I let out a loud laugh. "That would be something foryourbirthday. Besides, I’m in public. Well, the dressing room at the spa. Thank you very much for arranging this, by the way."
"You’re very welcome. Since I’m not there to pamper you myself, I thought it only fitting. Are Tessa and Nikki there already?”
“Yes, they just went to get started on their facials.”
"I shouldn’t keep you then,” he says. “I just wanted to tell you I love you and to have a wonderful time.”
“I will. But wait—I miss you terribly and I’ve been dying to know how things are going there.” Also, I’m feeling horribly guilty for complicating his life with my stupid royalness. Since our engagement, poor Will is stuck dragging along a security team everywhere he goes, which, in this case, means having them slow him down in the jungle. They’re now a week behind which has the network screaming about being over budget.
“Good,” he says. He’s lying and I can tell by his overly chipper tone. “We’re shooting the promo reel today.”
Yes! The promo reel day means they’re done. “Really?!”
“Yup. One last day, then we hop on the plane.”
“Did you talk to Enid about leaving your shirt on for once?”
Enid Nightingale is his new director. She’s a no-nonsense woman with a ton of experience in reality television and documentary filmmaking. She also doesn’t suffer fools, so Will and I are hoping this includes ANN’s VP of Programming Dylan Sinclair, who insists on as many shirtless shots of him as possible.
Embarrassment crosses his face. “Not yet, but that’s the first thing I’m going to do when I get off this call.”
“Good luck, sweetheart.” And I really mean it. As much asIenjoy seeing Will without a shirt, it doesn’t exactly scream regal, which I’m reminded of by the senior advisers on a weekly basis. Not to mention that, in certain royal fan circles, they’d started calling him the Knight of the No Shirt (on account of the fact that my father will knight him the day before our wedding). Poor Will. That wouldn’t be happening if he weren’t stuck marrying me. He’d be free to go as shirtless as he wanted. Pantless too.
“Listen, what would you say to a quiet birthday celebration with your fiancé tomorrow night?"
Completely forgetting about how difficult I’m making his life, I grin at Will, my heart suddenly full at the thought of seeing him tomorrow. "I’d say what time."
He nods. "I should be back in town by nine at the latest.”
“Perfect.”
“Rest up,” he says, glancing around to make sure no one can hear him. “I intend to help you start this next decade off with a bang.”
I answer, “Best present ever.”
“Better than the spa?”
“So much better,” I say. “I can’t even begin to describe how much I miss you.”
“If it’s even half as much as I miss you, it’s absolute torture.”
“It’s at least double how much you miss me.”
“Not possible,” he says, trying very hard to look serious.
“Agree to disagree on the fact that I miss you more than you miss me.”
I hear a voice in the background and I say, “You have to go,” at the same time Will says, “I have to go.”
“Love you so much,” I tell him.
“Love you more.”
Then he ends the call before I can argue. I sigh and smile, then start for the door while I text,Love you most.
Sorry, I know that was utterly sickening, but it can’t be helped.
I walk into the facial room to find that Tessa and Nikki are already laying on two of the tables with masks on and cucumbers over their eyes. A third bed waits for me with a glass of champagne on a table next to it. A woman in a blue smock approaches. "Welcome, Your Highness. I’m Kate. Have you already chosen your facial today, or would you like to have a look at the menu?"
