The Princess Problem (3 page)

“The guest room?” Alicia shook her head.

“Yes, dear. You’ll have to stay the night. The storm is too bad for you to go out into it again.”

Alicia hesitated, wondering if there was a gracious way to ask for the contract, then leave. She decided there wasn’t. “I think I’ll just drive home. We can meet up again tomorrow sometime.”

“There is no way I’m letting you back out into this storm,” said Willa. “Jonas. Please show Alicia to the guest room. The bed is already made up in there.”

Jonas snorted. “Is that a good idea? It’s right next to mine. What if she sneaks into my room in the middle of the night? I have to protect my virtue.”

Alicia expected Willa to laugh. She knew she was barely keeping herself from busting a gut.

“I’m sure she won’t. She seems very trustworthy to me.” Willa turned to Alicia, the candlelight flickering across her concerned expression. “You won’t, will you?”

Alicia huffed out a breath. These people were delusional. “It’ll be hard, but somehow I’ll manage to stay in my own room and keep my hands to myself.”

Jonas laughed again, and it irritated Alicia that she liked the deep, booming sound. It touched something off in her and made her want to respond, to smile and share in his humor. As if. She hunched her shoulders.

“The water heater should still have plenty of water for a shower and there’s shampoo and conditioner,” continued Willa. “Dinner is cold now, but Tate is going to make you a sandwich and I’ll bring that up with some pajamas and a toothbrush. I’ll just leave them on your bed. How does that sound?”

“Wonderful. Thank you.”

After Willa left, Alicia unwrapped the towel and spread it on the floor to mop up the mess. She then followed Jonas up the stairs, staring resentfully at his back, and when they reached the top, she lifted the candle to try and see his face, but he stepped back into the shadows. “What are you hiding? Hideous scars? A pig snout?”

He chuckled.. “Something like that. You might want to cover up your, um,” he waved a hand in the general vicinity of her chest.

Alicia glanced down and gasped. The candle she held illuminated the silk shirt clinging to her breasts. She quickly blew out the candle, leaving them in darkness.

He laughed yet again and somehow the sound--warm, deep, inviting--made her already cold skin prickle with...attraction? Which annoyed her all over again.

“You are such a jerk.”

“Hey, I could have kept quiet about it and just enjoyed the view. Don’t I get any points for that?”

She let out a breath. “Sure. I’ll add one back to the negative score. Hmm. Let me check. Still a ways to go until you’re in the black again.”

He chuckled, low and rich, the sound enticing in the darkness, and she wished he would stop doing that.

He opened a door she could barely make out in the darkness. “This is your room. The bathroom is to your left. I wouldn’t shower longer than fifteen minutes or so, just in case. You probably don’t want two cold showers in the same night.”

One hand extended to feel her way in the darkness, she clutched the candle and matches in the other and moved forward. “Thank you.”

“I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Not if I see you first.” She closed the door with a snap.

Too bad she could still hear his laughter. Jerk.

Chapter Three

Alicia woke the next morning tired and slightly cranky. Even though the mattress was one of the most comfortable she’d ever slept on, she’d spent way too much time fuming and arguing with Jonas in her head. Why was it she always thought of a good come-back when it was too late? She could see why he worried about girls sneaking into his room in the middle of the night. His virtue wasn’t the issue. They probably sneaked in to continue arguing with him so they could get the last word. Or in this case, the last laugh.

She dressed, made the bed, and folded the pajamas. Digging in her purse she retrieved a comb, found an elastic, and scraped her hair into a ponytail. She daubed on lip gloss, which was unfortunately all the makeup she had with her. She knew from past experience that looking her best when facing an opponent helped her feel more confident, thereby helping her to to think and react better. There was probably some sort of psychology behind it, and whatever it was, she knew it worked.

She stood back, studied herself in the mirror, then sighed. Apparently there was only so much she could do with a wrinkled and slightly moist dress, damp shoes, and a lack of cosmetics. Even some smoothing gel or a curling iron right about now would be a godsend.

If not for the fact that she needed to talk to Willa about the contract, and knew both Mike and her boss would expect a report, she’d be tempted to just sneak out of the house. She turned away from the mirror, picked up her purse, and, after one more glance around to make sure all was in order, she left the bedroom.

She assured herself that what she was feeling was nerves and not anticipation about meeting Jonas face to face this morning. She’d lain awake half the night wondering what he looked like. If there was any justice in the world he really would have a pig snout. Anyway, she felt the need to hurry. She didn’t want to leave Jonas alone with Willa for too long this morning. Regardless of what Willa said the night before, Alicia worried that Jonas would influence his mother about her decision to hire Alicia and her firm.

When she arrived downstairs to find Willa alone, she assured herself she was really feeling relief and not disappointment. “Good morning.”

“Good morning, dear. Come and sit down. Tate is making us some breakfast.”

Alicia hesitated, but realized that until she had the contract she wouldn’t be leaving, anyway, so she sank onto a chair. “Thank you.” She opened the white linen napkin in front of her and spread it on her lap. “Will Jonas be joining us?’

“No. I was hoping he’d make an exception this morning, with you here and all, but he went into the office early like he always does. He works too hard. I keep hoping he’ll find a young lady to marry and it will settle him down.”

Alicia was pretty sure she wasn’t imagining the assessing look Willa gave her, and was glad when Tate came in with scrambled eggs, oatmeal, and orange juice. He joined them and the three of them ate in silence for a moment as Alicia tried to think about the most tactful way to bring up the contract.

“How did you sleep last night?” Willa asked.

“The bed was very comfortable, thank you.”

“But did you sleep well?”

Alicia shrugged. “I never do the first night in a new place. It’s the same whenever I travel.”

Willa smiled. “So you tossed and turned all night?”

Alicia raised a brow at Willa’s obvious amusement. “That’s a good thing, is it?”

“Don’t you see? It’s like the story, The Princess and the Pea. So that nails it. If you didn’t sleep, you must be a real princess.”

Alicia smiled. “Doesn’t that convince you that I’m your girl and that you should sign the contract and give me a chance?”

Willa lifted something from off the chair next to hers. The contract. She slid it over and Alicia could see it had already been signed. She grinned. “Are you serious?”

Willa exchanged a smile with Tate before nodding. “Yes. Very serious.”

Alicia picked up the stapled papers and drew in a deep breath. “You won’t regret this. I swear.”

Willa smiled. “I have no intention of regretting it. I also don’t regret that you saw right through me yesterday. You see, as much as I want this commercial made, and trust me, I do like your ideas, but the more I see of you, the more I like you. I’m hoping it won’t inconvenience you too much if I keep trying to set you up with my son?”

Alicia looked at the contract in her hands. Willa obviously thought the sun rose and set with her precious son, which was perfectly normal, but Alicia didn’t want or need the added pressure of feeling like she had to date the guy. She took a breath. “And if I don’t go out with him?”

Willa lifted one shoulder. “Then I’ll expect to get a fantastic commercial out of it.”

Alicia’s excitement grew. “We have a deal.” She jumped up. “I’ve got to go. Thank you for breakfast!”

“Wait! Did you get enough to eat?”

Alicia grinned. “Who can eat at a time like this? We have a lot of work to do. Models, sets, filming, and more. It’s going to be awesome.”

Willa giggled. “Well, I have to say, I love your attitude. I’ll see you later then.”

Alicia headed for the front doors. “See you soon!”

* * *

A few days later, Alicia hid out in her car in the parking lot of Highborn Mattress. She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. “All I want to know is why do you have to be seven months pregnant?” Alicia asked her best friend Katie. “The prince was easy, but it’s a lot harder choosing the perfect model for the princess than I’d thought it would be. If you were available, it would have made my life so much easier.”

Katie laughed. “So sorry to have inconvenienced you.”

Alicia sighed. “Part of the problem is the models aren’t getting along. Some of them are being nasty to each other and it’s tense in there.”

“You need to have a little mercy on them. You have one job available, only one of them gets hired, and they know it. That kind of competition doesn’t make for lifelong friendships.”

Alicia rubbed at her temple to try and relieve the tension before it morphed into a headache. “The other part of the problem is that Willa won’t approve any of them. I think some of them could work, but she’s being picky.”

“Keep trying. Something will click soon, I’m sure. That’s the way the process works. You’re going along and then, presto, you find the perfect girl for the job.”

Alicia glanced at her watch. “Okay. Thanks for the pep talk. I gave everyone thirty minutes for lunch, so I guess I’d better get back. But before I go, how is it being back in Seattle?”

“Let’s just say that Mom and Dad aren’t really thrilled about my single status at the moment and leave it at that.”

“I’m sorry, Katie. You know you’re welcome here if you need to get away. For however long you’d care to stay.”

Katie sighed. “I know. Thanks. Isabelle’s offered me a spare bed in Huntington Beach, but I really don’t want to be that near the ex right now. Honey’s offered to put me up in Redding, but she’s got her hands full with a newborn, so I don’t want to intrude. Anyway, for better or for worse, Seattle’s home, and a great place to lick my wounds.”

“If you change your mind, the offer is always open.”

“Thanks. I know it is.”

After they hung up, Alicia headed inside Highborn Mattress, the main store in downtown Portland. Mike was already set up and waiting for her to start again and as she walked toward the set they’d built, Alicia couldn’t help but smile. The setting looked fantastic, even better than she’d envisioned. The bed was stacked high with thin mattresses, each a different-colored pastel material that gave the bed a whimsical look. The top mattress sported a little ruffle, and there was a curtain that curved toward the area off to one side. Pillows, stacked large-to-small, formed a pile at the head of the bed, and a rope cord with a knot and frayed tassel hung almost to the floor. Truly a bed fit for a princess.

But it was the dress hanging over the edge of the bed that really captured the limelight. Alicia had considered going with a pretty nightgown, but quickly nixed that idea in favor of more princess-like apparel. A thirty-second commercial needed to make an impression, and this dress did. White satin, fluffy netting, beading–all practically screamed princess. Add the tiny crown to be perched off-center on the model’s head, and she loved the whole look. Fairytale princess all the way. Gorgeous. Now if they could just find the right girl to pull it off.

The remaining models waited off to one side--some sitting, some standing--as Alicia slid into the chair next to Willa.

“Did you get some lunch?” asked Willa. “Are you ready to start again?”

“Yes and yes.” She picked up the next portfolio in the stack. “Keira Jones. Can you come and stand by the bed, please?”

A tall, elegant redhead rose from one of the chairs and moved forward. Mike bent over the camera and instructed her to turn her head to the left, then to the right, and finally facing center. “Okay,” he said. “Now slip the string on the dress around your neck so the dress hangs over your body.” After Keira did so, Mike continued filming as Alicia studied the model. When he finished, he picked up his camera and took a few more shots.

Alicia smiled at her. “Thank you, Keira. We’ll be in touch.”

The girl’s face never changed expression as she nodded once, then gathered her things and left.

Willa handed her a small piece of paper.
Too cold,
was written on it.

Alicia exhaled. According to Willa, Ashlin was
too stone-faced,
Fiona’s nose
too long,
and Bren’s smile
too fake.
The same went for the other models. Different girls, different problems, Willa objecting to something specific about each girl. Since Willa had reserved the right to have the final say, it was getting frustrating. Alicia had hoped to nail the princess down today, but the way things were going, it didn’t look like that was going to happen.

Still, Alicia couldn’t fault her. All the models were gorgeous, but she hadn’t yet seen one she was crazy about, either. Alicia called up the next model.

A few hours later all the girls were gone and Willa sighed. “The problem is, we need someone real. All these models are too perfect. Too polished. We need warmth and passion. Those are the feelings we want to associate with our product. We aren’t going to capture anyone’s attention with a cold representative.” She paused. “And I’m not so sure about the dress, either.”

“What?” Alicia jumped up and grabbed the dress, the material so billowy she had to hold it across both arms. “If there’s one thing I’m sure about it’s the dress. It’s gorgeous. It’s princessy. It’s
perfect.”

“Maybe we should be using a nightgown?”

“I thought about that, but we only have thirty seconds to make an impression. With this dress it only takes a second to realize the girl is a princess. Anyway, the white says nightgown.”