Free Highness by Latrivia Nelson Page B

lie.  Although she had only seen the man briefly and from a few feet away she could see that he was Facebook hot.  “Well, he had wheat blonde hair, natural though, not the bleached kind.  He had crystal blue eyes, great bone structure, wide lips for kissing and thick eyebrows.”  She could feel Hope shift in the bed.
    “What else?” Hope pried.
    “He had a long thick neck, muscles and a wide chest and wide shoulders with a lot of definition and a flat stomach.  And I liked that he had incredibly long legs and big hands.”
    “Damn, you noticed all that?” Hope joked.
    “Well, it’s not often that you see someone that attractive in Hernando.”  Bree snickered. “He had big ass feet.”
    Hope laughed.  “He seemed really nice.”
    “Yeah, you said that earlier,” she frowned. “You aren’t thinking of…”
    Hope cut her off. “I’m not interested in going on the rebound.  I just like the idea that a cute guy showed up while LouAnn was here.  So, she can go back and report it to Sean. I hope he chokes on it.”  Hope lied.
    Bree didn’t believe her.  She had known her friend for too long to be deceived.  “You were flirting with him.”
    “I was not,” Hope said, turning toward Bree.
    “You were,” Bree taunted, straightening Hope’s head to continue her hair.  “You were blind flirting,” she said, adding insult to injury.
    “Well, maybe just a little.  What harm could a little flirting do?”
    “Don’t get hurt again,” Bree said seriously. “I don’t think I can bare it.”
    “Neither can I,” Hope said, more solemnly.  “I really liked Sean. I mean, I really liked him.  Don’t get me wrong. I knew it was possible that we’d break up.  That’s a possibility in any relationship. I just never thought that we’d break up over my race or what his family thought. And I never thought he’d cheat on me.  And I wasn’t physically blind then.  I just didn’t see it coming.”
    “Men are pigs,” Bree said with finality.
    “Yep, some of them are,” Hope agreed. But inwardly, she was hoping that Michael wasn’t. Something about him was different, though after only one interaction, she didn’t know what.
    “Just promise me that you’ll get your sight back before you decide to get your groove back.”
    Hope laughed. “I will.”  She fiddled with her fingers. “I hope my sight comes back soon.  Not for Michael, but because I don’t want LouAnn to be here long. I’m used to being my own woman. I don’t like the idea of having to depend on someone. Plus, every day that I spend like this, I can’t finish my work.”
    Bree finished Hope’s hair and brushed the long tendrils back.  Hugging her friend from behind, she prayed over her.  “God is going to give you more than your sight back, little girl.  He’s going to give you peace. You have to believe that.  But you have to let Him do it in his own time.”
    The soothing words brought tears to Hope’s eyes.  “I really don’t know what I’d do without you,” she said, hugging her back.  “I love you.”
    “Love you too girl,” Bree said, kissing her shoulder. 
     

 
    Chapter 7
    RQL Media
    Los Angeles, CA
     
    In the high-rise offices of the popular gossip magazine Perk, there sat a very unhappy employee. Hannibal Ross was absolutely in knots over the sudden disappearance of Prince Michael from the celebrity gossip headlines.  Not that he cared on a personal level , but it was his job to report on the constant terrible choices of the beautiful mess, and for over six weeks, Hannibal had been tearing his hair out calling all of his sources trying to get a lead on the whereabouts of the missing prince.   
    So far, no reports had been credible.  Rumors were circulating around the globe, but none could produce pictures or proof.  And the royals were about as helpful as tits on a bull, with their simple statement saying that the Prince needed time to reorganize his