Chapter 3: Meeting the Family
1173 Words
Prince Lucas of Sarkadia woke up in a strange place.
This was not something new to him, although usually there were empty booze bottles and naked women around.
The stone fireplace, the simple, wooden furniture, the homemade quilt that had been keeping him warm while he slept... this was all quite different from the places he usually woke up to find himself after a night of partying. He chuckled, picturing the wholesome, hard-working, apple-pie-eating family who lived here.
The next instant, he winced, a massive headache squeezing his temples in its vice grip.
How in the hell did I end up here? he wondered. Almost at once, memories came trickling back. A woman with long blonde hair leaning down over him… Riding in a pick-up truck through the countryside at night…
It appeared he had been kidnapped. This was just as well: he could use a break from the office, and Santer would never find him here.
Being a royal prince had its drawbacks, one of them being that everyone usually knew where you were at any given moment. Rarely, just rarely, he managed to get away.
Suddenly he heard voices coming from upstairs. He sprinted for the bathroom, not wanting to be caught in his current disheveled state.
Luckily, he had his “sobering up kit" in his pocket. It was a must for someone who liked to party hard but also had to attend morning meetings and assemblies and photo sessions as the glowing face of the monarchy.
He took out the headache medicine from its tiny plastic bag and swallowed it, along with some water from the tap. Then he hurriedly smoothed out his hair with a small comb and sprayed some breath-freshening elixir into his mouth.
He was still a bit woozy and nauseous, but it was nothing a little pickle juice couldn't cure. It was a well-known hangover cure in Sarkadia. He wasn't sure if it really had any medicinal properties or if it acted like a placebo, but he felt sick enough to try it.
The owners of the house were awake: he could hear their voices upstairs, but maybe he had a chance of grabbing some pickle juice from the kitchen unnoticed… He snuck to the large, well-lit kitchen…
Yes! They had pickles in their fridge.
Luke opened the pickle jar, but before he had time to drink the precious juice, a middle-aged couple entered.
The woman had curly greying hair and a sweet-looking face. The man was a little portly with a mop of blond hair and an air of confidence like he owned the place, which he probably did. Neither seemed too alarmed on finding a stranger in the kitchen.
Luke was about to launch into an explanation, trying to provide some lame excuse like he was inspecting the pickles for freshness to protect his hosts from food poisoning, but suddenly he realized there was no need.
“Bless your heart!" the woman said. “Are you hungry? Let me make breakfast for you."
“You must be Hallie's friend," the man added. “We saw you sleeping on the couch when we got home last night. I guess you kids don't party as hard as us."
Luke was relieved he practically didn't have to say anything to explain his presence here. Hallie, that must have been the woman who picked him up. Why did she leave him on the couch, though?
He remembered striking some kind of deal because he wanted to see a real Texas ranch. What was it? Surely he would have offered her mind-blowing s*x for his part of the exchange? But maybe he was too drunk to follow through? How embarrassing!
“Why didn't you just use the guest room?" Hallie's mother asked.
“I didn't want to make a fuss, Mrs....uh…" Luke replied. Damn! He didn't even know their last name.
“Please, you can call us Vivian and Sam. It's really great to meet you…"
“Luke," he replied, giving her one of his charming smiles. He wasn't prepared for the woman to suddenly clasp him in a strong hug. He had heard of southern hospitality, but most of the people he dealt with were business associates who preferred handshakes.
“Welcome to the ranch, Luke," she said. “So, are you and Hallie just friends or… more?"
Luke hesitated, not knowing exactly what to say. Why couldn't he remember what happened last night?
The older man came to his rescue. “Vivian, you shouldn't pry. Young people have complicated lives these days."
“I'm just curious is all," she replied with a mischievous smile. “This might be the first time we meet one of her boyfriends since high school."
“Allow me to make breakfast," Luke said to evade any further questions.
“No, no, no!" Vivian shooed him away. She already had some skillets out on the stove and was busy mixing eggs.
“I'll help chop vegetables," Luke offered, seeing that she had got out some peppers and onions for an omelet.
“Well, aren't you a sweetheart?" the woman said.
Yes, yes I am, Luke thought to himself wearily. Winning people over came easily to him. And it was sort of the whole point of his existence, for better or for worse.
Vivian kept bombarding him with questions. “Where are you from? Are you here for a short or long stay?"
“I represent a solar energy company from Sarkadia," he replied, “We're looking to make partnership here in Texas. If there's one thing your beautiful state has in abundance, it's sunshine."
He wasn't actually lying, just omitting the fact that he was also the heir to the royal throne of Sarkadia.
“You have a fine way with words, young man," Vivian said.
“Thanks, so I guess the length of my stay will depend on how the successful my business skills are, but I hope I can stay a while."
“Is Hallie helping you with marketing then?" Sam asked.
“No," Luke said, “but we could always get her on board."
Oh botheration! Had he just offered a job to some woman who was crazy enough to pick him up on the street? He really was desperate to make a good impression so that he could stay here a few days.
Speak of the devil, Hallie herself appeared in the doorway, still in her pajamas. She probably couldn't wait to see her new beau.
She looked kind of sexy, despite wearing a set of baggy pajamas with little rainbows and clouds printed all over them. Her hair, disheveled in the best way possible, descended in swooping waves around an angelic face with eyes the color of dark honey.
She didn't seem very pleased to see him though. It was weird. She had looked hopeful when she first entered the kitchen, but then a kind of disappointment showed in her soft features.
Disappointment that he was still here? Or that he was in her parents' good graces?
- Writer
