“This is only the first foray,” I bit out as I stopped on another news channel. “They’ve had the story for—what?—less than twelvehours? By this time tomorrow, they’ll know your dress size, your every embarrassing photo will be plastered on magazines across the country, and your high school boyfriend will be giving interviews.”
“Good luck with that. I didn’t date anyone in high school. I was too busy being a nerd and then going to physical therapy appointments.” Her voice trembled like she was holding back a sob.
I grabbedher and pulled her in for a hug. “I’m sorry,mon chou. I should’ve seen this coming. I thought—I hoped—that no one would be able to identify you until after we left. I was hoping we’d be on a plane headed for my home before any of this hit the media. I should’ve protected you better. But I promise I will from now on.”
“It’s okay.” Hannah trembled in my arms. “I can deal with this. It’s not likeI have any deep, dark secrets hiding in my past. I’ve been pretty boring actually. Just the car accident, and then the live-like-you-were-dying phase once I moved out of my parents’ house. As you do.”
“See? That’s the attitude to take. Fuck them. Fuck all of them. Let’s get on the plane now. I can’t control the American media, but I sure as hell can control their access to you.”
And then thephones started ringing. The room phone—no doubt my brother calling again. Then my mobile and Hannah’s mobile. Soon the room was filled with a cacophony of ring tones.
“Oh, God. My mom. What the hell am I going to tell her?” Hannah gave me a panicked look, then hit the speakerphone button on her phone. “Hi, Mom.”
“Don’t you “hi mom” me. Is it true?”
“Er—”
“Is that seriously all you can say?There are reporters banging on my front door. I was just getting ready to leave for work and opened the door to their microphones and camera lights. How could you not tell me, Hannah?”
“Mom, I’m so sorry. It just kinda happened. I was going to tell you tonight when you met him—”
“You were going to invite a prince—a freaking Europeanprince—to my house without even telling me first? How couldyou? I was going to serve him my beef Bourguignon from a freaking cookbook. For a prince. Aprince,Hannah!”
Hannah gave me a chagrined look as she rolled her eyes. “I know he’s a prince, Mom.”
“Well, I didn’t!”
“Mrs. Allen?” I cut in. “I happen to love beef Bourguignon, and I have no doubt I would’ve loved yours as well.”
“Hannah?” Mrs. Allen whispered furtively. “Am I on speakerphone?”
“Yes, Mom. I’m sorry, but—”
“Take me off speaker.”
“Mom—”
“Take. Me. Off. Speaker.”
Hannah mouthed a sorry to me as she pushed the button, then held her phone to her ear. “I’m sorry, Mom. I just—” She broke off and listened. “But—If I could just—Mom! Listen to me! I know he’s a prince. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I didn’t know it would become national news. I’ve only been seeing him a week.Less than, really. But I like him. I like him a lot, and he wants me to go back to Monaco with him. And I think—”
Hannah paused as she listened to her mom on the other end of the phone. I knew I should be answering any one of my phones and putting out fires, but I couldn’t tear myself away from Hannah’s drama. And it was a good thing I didn’t leave, because after a moment Hannah held her phoneout to me.
“She wants to talk to you.” Laughter danced in Hannah’s eyes as she passed the phone to me. “I’m sorry, but she’s kind of crazy.”
“So that’s where you get that from.Bonjour,Mrs. Allen. It’s so nice to finally meet you. I wish it were under better circumstances.”
“Yes, hello, Mr.—er, how should I address you?”
“Luc is fine,madame.”
“Err, Luc. Prince Luc.” She huffed an irritatedsigh. “What is this nonsense about you taking my daughter to Monaco when you two haven’t known each other for a week even? Hannah can’t just drop everything and run at your beck and call. She has a life here. Family. Responsibilities. She can’t just walk away from everything. From us.”
I heard the fear in Mrs. Allen’s voice, so similar to Hannah’s just a few minutes ago. “I realize that, ma’am.And I’m not asking her to give up her life. I might have only known her for a few days, but Hannah means the world to me. I appreciate that she has family and responsibilities here, but if we want to see if our relationship has a chance, we need more time together. And since Hannah is between jobs at the moment, it seemed ideal for her to come to—”
“SHE WHAT?!”
Mrs. Allen’s shriek had to havebeen audible on the next floor. I pulled the phone away from my ear as Hannah collapsed in a dramatic fashion at my feet in a puddle of white sheets and blond hair.Merde. I was torn between comforting Hannah and her still-sputtering mother on the phone. Hannah’s shoulders shook, and as I reached a hand to her, she rolled over and revealed her smiling face.
