Chapter 1
I should have walked out when he ordered a second Mexican Bulldog.
Lucy Linden studied the blue-green margarita glass lined with salt. An upturned beer bottle rested inside the drink. Hugh, her date for the evening, had polished off his first potent cocktail before she’d finished half her virgin lemonade. And yes, her dinner companion had teased her for ordering a nonalcoholic drink.
That was your first mistake, Hugh.
By the time the waitress returned with their order, Lucy was willing to bet her glass slippers that this man had asked a friend with tact and intelligence—two traits Hugh had not brought to their date—to message her and request an in-person meeting.
“I bet you’re curious why I swiped right.” He leaned back in his blue plastic chair and ran his index finger over the base of his upturned beer bottle.
If only he’d been too busy drinking to talk.
Lucy reached for the guacamole. The made-to-order mix of avocado, lime, salt, and cilantro was the only thing keeping her at the table.
One more chip. Then I’ll slip away and plan my exit.
“When I saw in your bio that you played Cinderella at the world’s most famous theme park, I knew you would meet my physical standards.” He leaned across the table. “Did you have to fight the other princesses for the role? Was there a lot of sabotage behind the scenes? I bet all the girls wanted a chance to be the ice princess. What’s her name? Elsa, right?”
“My fellow princesses are like sisters without the sibling rivalry.” Lucy sipped her lemonade and made a mental note to change her online dating profile to entertainer at children’s birthday parties. Let her potential dates wonder about whether she performed magic tricks or led the kids in games of tag. And she’d remove any mention of her time in Orlando.
But she’d loved that job. She would have stayed and played the part if her fiancé hadn’t accepted a fellowship in West Palm Beach, three hours away from Orlando. His career as a cardiologist beat her des
ire to smile for photos with children who waited hours just to meet her. So she had moved back to her hometown and started a business with two other former cast members from the magical mouse world. Together they staged princess parties for little girls and a few boys.
Her life had been on track until the man of her dreams completed his fellowship and accepted a job in Boston. She’d been prepared to uproot her life again, ready to move away from her family and her business, until the man she’d planned to marry had headed north without her.
He’d left her behind like a troublesome piece of furniture that was too difficult to move. Barrett, the man whom she’d labeled her prince charming, had calmly explained that there wasn’t room in his life for his and her passions—for two people dedicated to their careers. A month after Barrett left, she’d learned that he’d taken someone else with him. A nurse he’d met at the hospital who had clearly shared his “passion.”
I was a fool to trust him, she thought.
“But it’s true that they check to make sure you have a thigh gap, right?” Hugh asked, drawing her attention back to her present disaster.
Lucy blinked. “Excuse me?”
Hugh flashed a smile that showed every one of his straight, white teeth. He raised a hand and ran his fingers through his wavy, black hair. And yes, the movement highlighted his toned bicep.
He’s a villain who looks like a prince at first glance. I would be a fool to stay past the guacamole.
But she returned his grin. She couldn’t help it. She’d been trained to smile for hours on end.