Page 40 of Heavy Crown

“Ah, no. My cheating, non-apologetic boyfriend.” I frown. “Ex-boyfriend.”

“Did he buy those Rollerblades too?” She crosses her legs and angles herself toward the door.

“You know,” I say, thinking out loud. “It’s weird. He hasn’t texted or called me, but he’s having things delivered to the palace? Doesn’t that seem weird? And why would Alex keep everything from me?”

“Alex holds everyone to a very high moral standard, and he can be very protective of the royal estate. His little tryst with my sister in high school is probably the only time in his life he’s taken the road less traveled.”

My eyes must be huge because there’s no way I’m hiding my surprise. Alex and Julia? “He dated your sister?”

“Oh geez.” Posey twirls her ponytail around her index finger. “Alex is going to murder me.” She chuckles. “Or Julia might murder me. Their relationship was brief. Not well known. But a total mistake. I only found out years later when Alex seemed weirdly fixated on her and Jules revealed the truth.”

This revelation makes a lot more sense to me than I would have expected. Whenever Julia has come up, he’s hesitated in saying her name, as though even speaking about her is uncomfortable. The thought of him with her, of him hooked on her, causes my stomach to dip.

“Anyway, I’m supposed to be here telling you other people’s secrets, not their secrets.” She jumps up and comes to the cart. “He bought you Rollerblades? Who is it again?” She fingers one of the cards without opening it.

The Rollerblades are the only gift that indicate Derrick and I dated for two years. Surprisingly thoughtful. Did someone help him pick these out? They’re even the right size.

“Derrick McGuinty,” I say.

“Ooo. A McGuinty. Huh.” She appraises me again. “The family is weird, but Derrick is hot. I dated a few hot, damaged guys in university.” She gets a wistful expression on her face, and then her gaze narrows. “That kind of man is much better in fiction. Know what I mean? It’s like tiptoeing through a minefield in real life.”

“Hot, damaged guy…” Her label resonates with me. “Derrick is more like a hot, selfish guy.”

“That’s a form of damage though, isn’t it? Something isn’t quite right up here.” She taps her temple. “To want to treat your partner like shit?” She crosses her arms. “Thank God I outgrew that phase.”

“You have a boyfriend?”

“Brent, yeah. He’s from Bellerive, but he’s in America training for the Olympics.”

“Must be hard—long distance.”

“It is, yeah.” She hesitates. “But I also sort of really enjoy my freedom? Relationships come in all shapes and sizes, and this one fits me best.”

“Derrick was a good fit.” Months ago I would have said that statement with more conviction. But we’ve been fading for a while, and I didn’t want to face it. The cost of coming here was so great and to fail… was Janessa the problem or were he and I doomed from the start?

“Was he?” She picks up one of the cards and turns it over before wincing at the message. “I mean, I think it’s possible to love someone and realize they aren’t good for you at the same time. Love isn’t rational or reasonable.” She points to herself. “Front row seat to the Nick and Julia show, right here.”

I laugh. “You don’t think they’re good for each other?”

She grins. “No, they are. They are. Now.” She takes a deep breath. “She’s definitely going to kill me later if you mention I’ve been telling royal secrets.”

Except she hasn’t told me much at all—brothers dating the same woman and a tumultuous relationship. None of that seems too terrible as far as family secrets go. The reminder of Alex and Julia causes my stomach to clench.

“Okay, getting back on the right foot. Give me your Bellerive wish list. Brent is here this week, and I’ve taken vacation, but he works out four hours a day, sometimes more. Those hours are yours.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that. You’ve probably got things you want to do with your vacation time.”

“Yes, I do. I want to amuse you. Play tourist across Bellerive, which I haven’t done in forever. Alex said you’ve spent most of your year working. That’s criminal.” She’s thoughtful for a moment. “Actually, I think that is a crime.”

I can’t help the laugh that slips out. “Alex tells me it is. Several crimes, apparently.”

“He’d know.” She puts her hands on my shoulders. “What do you say, Rory? I can show you that Bellerive is actually a lot more fun than Dull Derrick led you to believe.”

“We’re calling him Dumbass Derrick, just for reference.”

Posey lets out a hoot of laughter. “Does Alex call him that too?”

“It was his suggestion.” Somehow I know that’s not an Alex thing to do, and the return of the assessing glint in Posey’s eyes tells me I’m right.