White Girl Problems (22 page)

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, when you were in here. What’s wrong with calling out that you’re coming in so I don’t slip and cut my back up again, or worse?”

He pulled me into him. It felt weird for our naked bodies to be against each other. He kissed the top of my head. “I missed you. You’ve been sleeping for almost twenty-four hours.”

“Seriously?”

He nodded. “I was going to come and wake you for a morning ski, but Alex said I should let you sleep in. She said she wouldn’t appreciate it if Geoff woke her up.”

My insides started to burn. “Let me guess. She came skiing with you?”

He paused. “You look angry about it.”

“I don’t care if you ski with her. I just worry that you’re going to give her the wrong impression.”

He pulled back. “What?”

“She’s in love with you. I didn’t want you to hurt her feelings. Unless, of course, you’re into her.”

His face reddened. “You talked to Mary about her?”

I felt my face redden too. “You mean Mary thinks Alex is in love with you and warned you about it, but you’re still doing things alone with her?”

“Petty jealousy doesn’t look good on you.”

I pointed at the opening to the shower cave. “OUT!”

He grabbed my arm. “You are acting insane. Mary is wrong. Alex and I have been friends for years.”

“Have you ever hooked up?”

His eyes burned. “That is none of your business. That’s my past.”

I pushed him off of me. “We aren’t arguing about this. If Linna noticed it, I know it’s true. But adding Mary to the list of witnesses makes it so obvious. The worst part is that you’ve fucked around with Alex yet let your brother marry her. Dude, yeah, you have an issue.” I couldn’t believe I’d been so stupid as to smile at the bitch instead of cutting her with my bagel knife.

His eyes never lessened in angry hate. “You mean Linna is the one who put this idea in your head?”

I scoffed. “Linna has an amazing talent when it comes to whores, trust me on this one. She can smell a home wrecker from five miles downwind through a perfume sampler. She has mad skills. If you can’t see it, then I feel sorry for you and your poor brother. But I’m not going to play Alex’s obvious game of putting a wedge between us and us breaking up. I don’t want this to turn into you having to choose some old girlfriend, who is also happens to be your sister-in-law, over me. I’m not going to ask you to choose between us. I might only be eighteen years old, but I have learned one thing for sure. Bitches like Alex allllllways get what’s coming to them. They always slip up. If you want to be alone with your brother’s wife, then have at it. I’m not married to you. I have no claim on you. I won’t try to control you. I trust you, and when she makes a complete fool of you, I won’t have to say I told you so. I’m saying it right now.”

He clenched his jaw. “I can’t believe you would trust Linna over me.”

I nodded. “Dude, I am all about the devil I know, and I KNOW Linna. You are new; she is old. It isn’t Linna putting this wedge between us. It’s you. I don’t care what you do with Alexandria—have an affair, I don’t care. If you and me aren’t meant to be, I will survive.” It was a lie and my heart was broken, and I was jealous like I didn’t want to describe, but I wasn’t letting her win. I wrapped my arms around him, even if it made me sick to do it, and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. “I love you and trust you. You gave me your heart, remember? It won’t be me breaking it.”

He growled, but I pressed my lips against his, cutting him off. I forced a smile and wondered how the hell I was going to avoid whatever pitfalls she had set up for me.

Last week, a friend came to school with earrings that were so dangly I would swear she was going to try to read my palms.

Chapter Seventeen

Tragedy

The tree was ridiculous. It was so big I felt like a woodland creature next to it, like I could be a squirrel on the branch. The great room was the only family room in the house. It had a cozy feel to it. The walls were normal and the fireplace was made of river rocks and the ceiling was lined with large wooden beams amongst its high peaks. One whole side of the room was windows, huge windows. It really was amazing and actually suited the outside of the chalet. I felt like I should be wearing a sweater and drinking cocoa. Instead, I was in a silk blouse and some slacks that Mary had made me buy before I left the US. I even had on some necklace she demanded I buy.

Mary watched my eyes as she made her move. I smiled when I rolled the dice and moved my man, sending her to the middle of the board. “You had to have learned to play from Jack and Millie. This is outrageous. Do Americans even play backgammon? I’ve been playing my whole life.”

I laughed and glanced at Linna. She had Johan cornered. His cheeks were on fire, but he leaned into her when he spoke. “That’s trouble right there.”

She laughed. “You think Linna is the trouble, but my brother is a rogue who can handle himself.” Her eyes darted to the far corner of the room where Alex and her three friends sat. “That is the big worry around here. My mother chose based on pedigree, not personality.”

I lowered my voice to match hers. “You suspect she has feelings for Aiden, don’t you?”

Her eyes lifted to meet mine, holding an answer in them that was contrary to her words. “I would never say something like that.”

I smiled. “I wouldn’t need you to.”

She put a finger to her nose. “I know. You have Linna. I have heard of her infamous ho-meter.”

I laughed. “Oh my God, she is slowly converting you.”

She sighed and made her move. “I find her impossible to dislike. I have tried. She is vulgar and uncouth, yet I can’t help but adore her. She is like a sister to me now, even after only a few weeks.”

“Oh, trust me, I know.”

Our chat was interrupted by a commotion in the other room. All heads turned as the queen came rushing in. Her eyes were wide and filled with tears. I searched for Aiden but didn’t see him. My heart was pounding as she crumpled into Mary’s arms, sobbing. “My b-b-boy!” she wailed.

I started to cry. I didn’t even know if she meant Aiden, but tears filled my eyes. Mary looked at me. I could see terror on her face. I jumped up and ran from the room, searching for an answer. The king was leaned against the railing, taking deep breaths. I could see he was upset, but he didn’t cry like the queen. He lifted his head and stormed down a hallway away from me.

Aiden’s youngest brother, Jack, came into the hall. I looked at him. “What’s going on?”

His face was pale. “Aiden and Geoff have been in an accident. The helicopter crashed. One is alive and one is not, and we don’t know which is which.”

I dropped to my knees, my mouth hanging open. Linna came running out, wrapping her arm around me. “Johan thinks it’s Aiden who is alive. He was wearing a red jacket. The rescue workers were saying the prince in the red jacket is alive. He’s unconscious but alive.”

I closed my eyes. “Oh my God. I think I’m going to be sick. Why did they have to go heli-skiing? Aren’t there rules about princes making poor choices and doing dangerous things?”

She dropped to her knees too. “I don’t know, but I feel really bad for their family.”

We sat on pins and needles, on the stairs… waiting. Time moved slowly, yet no one spoke. Mary had drugged her mother and put her to bed. For a girl who had just turned seventeen, she was resilient. She didn’t cry. She sat on the stairs and waited with us. I could almost see the lump in her throat.

Alex and her friends stayed in the living room. I heard a bit of laughter coming from the room and scowled. Linna said the thing I was thinking. “Isn’t she worried at all?”

Mary scoffed but said nothing.

The door opened, breaking hearts and healing them all at once. Aiden limped in, looking not much worse for wear than he had when he left that morning. I jumped up, running to him. I wrapped myself around him and let the tears flood my face. It was sick to be relieved it wasn’t my boyfriend who was gone, but I couldn’t help it. I was grateful. He gripped me and I could feel he was shaking. I whispered, “I am so sorry.”

He kissed the top of my head. “I have to go and tell my mother… and I guess Alexandria.”

I nodded and he kissed my head once more, taking in a deep breath of me. He limped away from me to Mary. She sobbed, the dam breaking and spilling her sadness everywhere. The brother and sister gripped each other. Suddenly, Johan and Jack were there. They all clung to each other and then entered the great room together.

I sat back on the stairs. “We shouldn’t be here for this. We should leave.”

Linna squeezed me. “I know. I think the same thing. This is a family tragedy and we aren’t family.”

It was silent for a moment before the halls filled with the sound of Alex screaming and crying from inside the library. She was very upset now. Mary came walking from the room and sat on the stairs with us again.

“I’m so sorry, Mary.”

She shook her head. “Me too.”

The king walked past us to the great room. Alex’s crying got louder when he walked in. Mary sighed. “I guess I better go and tell my mother.” She left us there on the stairs.

We stayed there for a long time. The light outside was gone and the hall was dark. The servants were gone or hiding and the family stayed in the great room. The only movement we saw was the queen rushing in there with Mary behind her.

Linna looked at me. “We should call for a cab back to Barcelona.”

“It’s like a two or three-hour drive.”

Her face was pale. “I’m not getting in another helicopter.”

“Good call. Okay, I’ll go find someone and tell them to get us a car and driver. I’m sure they have some old junker no one will miss that they can get us back to Barcelona with.”

She looked at me. “You sure you don’t think you should stay for him?”

I scowled. “He’s going to need to focus on his family now. I’ll just be in the way, and I don’t want him thinking he has to entertain us. I feel weird being here. If it were my sister, I’d just want to be alone.”

She nodded. “If it was you, I’d want to be alone too.” She didn’t have a sister. I was as close as it got. It was why we fought like sisters. “I’ll go pack our stuff and get it ready to go.”

We got up. She went upstairs and I went in search of a servant. The halls were dark everywhere, with only the moonlight to guide my way. I didn’t want to turn on a light. I didn’t want to disturb a single thing. I just wanted to be gone before they even had to worry about us. I would die if Jess died. I couldn’t imagine the pain they were all in.

I found a woman in a uniform in the kitchen. She was making up trays of food. I waved. “Hi.”

She looked at me. “Hi.” She had a thick accent.

“Do you speak English?”

She nodded. “A little.”

“I need to go home. I need to find someone who will get us a car and drive us to Barcelona.”

She scowled. “You ask Prince Aiden?”

I shook my head, swallowing the sickening lump in my throat. “No. He’s with his family. I don’t want to disturb them.”

She pointed to another hallway. “Is that way to cars.”

“Thank you.” I turned and walked to the hallway she had pointed at. I found a garage filled with cars at the end. A man in a chauffeur’s uniform was there. “Hi.”

He looked up.

“Do you speak English?”

“Of course.” He was English, like actually from England.

“I need a ride to Barcelona.”

He stood up. “In the morning, I can have someone take you. Did you clear it with the king?”

“No. Prince Geoffrey has died, and I don’t want to be in the way.”

He looked like I had told him his own mother had died. He gasped. “Dear God. You’re serious?”

I nodded.

“What a tragedy. How?”

“Helicopter crash.”

“Oh my, I don’t even know what to say. I’m glad you told me. I wouldn’t have known. Why would you leave if the prince has died?”

I winced. “The family doesn’t really know me and they need to be with each other right now.”

“Prince Aiden must be devastated. He never wanted this responsibility.”

I scowled. “What?”

“The throne. He will be the heir now. I just can’t believe the prince is dead.”

My stomach was on fire. “In the morning, we can leave?” I needed to get away even more now.

He nodded. “Yes, dear. The morning.”

I turned and walked back to the kitchen. The lady there smiled at me. “You find car?”

I nodded. “Thank you.”

She curtseyed and continued with her trays of food. My spine was gnawing on my belly, but I knew I couldn’t eat. Everything was wrong. They had lost their family member. My boyfriend had lost his brother, who I hadn’t even met yet since he had to do some dinner with important people the night before. It was sick, but to me, the worst part was that my boyfriend was now the heir to the throne.

That meant I was no longer a viable option, as he had so beautifully once put it. I was a regular American. There was no pedigree—not even our cat was from a good breeder.

I turned away from the kitchen and walked until I finally found my way back to the main hall.

Aiden was there with his mother. His eyes lifted to see me. He smiled, but I turned up the stairs. That awkward feeling that was suddenly there was like a brick wall being built. I felt it immediately when I saw him.

I was sobbing again by the time I reached my room. I slipped the ring from my finger and placed it on the bed. I pulled out a piece of paper and pen from the drawer and sat down. The dim light of the desk was just enough to see the words I wrote.

Dear Aiden,

I am so sorry for the loss of your brother. I don’t know what to say or do, but I know I can’t stay and be in the way. You need to focus on your family right now and be there for your country. This is a terrible sadness and a tragedy. I am sick for you and your family.

I know your role in Andorra is changing and I don’t want there to be any kind of awkwardness or pressure. I love you. I always will, but I am giving you back your heart. Just in case you need it.

If you want to talk or just want to cry or escape any of this, I will always be there for you. I will leave the rest up to you since I know you might not be able to make those choices for yourself.