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Uh-oh. This doesn’t bode well. He’s going to fire me. I can feel it in my gut.

“Okay,” I say, my voice all trembling and squeaky. I hate it.

“How would you feel about serving hot dogs again?” he asks with an intonation that gives the impression this is good news.

I stare into the distance, dumbfounded. All that comes out is a croak.

“This has nothing to do with your skills as Princess Charlotte,” he says. “In case you were worried about that.”

I swallow. “Then what’s wrong?”

“Well, Sarah’s doctor has given her the all clear and she wants to come back until she has the baby. A pregnant princess opens up lots of opportunity for spin-off stories as well.”

“Oh, I see.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow then? Your costume is cleaned and ready for you.”

“Okay,” I mumble.

I need to lie down. Things are even worse than I thought. Not only have I lost the best guy I’ve ever met, and who was also interested in me, now I’ve been demoted at work. How pathetic is that?

I groan. At least there’s one positive thing to acknowledge. Now that I’ve reached an all-time low, my life can’t possibly get any worse.

***

When I arrive back at work the next day after a horribly long bus ride, it turns out my life can get worse. The costume has been through some alterations. Now I have to squeeze myself in between two brown buns, wear an ugly ketchup hat, and—get this—drape a few extra pieces of fabric over my body to make it look like I’m a hot dog being served with a copious amount of fried onions.

Someone should just knock me unconscious and spare me the humiliation of going out there.

“This isn’t too bad, right?” Macy asks, adjusting the flapping onion pieces.

I offer her a weak smile as I don’t even have the energy to discuss the ugliness of my costume.

“Hey, you’re back.” Layla’s face lights up as she sees me. “Let’s walk to the hot dog cart together and I’ll get you caught up with all the park gossip.”

“Okay,” I say and follow her outside.

“Have you heard the latest?” she asks excitedly, oblivious to my sad state. “Apparently, Colton was caught making out with some girl in Splash ’n Fun, but he doesn’t want to say who it is. Do you have any intel? You worked side by side with him for quite some time. Surely he told you a thing or two?”

“Colton’s the kind of guy who forgets to part with important information,” I say. Technically, it’s not even a lie.

“A few of us have got a bet going about who this mystery girl is. Do you want in?”

I could always vote for myself and grab all their money, but that doesn’t feel right. “No thanks. I’d rather not spend too much energy on him.”

She frowns. “Why not?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. We had an argument about household chores,” I lie.

She shakes her head. “Guys. They can be unbelievably ignorant.”

Tell me about it. We arrive at the hot dog cart, and I feel deflated. Not literally, as I’m hardly able to move in this ridiculous costume. Being back at square one feels even worse than I imagined.

An hour later, the clock strikes ten, and my stomach turns. Any moment now, Colton will appear from behind the castle doors and take his spot in the garden, right in my line of sight.

Layla puts her tongs down and sighs. “This will never grow old. It’s not fair how good he looks.”

I know she’s talking about Colton, but I refuse to so much as glance in his direction. What if he catches my eye? No thanks.