Charlotte & Nate (Royals of Valleria #4) (3 page)

Coco finished her tea and set the cup down. “You’re a good woman, Charlie. I’d like to train you to take over for me, if you’re up for it. I’ve been thinking about it for a while now, and I think you’re the one.”

“But I’m not even Vallerian. I was born in America.”

“We can have your work visa altered, and you can work your way to citizenship. I think it’s time for you to make Valleria your permanent home.”

Home
. Another word she had trouble digesting. “Could I think about it?” Charlie knew that if the royal family didn’t want her because of what happened earlier, no amount of talking from Coco would help her case. She had to know she was safe before she committed to anything.

“All right. Let’s make it through the upcoming state dinner in a few days, and you can tell me after that.” Coco stood up, though it took a few tries and Charlie’s help for her to do so. “Oh, these old bones just aren’t what they used to be.”

A frown marred Charlie’s eyebrows. Was there something else besides old age prompting Coco to retire? “Are you feeling all right, Coco?”

She waved away Charlie’s question. “Just the same as yesterday, and the day before that.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“It’s the closest thing to one you’ll get.” Coco gave Charlie’s arm a squeeze before she headed for the door. “Bring the tea tray back with you when you come.”

“I will. Coco?”

“Yes, Charlie?”

“Why me?”

Coco paused in the door, giving Charlie a look over. She wondered what she saw in her. “Because, Charlie, you’re one of the few who gets my tea just right.”

Charlie’s eyes widened. “Your tea?” Of all the answers she was expecting, it wasn’t that.

“Oh, yes. You were so determined to get it right, and you kept trying until you did. The others, they may try, but they don’t have your determination, Charlie Wyler. That’s how I know you’ll be the best for the job. You’ll never give up. Even just now, one cake was destroyed and your first thought was to make another. No, you’ll never give up.” Coco left a moment later, shutting the door behind her.

Sinking back into a chair, Charlie’s head whirled. She had gone from thinking she was fired to potentially being promoted into her dream job in a space of an hour. Shaking her head, Charlie stood up and prepared to go back to work. She had to redeem herself, and she didn’t have much time.

Chapter 2

Nate should have gone back to his royal apartment in the castle to change. Instead, he had lingered in the kitchen, smudges of creamy filling and cake now ingrained into his suit. He had removed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves, then washed what he could from his face and hair. He would need to take a shower before meeting with his father and Alex. The grimness of the task that lay before him sat heavy once more.

“Your Highness, what are you doing here?”

Nate turned at the voice, his face still dripping. He grabbed a hand towel nearby and wiped the wet away. He saw Charlotte’s eyes flit to the tattoos on his exposed forearms before focusing on his eyes again. He quirked an eyebrow at her.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said and dipped into a curtsy, mistaking the look on his face. “I didn’t mean to be disrespectful or to, well–”

“Shove a cake in my face?” he finished for her, and a very becoming shade of pink tinged her cheeks.

“Yes, I’m very sorry. Were you waiting for me?”

“I was waiting for you.” The answer was as much of a surprise to him as it was to Charlotte, who had momentarily stopped twisting her hands around the hem of her white chef’s jacket. He had to admit that the loose-fitting white was not flattering on her, but she still looked damn sexy.

“Are you here to fire me?”

“If I was?” He didn’t like the look of wariness or defeat in her eyes, an expression he had rarely seen on her. Still, he had to remind himself he was a prince, and his father would not be happy with him if he knew Nate was attracted to one of the palace staff. Nate stepped closer, and was pleased when she held her ground. “If I was going to fire you, what would you do?”

“I’d ask if I could make the replacement cake first.”

Nate smiled, which turned into a full laugh. “That’s just the sort of answer I expected from you, Charlotte.”

“Charlie. My name is Charlie.”

“It’s Charlotte,” he said in a low voice as he stalked closer. He saw her breath catch and her small, plump lips part slightly. Was she reacting to a prince or to him? He wish he knew.

“I, um, prefer Charlie, Your Highness.”

“And I prefer Nate. Doesn’t mean people call me that.” He was barely a foot away from her. He could smell the soft floral scent of her shampoo, the clean scent of her recent shower and damp hair. Her eyes drifted to his hair, which he knew must look a mess; he hadn’t been able to get all the cake out of it during his brief wash.

“Are you here to fire me?” she blurted out.

Despite the fact that he shouldn’t, that it would reveal too much of himself, he lifted his hand to Charlotte’s cheek. He brushed his knuckles over her soft, sweet-smelling skin. She gasped, and he felt a quick waft of air against his fingers. “No, Charlotte.” His voice was low and even, his light brown eyes staring into her bold blue. “No, I would never fire you.”

She swallowed, and his eyes drifted to the line of her throat as she did. His hand fell away, and he suddenly felt cold.

“Thank you.” She sighed in relief and he saw her shoulders relax. Was she thanking him for keeping her employed or stepping back from her? Again, he wish he knew.

Nate stepped away, giving them some distance. He used the movement to put the towel he’d used into a basket set aside for soiled linens. “Are you really going to bake another cake?”

“Yes, I am.” As she made her way into the kitchen, she paused. “Perhaps it would be best if you maintained some distance, Your Highness.”

Distance from her or the cake? “On the contrary, I think it’s best if I stay right here. If you can see me at all times, it minimizes the chances of you accidentally running into me again.”

“Of course,” she said and continued towards the pantry. Nate gently touched her arm as she passed. He ignored the sizzle of heat that passed between them to focus on her.

“I’m not upset with you, Charlotte.”

“Aren’t you? You’d be entitled to.”

Entitled
. A word a prince could come to loathe; Nate certainly had. “The things I’m
entitled
to, Charlotte, have nothing to do with you. Though I can’t say I’d want a cake shoved in my face again, I found the whole situation amusing more than anything.”

“Amusing?”

Why did she sound so put out? “Yes. I’ve never had a woman shove a whole cake in my face.” He counted on his fingers as he spoke. “I’ve had drinks thrown in my face, a vase thrown past my face, I’ve been pushed into pools, and I’ve been thrown off my horse a time or two, but no cake. So, I’m going to chalk it up to a new experience and leave it at that.”

Nate could tell Charlotte was trying to hold back a smile. “I see.”

“What are you still doing here?” Coco asked as she entered the small kitchen.

A broad smile lit Nate’s face; he loved Coco. She was one of the few that, besides the security agents that followed him everywhere, was not required to curtsy in the presence of a royal. She was like family to him and his siblings, and he knew his parents thought very highly of her, too.

“Coco, my dear.”

“Don’t you ‘Coco’ me, Your Highness. Charlie has work to do and you’re distracting her.”

Nate walked over and put his firm, muscular arm around Coco’s broad, soft shoulders. “Does that mean I can’t get a snack and maybe some coffee while I’m down here?”

Coco crossed her arms over her well-endowed chest. “Dinner is in less than two hours.”

Nate didn’t miss the pointed look Coco sent Charlotte, which caused the latter to make her way quickly to the pantry. “Don’t pick on her, Coco,” Nate whispered.

“I was going to say the same to you.”

“Now, Coco, I wasn’t going to try anything.”

“By the look on your face, I’d say you’re close to trying something if you haven’t already.”

Damn. How did Coco read him so well? She was just as quick as his mother when it came to things like this. “It’s not like that.”

“I sure hope it isn’t. Charlie’s a good girl and a decent person. She deserves the best.”

The barb struck Nate square in the chest. “I take it I don’t fall into that category?”

Coco sighed. She relaxed her arms and drew one around Nate’s waist. “You know I didn’t mean it like that.”

“I know,” he said, and dropped a kiss to the woman’s head.

“Don’t play with her. If you’re going for her, make sure you’re ready for long-term. That girl isn’t one to play the field like you. She doesn’t know the score.”

He briefly thought of Katya again, the last woman he’d been out with several months ago. “I haven’t ‘played’ the field in some time, Coco.”

“But you have played it just the same. Everybody’s got troubles, Your Highness. Some run shallow and smooth over the top, others run deep and jagged. She’s got more of the last than the first. You hear me?”

All too well, Nate thought. Didn’t he have his own set of troubles, too? “I hear you, Coco. I won’t disappoint you.”

“It’s not me you should be worried about. Your father wouldn’t be too happy at the thought of you going out with the staff.”

“I know, believe me.”

“Our future princess, Rebecca, she was another story. She worked in the palace, too, like Charlie, but she grew up on the palace grounds, and she and Prince Alexander both grew up around each other. Charlie’s a different story.”

“I hear you, Coco,” Nate said just as Charlotte returned, her arms loaded with bowls and various items.

“So, is that a ‘no’ to a snack, then Coco? Couldn’t I have something? Pretty, please?”

“You charm your Mama with that mouth, Your Highness?” Coco asked, an indulgent smile on her face.

“Frequently.”

“I bet the Queen sees right through you.”

“Frequently.”

Coco laughed. “All right. All right. I’ll have something brought in here for you, but don’t bother Charlie.”

“Your wish is my command.”

Coco nodded and, with a last pointed look at Charlie, left for the main kitchen. Nate could hear her barking orders followed by a sudden rush of movement. It was barely two minutes later that a small table and chairs was placed in the corner of the kitchen, followed by hot coffee and a small selection of pastries. Nate’s mouth watered at the sight.

***

Charlie did her best to focus on the task in front of her, instead of the sexy man nearby.
He’s a prince
, she reminded herself;
he’s out of your league
.

While the Prince devoured an apricot-glazed mini croissant, Charlie avoided watching him lick his fingers by measuring out flour. She avoided looking at him still as his full lips sipped hot Vallerian roast coffee, choosing instead to focus on measuring out sugar and vanilla extract, and cracking several eggs. She was glad she always set out extra butter and cream cheese at the beginning of each day to soften; if she hadn’t, both of them would be too cold and hard for baking, and she’d be unable to make her cake.

As the Prince stood and slowly made his way over to her, his coffee cup still in hand, she decided noise would make a great deterrent to conversation. So, she put the butter and cream cheese in her stand mixer and turned it on, watching the two become one. Since her fingers were itching to run themselves through the Prince’s hair – which still boasted a piece of cake here or there – she made her hands busy by sifting the flour, adding a touch of salt to the mix to balance out the sweet.

The Prince watched her without saying a word, but she felt herself being judged and assessed all the same. It had been the same in cooking school, too, hadn’t it? Yes, this was exactly like that. She wouldn’t allow herself to become tense or clumsy in his presence, not again. Coco had warned her she may not get a second chance, and she wasn’t going to risk this job again.

It was all she had, after all.

When the butter and cream cheese were the right consistency, Charlie slowly added the sugar, then added one egg at a time to the mix. Her eyes wandered from time to time to the man nearby, but she never looked at his face. She only caught glimpses of his fitted dark suit and the ink that coated his arms. She knew he had tattoos; rumour was that most of the Vallerian princes did. Prince Nathaniel just seemed to be the only one who never hid them.

With the wet ingredients incorporated, Charlie slowly added the flour and salt, mixing until it was well blended. When she stopped the mixer, she felt as though she’d lost some of her defense, but she powered through.

When the batter was finally poured and placed in the oven, Charlie checked the time on the oven’s control panel. It would be close, but she could finish it. She
would
finish it.

When she turned, she gasped as she bumped into the Prince. “I’m sorry,” she breathed.
Damn it, damn it, damn it!
“Did I spill anything on you?”