Confessions of a Girl-Next-Door by Jackie Braun Read Free Book Online Page B

was childish, petty.
    She sat on the edge of the bed and pulled out her cell phone. While she’d been in the shower, Nate must have been in her room. The window had been closed and the bed remade with fresh linens. A pale lavender coverlet was turned down, revealing floral sheets beneath. Leftovers from his parents, no doubt. The other ones would have been perfectly fine, but she appreciated his thoughtfulness. If only she could be sure it was thoughtfulness. Recalling the conversation she’d overheard earlier, she wondered if hospitality had been at the root of his actions, or embarrassment.
    She’s out of my league.
    Long ago, Holly had come to terms with the fact that to some people—most people—she would always have a title before her name. Ultimately, that was why she hadn’tbeen completely truthful with Nate when they were children.
    When she’d started coming to the island at ten, her being a princess had been an afterthought in her mind. He was the son of northern Michigan resort owners. She was the daughter of European royalty. Later, she’d liked just a little too much that he saw her as a girl rather than, well, a goal. Even back then, the mothers of sons from around the kingdom had been busy trying to arrange meetings.
    As if she hadn’t felt conspicuous enough.
    “Winning your favor would be quite a coup,” Olivia had explained, when Holly had asked her mother about the fuss.
    For the mothers or for the boys? she’d wondered. But Holly hadn’t bothered to ask.
    She frowned now. Not at the memories of awkward first dances and dinners, but at her phone. She wasn’t getting a signal.
    She was halfway down the stairs when Nate started up. They hadn’t finished their earlier conversation; instead she’d taken the easy way out and retreated upstairs after Hank’s untimely interruption.
    They eyed one another warily now.
    “Need something?” Nate asked.
    “I was hoping to place a call to my parents, but my cell isn’t receiving a signal.”
    “Only a couple of carriers work on the island and even then, service is spotty at best. You can use the phone in the kitchen,” he offered.
    It was on the tip of her tongue to remind him she would be phoning abroad and certain charges would apply. But since she’d already offended him once by offering to pay for her room, she remained mum. Somehow, she would find a way to compensate him.
    “Thank you.”
    He nodded and started up. Two steps past her he stopped. “Do your parents know where you are?”
    “Not exactly.” The note she’d had Henry give Olivia just said that Holly was safe and would be in touch with contact information.
    “Does anyone?”
    She offered a half smile. “You do.”
    He frowned. “This island is a good place to get away, Holly, but people here read newspapers and own televisions. We’re not backward.”
    “I never said you were,” she replied defensively.
    “But you thought it.”
    She folded her arms. “You don’t know what I think.”
    “You’re right. Sorry.” The apology turned empty when he said, “I don’t know you well enough.”
    She swallowed, a little unnerved by how badly it hurt for him to say so. There was a time when she’d thought he was the only person on the planet who remotely got who she was.
    Nate continued. “Look, all I’m saying is that even Hank thought you looked familiar and he’s hardly the sort to pay attention to the news, much less the tabloids.”
    She lifted her chin a notch. “As you said earlier, I managed to hide in plain sight when I was a girl.”
    “Yeah, but as
you
said earlier, you were decked out in shorts and pigtails back then.”
    “I left my tiara home for this trip, too,” she said dryly. “And I didn’t pack a single ball gown. I think I can fit in. Before the flight over with Hank, a woman in town told me I looked like Princess Hollyn. We both laughed. After all, what would Princess Hollyn Saldani of Morenci be doing here?”
    “It’s not the French