Free Royally Lost by Angie Stanton Page B

vineyards that grew along the hillside. A road ran parallel to each side of the river.
    She tried to get her head around Nikolai’s true identity—royal prince. Why would a prince randomly wander the streets of Budapest and Vienna? The magazine reported he was on the run. What could possibly make a prince run away?
    She sipped lemonade and nibbled on snack mix when Dylan showed up later with a beer. He sank into the chair across from her and glanced at the magazine.
    “Hot damn, Becca. You’ve been stood up by a prince. Not too many girls can say that.”
    “Gee, thanks. I feel so much better now.” She gazed ahead, noticing another bridge in the distance.
    “I’m just sayin’, when it comes to picking ’em, you have a special knack.”
    “Do you think he planned to stand me up all along? I mean, why would he go to the trouble of setting a time and place and then not show?”
    Dylan popped a sesame stick into the air and caught it in his mouth. “Truth? If it were me and I’d made plans with a chick, I wouldn’t purposely try to hurt her, but face it. The odds of me ever seeing any of these girls again is zero. If someone prettier, easier, or more fun stepped into my path, you bet I’d be onto her like foam on beer.” He raised his glass in the air and took a drink.
    “You’re a real jerk, you know that?”
    “But I’m a lovable jerk.” He grinned.
    As they approached an older bridge, sporting decorative arches, she noticed a figure standing in the center. He seemed to be watching the enormous boat approach.
    The guy waved a cap in the air. She set down her lemonade and looked closer. “Dylan, look! That’s him!”
    Dylan looked up. “Well, I’ll be damned. Prince Charming is back.”

10
    As the boat sailed closer, Becca recognized his ruffled blond hair and broad shoulders.
    She wanted to yell to him, but a couple dozen people were scattered around the deck, enjoying the late afternoon sun. She stood and waved back, her pulse racing.
    Nikolai seemed to visibly relax knowing she’d spotted him. As they neared the bridge, she didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t get off and he certainly couldn’t jump on, not without breaking his neck.
    “Dylan, what do I do?” she asked in a panic.
    “I don’t think you need to do anything. He came to you.” Dylan smiled and propped up his feet on an empty chair.
    The bridge loomed huge. Nikolai stood a good fifteen feet above them. Passengers on board the Bolero waved, but Nikolai only had eyes for her. As soon as they were within hearing distance, he yelled.
    “I’m sorry!”
    She didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t okay, but he was sorry, so he must not have meant to skip out on her. The boat floated under the bridge and blocked Nikolai from sight.
    And then the sun broke out again as they came to the other side. She turned, hoping desperately to see him, but Nikolai wasn’t there. Then suddenly he appeared.
    “I’ll see you at the next stop,” he yelled.
    Becca turned to her brother in a panic. “Where’s our next stop? Where are we going to be tomorrow?”
    He was mid-swallow of his beer.
    She smacked his arm. “Dylan! Where?”
    He choked on his beer. “Jeez, Becs, I don’t know. Some German town, I guess.”
    She turned to Nikolai, who was quickly being left in their wake. “I don’t know where we’ll be!” she yelled back, but he didn’t hear her. She shrugged in frustration.
    Nikolai leaned on the railing and pounded.
    “Dammit,” she sighed as Nikolai and the bridge faded into the distance. Now that she knew he was sorry for not showing up today, she really wanted to see him again. “What do I do? I didn’t even get to talk to him.”
    “Don’t worry, if he’s into you enough to wait for you from a bridge, he’ll figure out where we’re docked tomorrow.”
    Nikolai became a tiny dot on the horizon.
    Dylan continued. “What was it Mom used to say? ‘If you worry about the future, and dwell on the past, you can’t