I laugh and nod my head. “Touché. I guess we’ve both had unusual lives.”
“Indeed, we have,” she says, then she lets out a long sigh. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
“Why did you agree to do the show? I mean, when you found out Dylan was changing the entire format and forcing me on you?” Arabella asks.
“Money,” I say, hating like hell to admit that to someone like her.
“But surely you could have found another network? You’re talented and you have a huge following.”
Shaking my head, I say, “Not big enough. The ratings for season two weren’t all that stellar, to be honest. And if I turned this down, I don’t think I would have gotten picked up by anyone—not quickly enough, anyway.” I rub my tongue over my teeth, and for some dumb reason, keep talking. “I’m trying to buy back our family’s yacht for my brother. He had to sell it to save our resort, and since then, I’ve been trying to raise enough cash to surprise him with it. A few weeks ago, someone else made an offer on it, so it’s now or never.”
“She must be a very special boat for you to be willing to come out here with me.”
I nod. “Waltzing Matilda—a ninety-foot schooner. Our Uncle Oscar bought it when he was a young man and sailed it all the way from Australia to the Benavente Islands. Our family’s best times were on that yacht and I know Harrison would give anything to have her back.”
“To carry on the tradition with his own family?”
“Yup,” I turn to her. “I owe him everything and that’s the only thing I can think of to pay him back.”
“That’s beautiful,” Arabella says.
I shrug. “Not really. It’s just a boat.”
“No, it’s not. It’s a beautiful gesture that will mean a lot to your family,” she says. “Which makes me all the more terrified of messing this up for you.”
“You won’t,” I answer.
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because you’re tough and you’re smart and you also have a lot to lose if we can’t make it out of here in time.”
Arabella smiles, her back straightening a little at my words. “Thank you, Will. I promise to do my best to help you get Matilda back.”
“I know you will.”
Uh-oh, we’re staring into each other’s eyes again. That isno bueno. “Okay, truth or dare time,” I say, desperate to bring things back to casual acquaintance territory.
Arabella grins and shakes her head. “That sounds like a terrible idea, especially with a man whose middle name is Dare.”
“It’s Danger, actually, but I promise to go easy on you.”
“Oh no, don’t do that,” she says with a grin. “I’m up first. I choose truth, if only because it seems like the slightly wiser of the two options.”
“Okay.” I tap my lips for a second, thinking of the perfect question. “What is the worst part about being royal?”
She leans toward me and whispers, “Can we shut off the cameras for this conversation?”
I nod, then do as she asked.
“Thank you,” she says. “Now I can speak freely, which is something I normally can never do.”
“So, is that the worst bit? Lack of freedom?” I ask, taking the lid off my water bottle.
Arabella nods. “Definitely.”
“Huh. I would've thought it was the constant media attention and all the public criticism.”
