Page 75 of Royally Matched
“I can tell.”
Her eyes flash to mine briefly and I can see how relaxed and happy she is, something I never would have expected when I first met her. But somehow, we’ve managed to navigate all the obstacles in our way—including her princess persona—and now we’re here,comfortable with one another, enjoying each other’s company.
“Whistling songs are the best,” I tell her and she lets out a girlish giggle. “I’ve got another one, and you’re going to kick yourself when I tell you what it is,” I say.
“I doubt that.”
“Don’t Worry, Be Happy.”
“Of course! Half of that song is whistling. Can you name another?”
“You know what? I think I might have exhausted the extent of my knowledge of whistling in pop songs.”
“Sucker,” she says with such a look of satisfaction, it makes me laugh.
“I beg your pardon?”
“Sucker. The song by the Jonas Brothers. There’s a bit of whistling in that.”
I whistle the tune of the song as I size her up. “You’re a Jonas Brothers fan, are you? I would not have picked it.”
“Why not?”
“Too pop. I would have picked you for a classic jazz fan, or maybe opera.”
“Opera?” She’s indignant. “I can appreciate it, but it’s not really my thing.”
“Not my thing either,” I say, thinking of Enzo and his love for it.
“As for the Jonas Brothers, Amelia was a huge fan when she was a teenager. I think I heard that song at least seven times a day the summer after it came out. In fact, I could probably recite all the lyrics. Did you know that the women in the video were all the wives of the band members at the time?”
“Well, you’ve got one on me. I didn’t even know that the Jonas Brothers boys were old enough to be allowed out after dark, let alone to get married.”
She lets out a tinkling laugh and it ends in a snort. She looks so surprised, her hand flies to her mouth in embarrassment as though she can somehow retroactively stop the snort from ever having left her nose. “Oopsie,” she says, looking shamefaced.
“A snorting princess. Who knew?” I tease as her cheeks begin to flush. “It’s very endearing. Both the snortandthe crush on the Jonas Brothers.”
“Don’t be horrid. Everyone snorts when they laugh at times. It’s perfectly natural.”
“Not me. I’m a snort-free zone when it comes to laughter. I have standards to uphold, you know. And don’t think I didn’t notice the lack of denial. You have a crush on the Jonas Brothers. I wonder which one.”
“You’ll never know.” She throws me a smile. “Should we pull over and get some breakfast? There’s a motorway services coming up shortly, according to the sign we passed a moment ago while you were making fun of my… mishap.”
“Was that when you were telling me how much you love the Jonas Brothers and started snorting at me?”
“Marco!” she exclaims, and I laugh.
“I’m just winding you up,Principessa. I would love to stop for some breakfast, although I did expect you would have had one of your palace minions bring you some lavish feast before you left the palace.”
“My lady’s maid did bring in a breakfast tray, but I was in a rush and didn’t eat any of it.”
“My heart bleeds for you,” I deadpan.
“You are very cheeky today. I don’t know what’s gotten into you,” she says as she takes the exit from the motorway and finds us a park outside a petrol station, a café, and a small grocery store.
“I’m just having some fun to pass the time. I thought itimportant I know your preferences over whistling in pop songs, and I’m really rather delighted to learn of your interest in the Jonas Brothers.”
She turns the ignition off as she shakes her head. “Are you going to be like this the whole trip?”