Mindy Neff - The Inconveniently Engaged Prince

“With my winning skills, woman. I’m a great cook. Mimosa?” he asked, holding the champagne bottle over the goblet of orange juice.

She shook her head. “Not for me. I’m driving.”

“You don’t have to, you know.”

“That was the deal. Besides, I need a clear mind and clear vision to see the birds.”

“Good point.” He put the bottle back on ice and pulled out her chair in a gentlemanly gesture that charmed her. “Breakfast is served.”

She sat and waited while he retrieved a basket of croissants out of a warming oven, and took an icy bowl of fruit out of the fridge.

“Mom and dad, though they were home a lot, had demanding careers,” he said as he put the rest of the meal on the table, shrugged out of his apron, and sat down. “So, I learned to cook. My sister, Kelly, was too wrapped up in her latest invention to be bothered with cooking chores. Besides, I was afraid she’d try some experiment and blow up the kitchen.”

“She sounds fascinating.”

“She’d be stunned to hear herself described as fascinating—although she is. Very much so.” He lifted his juice glass. “Here’s to our second date.”

Vickie had automatically picked up her glass, but hesitated over the toast. “It’s not a date.”

He leaned forward and clinked the edges of the crystal. “Let a guy have his fantasies, will you?”

She chuckled and took a sip of juice. “This really does look fabulous. You didn’t have to cook for me, though.”

“I like to cook. It’s creative and relaxing.”

“That’s a commonality we don’t share.”

“You don’t cook?”

“Sure. I’m an ace with the microwave. If it comes out of the freezer and has instructions on the package, I’m right up there in a class with the Naked Chef.”

“Hmm. I’ve seen that guy’s cooking show on cable and I don’t recall him ever instructing on frozen meals.”

“Maybe I should write in and put it in the suggestion box.”

“Maybe you should just marry me and let me cook for you.”

She choked on a bite of egg and spinach soufflé. Her eyes watering, she gave him a dark look and waited for him to say, “just kidding.” When he didn’t, just sat there and smiled with his lips canted to the left and his dimples winking, she looked away and took a sip of water.

“Has anybody ever accused you of sounding like a broken record?”

“Mmm.” He speared a cube of melon and popped it in his mouth. “Once a competitor got a little nasty at a meeting and said our cell phones sounded like a static-ridden LP album with a scratch etched in the grooves. Does that count?”

She stared at him for a full two seconds. Then she laughed. “Your mother probably spoiled you rotten as a kid, didn’t she?”

“Sure. Doesn’t everyone’s?” The minute he said the words, she could see he wanted to take them back. “Ah, man, Vickie. I didn’t mean—”

“It’s okay. It’s not your fault you had parents who kept you.”

“I feel like a jerk.”

“Don’t. I love it when you laugh and clown around. And I’m not sensitive about that area of my life.” Others, perhaps, but she’d come to terms with the abandonment.

“Does it bother you to talk about it?”

She shrugged. “Not much to talk about, really. I never knew who my father was. When I was about five, my mother decided she couldn’t afford me anymore, so she turned me over to the state.”

“When you were five?”

He was so stunned and appalled on her behalf, she wanted to reach across the table and hug him. “Yes. Old enough to remember. That was the unforgivable thing during my growing-up years. She was a drug addict. Had more boyfriends than there were days in the week. Drugs won out over maternal instincts, I guess.”

“Did you ever try to look her up when you were older?”

“Yes. It’s strange how we cling to hope, even when bad things happen to us. I found out that she died two years after she gave me away.”

He reached for her hand. Not in pity. She could tell the difference. His touch was gentle, yet strong. The slight squeeze held compassion, yes, but mainly support.

“You’ve got to be proud of yourself.”

“Why?”

“Because you’ve lived your life and made good choices when you could have dwelled on the negative and taken a different turn like so many others do.”

She felt the immediate twinge of shame pour over her, twisted the rings on her finger. “All my choices haven’t been so great.”

“You’re about to get your college degree. You work instead of standing in line for food stamps. You haven’t had the support of family to back you, yet you’ve forged ahead. That’s something to be proud of.”

She wasn’t used to people singing her praises. It pleased her more than she wanted to admit. Unable to find adequate words, she mumbled, “Thanks,” and concentrated on the fabulous breakfast before her.

“COOL CAR,” Jace said as they headed back over the bay toward town. “It suits you.” He loved the way the wind twirled her silky hair.

“I like it.”

He reached over and brushed a strand of hair that kept catching in her mouth. He could see her eyes from the corners of her sunglasses and saw her gaze dart toward him for an instant. She was still a little jumpy around him, as though she didn’t quite trust him. He wanted to change that attitude. In a hurry.

She was a mass of contradictions, and that intrigued him. Wholesome, sexy, shy and sweet, with a hint of steel at her core. She had the glossy lips of a siren, the delicate face of an angel—and a tattoo.

Hell, he was getting hot. And not from the sun beating down on his head.

“So, what do you usually do on weekends? Besides bird-watching, that is.” They were skirting downtown San Diego now. He automatically noted one of Carracell Inc.’s retail stores in a strip mall off to the right. The cell phone business was booming, and this particular location drew a lot of customers.

“Friday and Saturday nights, I work at Diamond Jim’s. During the day, and on Sundays, I try to catch up on chores and studying.”

“Hmm. So, you’re going to school five days and working six nights—”

“Five. I’m off on Sunday and Monday.”

“That’s good to know.”

She glanced over at him. He just smiled.

“Still, doesn’t leave much time for a social life,” he said.

“It hasn’t been a difficult sacrifice. I made the decision when I enrolled at the university, and that’s that.”

“Are you saying you haven’t had a boyfriend since you started school?” He saw her hands tighten on the steering wheel. That little gesture made him curious.

“I started school when I was five. Let’s see, I went steady with Terry Small in the third grade. And then there was a torrid fling with Chad Holkum at the end of fourth year…” She glanced at him. “Did you want the entire list?”

He liked her sass. Even though he detected that it hid deeper emotions. The very pleasantness of her tone told him he was trespassing where she didn’t want him to go.

Since he’d never been one to pay much attention to warning signs, he winked at her. “We can save that for the next date. What I was fishing for, and doing a bad job of it at that, was more along the lines of recent men. Just wondering about my competition.”

“Since there’s not going to be a relationship between us, competition isn’t relevant.”

“Victoria,” he said on a sigh, “you are a difficult woman. But never fear. I’m a patient man. And I love a challenge.”

“I’m not challenging you, Jace.” She pulled into the entrance of Torrey Pines State Reserve Park. Parking in the lot, she shut off the engine and turned to him. “I’m not interested.”