Marie-Therese was funny. Dree liked her more and more. “Nope. I can’t be a criminal mastermind because I don’t have a cool criminal nickname. I don’t think it would work out for me, though. I’m not scary enough. Instead of ‘The Iceman,’ I’d be ‘The Ditsy Blonde.’ Or instead of being Sammy ‘The Bull’ Gravano, I’d be Andrea ‘The Fluffy Sheep’ Clark.”
“I, too, would surely be tagged with a harmless, embarrassing nickname if I were to turn to a life of crime. ‘Marie-Therese’ is the most ridiculous, froufrou name ever to be named. I’d probably get something like Marie-Therese ‘Vision Board’ Grimaldi. Or “Marie-Therese ‘The Pekingese.’ Oh, God, that rhymes. That’s definitely what it would be.”
Dree laughed. “Do you make vision boards?”
“I do a vision board for my Instagram account and a different one just for me. Can you imagine someone like myself, a wealthy person who haseverything,on her hands and knees on the floor, cutting and pasting together avision board?Isn’t that ridiculous?”
“No, I think it’s great! Money isn’t everything. I grew up believing that money isn’t anything, quite honestly. What’s on your vision boards?”
Marie-Therese glanced at her and blinked her long eyelash extensions at Dree as they walked. “Love.”
Dree squeezed her notepad to her chest, and her shoulders scrunched up around her ears like she was hugging Marie-Therese, except that they were still walking through the palace. “Oh, that’s so sweet! And of course, you do. And you will. I think everyone who’s open to love will find it. Sometimes it’s the most obvious person, the guy who’s always been there for you. And sometimes,” Dree inhaled and gazed ahead as she strolled, taking in the immaculate, silver-veined marble floor that, every few yards, was inset with the red and white diamond pattern herald that also marked Maxence’s arm, “sometimes the most unlikely person in the world swoops in, and you’re just blown away by who he is.”
Marie-Therese raised her eyebrows, a kind smile hovering below the dreamy look in her dark eyes. “Did Maxence blow you away?”
Dree shook her head, shaking off the silliness. “He plucked me out of an awful situation when I was scared about what would happen to me, and he’s giving me the time and money to get on my feet. I mean, he’s—you know. He wants to be a priest. He might be a priest this time next month, and I don’t sleep with priests.”
Except she did.
Except that they were in Monaco, and Max had said that his vows sort of didn’t count in Monaco.
It was complicated.
“So, you’re not—” Marie-Therese asked.
“No, no, not at all.”Oh hell yes, and in about ten minutes.
“I’m surprised you can resist our Maxsy. Most women can’t.”
Dree wrinkled her nose in disgust at herself. “I’m not going to throw myself at him. Right now, he’sa prince.Andjeez, I’m just a little farm girl from New Mexico. And again, he wants to be a priest. Sometimes, even though you might care about someone, it doesn’t matter. He’s not the right man forme.”
“He rescued you.” Marie-Therese nodded, her lips pursed with private knowledge. “That can influence feelings.”
“You know, you’re right,” Dree said. “It’s probably just gratitude.”
Her dark eyes turned impish. “But you’re going to his apartment in the middle of the night.”
Dree clutched the blank pad of paper more tightly against her boobs, barely contained in the black dress. “He wanted to look over some notes. I’m employed here. When he says he wants notes, I bring him the notes.”
“All right, I’ll stop. I would love to see Maxsy happy, though. He’s had some rough times.”
“So I’ve heard.”
“Oh?”
“When he was missing? And the boat?”
Marie-Therese looked at the floor, and she nodded. “He doesn’t tell many people about that.”
Dree shrugged. “There wasn’t any TV or internet in Nepal. We had nothing to do but talk for a month.”
Marie-Therese cracked up. “I suppose so. And speaking of the internet, I haven’t posted on Instagram forthree hours.”
“Oh, yeesh. It takes over your life, huh?”
“They rule with an iron algorithm.” Marie-Therese had a tiny purse swinging from one wrist, and she pried a cell phone out and handed it to Dree, glancing around at the sconces illuminating the hallway. “Can you stand over there? Frame me from the knees up, taking up about two-thirds of the screen.”
Dree dropped her notepad on a hallway table they were passing, making sure it landed face-down, and stood on her toes to raise the lens well above Marie-Therese’s eye level.
