Love and Learn (Voretti Family Book 2) (8 page)

Ty was so busy composing his arguments for Annabelle that it took him a second to figure out what Sean was talking about. “I’m not going to
Vapor
.”

“Then where the hell
are
you going?”

“Wish me luck. I’ve got some work to do.

*

Annabelle had to admit, the bar was classy.
Top Shelf Mixology
, housed in the penthouse of the tallest downtown skyscraper, was the bar of choice for beautiful people who wielded serious power: supermodels, actors, CEOs, politicians. And even, if rumors could be believed, visiting royalty.
 

Their notoriously exclusive admissions policy had only made entrance more sought after. Annabelle surveyed the line, which wound half way around the block, and couldn’t stifle her sigh of relief. “Oh well. Back to vodka and tonic at your place.”

“No way.” Calli pulled her to the end of the line. “We came to find our perfect rebound men, and we’re not leaving until we do.”

“The line isn’t even moving.”

“We just got here. Have a little patience.”

Annabelle craned her neck, trying to see past a blonde in platform heels. Three men guarded the massive steel panels that served as entryway to the club. With their dark suits, earpieces, and serious expressions, they looked more like secret service agents protecting the president than bouncers deciding which beautiful people would get the privilege of taking the elevator up to
Top Shelf
.

She imagined them looking her over. Taking in her hastily applied lipstick and handmade dress. Waving her off to make room for the brunette behind her, who she was pretty sure she’d seen in the
Victoria’s Secret
catalog.

She shivered.
Where the heck are you when I
really
need you, vodka?
“How about we go to that cute place in Little Italy? There were lots of hot guys there last time.”

“Hot Anderan guys?” Calli punctuated the question with a drunken giggle.

And, suddenly, the venue choice made way more sense. Calli’s mother had been born in the tiny European nation, and Calli was obsessed with all things Anderan. Last fall, they’d spent four hours driving from grocery store to grocery store, trying to find some obscure spice Calli had to have to make a special bread for the Anderan New Year. And Calli routinely refused to leave the house before she’d checked all her favorite Anderan websites.
 

Annabelle sighed. “If you dragged me here because of that stupid blog—”

“Anja’s blog is a modern record of Anderan…you know. What’s that word? With the art and the customs and the… Culture!” Calli said, with a triumphant fist pump. “It’s a modern record of Anderan culture.”

“It’s the Anderan version of TMZ.”

“Maybe,” Calli allowed, grudgingly. “But TMZ is fun. And, anyway, if I hadn’t read today’s post, I wouldn’t’ve known that a bunch of Anderan businessmen are in town for the week, and they’ve been sighted at
Top Shelf
. Really, you should be thanking me.”

“For making me wait in line in these heels?”

“For finding you the right rebound man. Anderan men aren’t the same as American men. They’re more refined. More thoughtful.”

“And Anderan wine is smoother and Anderan literature is more complex. If you love Andera so much, why aren’t you living there?”

“Because I’d miss you.” Calli threw her arms around Annabelle, giving her a big, wet kiss in the middle of the cheek. “Now put on your happy face, because we’re about to meet the men of our dreams.”

“Calli, honey—I love you. I do. But I’m getting blisters and that line is not moving.”

“Don’t worry. I made eye contact with one of the bouncers.”

“And I put in a call to Amber Watts to see if she could get us on the VIP list. Seriously—”

“See. He’s coming over.”

“No he’s…”
Crap
. There he was, ten feet away and closing fast.

“Hi!” Calli said, way too loudly.

The hulking brute looked Calli over, but not in an I’m-trying-to-picture-you-naked way.
 

Alarm bells blared in Annabelle’s head. If the guy wasn’t another one of Calli’s many admirers, there was only one other possibility. He was going to ask them to leave.

“Excuse me, miss. Would you and your friend please follow me?”

Annabelle’s face burned. Sure, she’d wanted to get out of here, but being forcibly bumped from the end of the line was an epic low. “That’s really not necessary. We can—”

“Right this way, please.”

“See,” Calli said.

Annabelle belatedly noticed that the bouncer was motioning her and Calli
toward
the entrance rather than away from it. “You want us to go
inside
?”

Calli elbowed her, and her jaw snapped shut. She followed Calli and the bouncer toward the entrance. The other two bouncers hauled open the steel doors, letting her and Calli into a small entryway where a marble-tiled elevator stood open.
 

“Go straight up,” Bouncer One said. “Enjoy your evening.”

Under his watchful gaze, she and Calli stepped into the elevator. The doors closed smoothly.

She reached out to press the button, but instead of the panel she expected, there was only smooth, mirrored wall. The elevator glided upward.

“What happened?” She wasn’t sure if she was asking Calli or herself or the invisible elevator operator.

“The nice man brought us to the front of the line.”

“But
why
?”

“Probably because he saw this.” Calli held out her necklace, an ornate silver filigree pendant her mother had brought from Andera. “Anja said Anderan women have been getting bumped to the front of the line all week. Ever since that contingent of Anderan businessmen was first sighted here.”
 

The elevator doors opened onto a spacious room that looked like an old-fashioned apothecary shop. An old-fashioned apothecary shop owned by a multi-billionaire.

Annabelle took a cautious step onto the mosaic-tiled floor. None of the people sipping fancy cocktails seemed to sense intruders in their midst, so she took another step, approaching the mahogany paneled bar, which was lined with hundreds of different taps.
 

Calli was still babbling about Anja’s blog, speculating about who the mysterious Anderan businessmen might be. She sounded slightly crazy, but much less drunk than she’d been twenty minutes ago.

“You think some Anderan high roller saw your necklace from fifty feet away, in the dark, and told the bouncer to let you into the club?”

“Either that, or he thought we were hot. I told you—you look amazing.”

“This bar is filled with women who look amazing.”

“And yet, that guy is still checking us out,” Calli said, smugly.

Annabelle started to follow Calli’s gaze, but she got distracted half way there by the floor-to-ceiling window. She’d lived in San Diego her whole life, but she’d never seen the downtown skyline like this—peaceful and quiet and contained, everything so small that it couldn’t possibly hurt her. Up here, it actually seemed reasonable that she could take control of her love life.
 

She let out a slow breath. “Wow.”

“I know. That, my friend, is the perfect rebound man.”

“Oh!” Annabelle belatedly noticed the guy Calli was staring at.

“It doesn’t get any hotter than that. Am I right?”

“He’s so…blonde.”

“What’s wrong with blonde?”

“Nothing’s
wrong
with it. But I like guys with darker hair. Maybe a little bit of a five o’clock shadow and—”
Crap
—she was describing Ty.

“No, don’t stop. If I know what you’re looking for, I can help you find him.”

Good luck with that. He’s not here.

Annabelle gave herself a mental shake for letting thoughts of Ty intrude on her evening. Again.

“No,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what type of guys I’ve gone for in the past. I want to be open to new experiences. I’m sick of being trapped in the same rut.”

“Then you should say hello to Mr. Blonde and Perfect.”
 

“Me? He’s staring at you.”

“No. He’s definitely staring at you. Does he look familiar?”

“Uh…” Annabelle glanced over. The guy was blonde, clean cut, and perfect, but he didn’t look like anyone she knew. Unless you counted a Disney prince. “No.”
 

Disney Prince stood, and his bodyguards sprang into action, flanking him.

“Oh my God,” Calli squeaked. “I think that’s… No. No way! Anja didn’t say anything about
him
being here tonight.”

“Who?”

“It’s… He’s…”

“Hello.” The man offered Calli his hand. “I am Prince Edward Wallace.”

Oh crap. Had Annabelle called him a Disney prince out loud? But, no—he’d given his introduction with a totally straight face.
 

“I’m Callista Larson.” Calli stared at Disney Prince, her eyes wide, like he’d hypnotized her with his blinding white teeth and broad shoulders.

For the love of God. Calli had a talent for attracting jerks, but some trust-fund loser who was so insecure he posed as a prince? Not on Annabelle’s watch.

“I hope this isn’t too forward,” Disney Prince said, “but as soon as I saw you, I knew we must meet.”

Annabelle raised her eyebrows halfway up her forehead, but Calli was too busy melting to notice. Maybe it was the Anderan accent—like English, but a touch more exotic.

“No, it’s not too forward at all. It’s an absolute pleasure to meet you.”

 
“And you. Callista is a beautiful name.” Disney Prince spent
way
too long rolling Calli’s name around in his mouth.

Enough
. Annabelle poked Calli in the ribs.

“Thank you.” Calli beamed at Disney Prince.

Annabelle jabbed her harder.
 

Calli jumped. “Oh! I’m so sorry. How rude of me. This is my friend Annabelle.”
 

“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Annabelle.” Disney Prince shook her hand. “I would be honored if you ladies would join me at my table.”

“Actually—” Annabelle started, but she was drowned out by Calli’s overly enthusiastic, “We would
love
to.”
 

“Don’t worry,” Calli whispered as she hauled Annabelle forward. “I’m still on the lookout for Mr. Tall, dark, and handsome for you.”

“That’s not—”

“Annabelle?” Disney Prince had pulled out a chair for her.

She sat, gritting her teeth to keep from finishing her sentence.

Disney Prince poured them champagne from a bottle with what appeared to be actual gold leaves twined around it. “And what is it you do, Callista?”

“I’m an author. I write children’s books.”

“That’s wonderful. I still remember my favorite books from childhood. They have shaped me into the man I am today.”

Calli positively glowed as she told Disney Prince about her latest book. Taking advantage of the happy couple’s preoccupation with each other, Annabelle got her phone out of her purse and did an internet search for Prince Edward. When Calli saw that even Google had never heard of—

Holy canolli—there he was. Prince Edward Bernard Wallace IV, heir to the throne of Andera. The guy was actual royalty. Rich, well-educated royalty. And instead of leering at Calli’s cleavage or making inappropriate sexual innuendos, he was asking about her work. And actually listening to her answers.

Calli asked Annabelle about her favorite books, trying to draw her into the conversation, but it was hard to discuss literature when Calli and Edward were staring at each other like they’d unlocked the secrets of the universe.
 

She hung in there for a while, sipping her champagne and making sure Edward didn’t set off any of her sleazy-guy sensors. He seemed genuinely absorbed in his conversation with Calli. So much so that he hadn’t even glanced at the beautiful women all around the bar. Calli was the only one in the room he was interested in, which made Annabelle’s sacred best-friend duty clear. She needed to make herself scarce.

“Sorry, you two—I’m not much of a conversationalist right now. My head is pounding.”

“Oh no!” Calli said. “Too much vodka?”

The prince made a vague motion with one hand, and, all of a sudden, there was a tall glass of ice water and an aspirin in front of her. “Drink. You will feel better.”

“Thank you. But I think I’ll head home and get some sleep.”

“Of course.” Calli grabbed her purse, such a good friend it didn’t occur to her that ditching royalty to escort Annabelle home went way beyond her job description.

“You stay.” Annabelle shoved Calli back into her chair. “I don’t need your help to get a cab.”

“But if your head is bothering you…”

“It’s not that bad. I’m more tired than anything else. So I think it would be better for everyone—” she tilted her head toward the prince “—if we said goodnight here.”

“Oh.
Oh
.” Calli hugged her. “Thank you. You’re the best friend in the world.”

“Right back at you.” She pitched her voice low enough that neither the prince nor his entourage could hear. “But promise me you’re going to make him work for it. Just because he’s royalty doesn’t mean he gets lucky on the first date.”

“As long as you promise that next time we go out, we can focus on finding
you
a man.”

“Sure.” Annabelle even managed a smile as she said it. But as soon as she was in the elevator, the smile collapsed. She was happy for her friend. Thrilled. But she couldn’t help wishing that someone would look at her the way Edward had been looking at Calli. Someone intelligent and kind and—

She cut off the thought, but it was too late. A distinct image had already formed in her mind.

Ty.

A
S
THE
TAXI
pulled up in front of Annabelle’s building, she made the mistake of glancing at her phone. Nine-thirty PM, and she was home, walking up the same, pathetic stairs to the same, pathetic doorstep, where—

She stopped short.

Right there, in front of the same door she walked through every morning and evening, was Ty.