It brought to mind that their wedding night was at hand.
“Are you hungry?” Frederick pushed off from the rail and moved toward the cabin.
It seemed like dinner had been a long time ago, and Elise’s stomach reminded her she hadn’t eaten much when she had the chance. “I could eat, but something easy or whatever they have on hand. There’s no reason for anyone to put a lot of work in.”
Frederick pulled his phone out of his pocket and sent a quick text. “Done. Your stylist will be waiting for you in your bathroom to help you with the tiara and anything else you need.”
It shouldn’t have surprised Elise that someone had thought about that, but she certainly wouldn’t have. The only time she’d worked with a stylist on a regular basis was on set. Never in her personal life.
That was about to change.
“The kitchen will have something sent up in a few minutes.” He unbuttoned his uniform jacket with one hand. “I’ll meet you back outside in a few minutes if you want to eat out there.”
Elise looked around and saw a small table with chairs off to one side next to expansive windows, but it was a gorgeous night. Outside would be beautiful. “That would be lovely.”
Frederick nodded then walked toward his closet, phone in hand.
She went to her own closet and found the woman who’d been working as her stylist for the last few weeks waiting for her.
Taking the tiara off didn’t take quite as long as putting it on, but she would likely never get used to the tediousness of the process.
Once that had been taken care of, Elise changed out of her second dress and into her most comfortable pyjamas. She went back to the deck and took a seat in one of the lounge chairs and used a blanket to protect herself from the chill of the breeze created by their movement through the water.
Pulling it up to her chin, she tried to fight the warmth, but found herself drifting.
Before she knew it, she was asleep.
14
The food arrived as Frederick emerged from his side of the owner’s suite. He looked around but didn’t see Elise anywhere until he noticed the slightly open door to the deck.
With a blanket pulled up to her chin and her eyes closed, her face looked peaceful.
Did he want to wake her up or let her sleep?
With the sun down and the breeze created by the movement through the water, would she be too cold? He found another blanket to cover her with then turned to go back inside.
He hadn’t ordered much for himself, so it didn’t take him long to eat. Leaving her to sleep alone on the deck didn’t feel right to Frederick. Instead, he took another blanket, flipped the outdoor lights off, and settled into the lounge chair next to hers.
It took longer than he would like, but eventually he dozed off.
A noise startled him awake some time later.
“Frederick?” Elise’s sleepy voice drifted over to him.
He sat up and looked over at her. “Right here.”
“Where am I?” She sat up, looking adorably rumpled.
“You fell asleep on the deck.” He managed to extract himself from the lounge chair. There was no way to do so elegantly, andhe found himself grateful there were no paparazzi around to see him.
“I did?”
Frederick held out a hand to help her up. “You did. Let’s get you inside.”
Elise took his hand and a moment later she was leaning against him as they walked into the suite.
He stopped her next to the bed. “Here.” Thankfully, the covers had already been turned down before they arrived.
