go. I heard the clock strike ten.”

I extend my arm and she slips hers through it. “Let’s get this show on the road, Princess Charlotte.”