“I’ll take it then, the suit, the coverup and the hat,” she said in a rush, her heart racing.
After the adventure at the Twilka shop, she returned to one she’d seen earlier, which judging by the window display featured trendy, cheaper clothing, including dresses of the kind she was seeking. More confident after successfully buying her Twilka swimsuit, she stepped inside with her head high and browsed her way toward the dresses. She heard familiar voices and as she walked around a display, she encountered the five girls from the night before. They greeted her with enthusiasm, some more than others, but overall warm.
“We’re having fun while our guys sit in a boring meeting,” Corilly the doctor told Rosalie. She pointed at the Twilka bag. “Get yourself a special outfit?”
“The boutique was having a fabulous sale so I treated myself to a new bathing suit,” she said. The others clamored to view her purchase but she refused, saying, “I’ll wear it to the beach this afternoon.”
Rosalie wasn’t used to being part of a group but she found it was fun to talk about the dresses and try things on together. She settled on two dresses, which pretty much used up the rest of her gift certificate. Mr. Delain didn’t magically appear this time to make her credits stretch but she was happy. As she modeled the second dress for the other girls, Ysilda the social influencer said, “Oh yes, the prince is sure to like the blue one. Shows off your figure and your legs.”
“But it’s not too short,” another girl rushed to say.
Rosalie stared at Ysilda. “Prince?”
She shrugged and giggled a bit. “Yeah, he’s their Crown Prince. Damnian told me. He’s trying to be low key about it but that’s why all five of the guys got the shore leave at the same time, to protect Treylon and act as a buffer for him. Lucky you, to match with the prince.” Ysilda retreated to the dressing room to try on another outfit, leaving Rosalie chewing her lip, most of the joy gone from her morning.
Of course he’d told her he wasn’t serious about this week. Why would a prince be interested in a waitress/daycare worker from Old Earth? She should probably thank the Lords of Space he wasn’t leading her on. How had the IDA algorithm messed this up so badly? She and Treylon obviously weren’t any kind of a match.
“Hey,” Corilly touched her elbow lightly. “Didn’t he tell you?”
“No, not a word.”
“I’m guessing Damnian wasn’t supposed to tell her either—she’s a bigmouth and a bit jealous you got the prize, so to speak. Don’t worry about it. Get the two dresses and have fun.”
So she made her purchase and then excused herself from the group, heading to the bungalow. All she wanted was a long soak in the decadent bathtub, with one of the expensive bath bombs, and maybe a cup of tea.
When she reached the dwelling, she was surprised to see a man in coveralls, peering in the front window and moving to try the door handle. “Hey! What are you doing?” she said before she thought better of it. Confrontation might not have been her best move, alone as she was.
He turned and for an instant she was terrified at the expression in his eyes but then as if he’d put on a mask he smiled and gave her a head bob. “I’m here to fix the broken air circulator, miss. I’ll be in and out in ten minutes, promise.”
Rosalie retreated a step, wishing there were people around. The man made her nervous. “There’s nothing wrong with our air circulator,” she said. “It’s working perfectly.”
“Maybe it’s an intermittent short,” he replied. “If you can open the door so I can check.”
“You’ve got the wrong bungalow.” She made herself glare at him the way she would at an errant toddler at the daycare which was the best she could do to project a forceful attitude in this moment.
He seemed to reach a decision, walking away from the door. She moved aside as he passed. “I’ll check the work order since you’re so positive, miss.”
“You—you do that.” Unsettled, she waited until he was in his nondescript groundtruck and driving away before she let herself into the cottage and locked the door behind her immediately. When a few minutes passed and the workman didn’t reappear at the door, she relaxed and went to admire her new garments, hang them in the closet and take the bath she’d been craving.
She was so relaxed she nearly missed getting ready to meet Treylon for lunch at the beachside bistro but rushed into her second sundress and basically ran all the way there. He was already at an outside table in the shade and as she arrived their order was served. “Fish and chips are all they do here,” he told her as he rose to help her into her chair. “But I’m told it’s fantastic.”
He'd ordered her an iced fruit drink and Rosalie discovered she was famished. The food was exactly what she wanted—crispy and greasy and delicious as promised, with dipping sauces ranging from hot to creamy sweet. They chatted, mostly about her morning of shopping. Treylon took a great deal of interest in her encounter with the elusive Mr. Delain and seemed a bit tense about it but by the end of her account, he’d relaxed.
“So when do I get to see this fabulous ensemble you got for a steal?” he asked playfully.
“I’ll wear it to the beach today, if we’re still going,” she said. “How was your morning?”
“Our plans haven’t changed,” he said with a frown. “My meeting was as boring as most meetings are but business goes on despite being on vacation.”
Rosalie enjoyed their lunch but a part of her was watching Treylon closely, trying to evaluate if Ysilda was right and he was indeed a prince. She’d planned to confront him about it over the meal but then she shied away from the topic. Ysilda could have been wrong. Damnian could have been joking.
They strolled back to the bungalow and took a few minutes to get ready for the beach separately. Treylon whistled in appreciation as she walked into the living room in her new suit and coverup. “Turn around,” he said. “Let me have the full effect.”
“I need the hat,” she said, blushing and putting it on her head at a slant.
“Perfection,” he declared. Then he pointed at her bag, which she’d dropped at the doorway. “What do you have there?”
“Books to read,” she said. “I’m not much of a beachgoer but I’ll be glad to have the chance to read a bit. My to be read pile is so big and I’m so busy on Earth.” Juggling two jobs and gig work. “Good thing the resort doesn’t have a bookstore here and it’s off the grid for ordering online through the service I use or knowing me I’d buy even more.”
