Page 51

Elle

Who needs a castle and a white horse when you’ve got a true-to-life Prince Charming? I never thought my life would ever resemble an actual fairy tale, but now that I’m standing here next to Colton, I’m starting to believe this is nothing short of magic. I even feel the need to pinch myself every now and then to prove that it’s real.

Unbeknownst to him—I think—I sometimes watch him when we’re working. He doesn’t realize he’s got that Wilson charm that makes everyone warm to him in an instant, and I appreciate that a lot. His charm is genuine. Colton is nothing like those arrogant guys who know all too well they’re great-looking babe magnets.

“Do you know any of these knitting club ladies?” I ask while we’re waiting for them to arrive at the park’s castle gardens.

“I don’t think so.”

“You must know one or two of them. Frank told me some of these women have even seen your diaper butt.”

He pulls a face. “I heard.”

“So they’re not kidding? I hope they were talking about clean diapers. And about decades ago,” I say with a laugh.

“Real mature. I expected more from a princess.” Colton rolls his eyes at me, but I can tell he’s just as amused as I am.

“I guess we’ll find out soon enough.” I point to the group of ladies with blue-gray hair walking in our direction.

For a group of seniors, they sure have a spring in their step. The leader—or at least, I think she’s the leader—is holding a red umbrella in the air. She leads the women to us as if she’s a sergeant guiding soldiers to the battlefield. It’s crazy just how in sync their steps are. Maybe they have a walking routine that they practice before every knitting club meeting. There’s no other way to explain their coherent rhythm.

“Ready?” Colton whispers, and I nod. Why wouldn’t I be?

As soon as they’re within a couple of feet of us, he whips out his biggest smile, the one that would attract a flight of butterflies if his smile were made of nectar.

“Hello, ladies, and welcome to The Magic Wonderland,” he says while politely bowing. “I’m Prince Charming and this is the lovely Princess Charlotte.”

He’s so good at acting and getting into his role at the drop of a hat, it makes me wonder if he also acts during other moments in his day. Hopefully not when we’re hanging out together. I shake my head. Enough with these doubts already. He likes me, and that’s all I need to know.

“Well, hello there. I’m Pam,” says the woman I correctly assumed was the alpha lady. She then motions to the group with her umbrella, missing one of the women’s eyes by only an inch. “And these are the other members of the knitting club.”

She points at each of them with her umbrella. “Francine, Janine, Eileen, Pauline, Myrtle, Nadine, and Kathleen. We are all excited to be spending the evening with you.”

She winks at Colton while the others wave their hands at him and bat their eyelashes.

“Nice to meet you all,” I say.

Not that my words matter. They keep staring at Colton and giggling like a bunch of teens. It’s like they don’t even notice the physical presence of my body, let alone what comes out of my mouth.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not jealous. Only one point six of the entire world population lives past eighty, so who am I to take away even a sliver of joy during what could be their last remaining years or even months?

An uneasy feeling hits me right in the stomach when thinking about that statistic. What if one of them keels over tonight? Statistically, it’s likely. Sure, the chance of being seriously injured on a ride at an amusement park is only one in sixteen million, but it’s their age that worries me the most. What if one of them has heart problems? The palpitations Colton clearly causes can’t work in their favor. I close my eyes and take a deep breath in to steady my nerves. Sometimes, knowing too many statistics is a real curse.

“Are you all right, honey? You look a bit pale,” Francine says. Or is it Janine? They all look the same in their flowery skirts, sturdy shoes, and old lady hairdos, so I can’t tell them apart.

“Relax, Eileen,” Pam replies with a grin. “You wouldn’t be okay either if you got to spend every day next to a hottie like that young man over there. I’d be hospitalized from ingesting too many pheromones if I were her.”

I nod. “Yeah, that’s what’s wrong with me. Too many hot flashes thanks to Prince Charming.”

They all laugh. Phew. At least now I don’t have to tell them I was imagining one of them dropping dead, hence the pale face.

“Who’s ready to get this party started? I’m going to show you all a great time,” Colton says.

“I bet that’s what you tell all the ladies,” Eileen says.

He laughs and shrugs. “I’m not the kind of guy to kiss and tell. Okay, let’s go.”

We head toward our first stop, the top of the castle. Thankfully, there’s an elevator for people who can’t walk properly, so at least we won’t have to strain these ladies’ hearts and joints.