A Shot with Prince Charming

Chapter 1

Ruby

Not many guys could pull off tights. But Jackson Messner? He made it work.

I aimed my lens at the hottie linebacker who was currently dressed as the Princess Troupe's very own Prince Charming.

Oh yeah. He didn't just make it work. He owned it.

Then again, he owned the tights. Literally. The tight pants that came with the costume hadn't fit, so Jackson had worn his football...pants. Leggings? Spats? Whatever. Same difference. They covered his bottom half, and they were exceptionally form-fitting.

Edgar, the kid who normally played Prince Charming, had already left for college, and as the company owner's son, Jackson had been asked to fill in.

Or he'd been forced to.

I turned my lens to take in the ever-harried Mrs. Messner as she fussed with Callie's Belle hairstyle, attaching the gold tiara-like hair piece that went with her gold gown.

My guess was Jackson had been forced into it. Mrs. Messner could be quite forceful when she wanted to be. I knew this because I'd been working as the troupe's in-house photographer for the past two years, ever since I'd moved to this town. She turned to the room at large. "Any word from Savannah?"

Callie shook her head, and the tiara was now crooked. "I haven't heard from her, but I doubt she'd miss this."

Willow came out from behind one of Mrs. Messner's portable changing screens, brushing out her long blonde hair so she fit the image of Rapunzel to a tee. It wasn't even a wig, which was why she was always Rapunzel when that princess was requested. "Savannah has been waiting years for this."

I had to bite my lip to stifle a laugh. I liked Savannah. I really did. She wasn't everyone's cup of tea—she could be a bit of a diva—but she'd always been nice to me. Even so, it was kind of hilarious to me that anyone would even care which princess they played.

Although, as Willow had explained to me the one time I'd openly laughed about the whole princess pecking order—there was a valid reason behind the jealousy and rivalries. The bigger the princess, the bigger the tips and the more gigs they could perform at. For years now, Kara Vance had been the lead blonde princess. Aside from Rapunzel, which was Willow's domain, Kara had been the top pick for Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Elsa out of seniority. But she'd already left for college too, and Jackson and I wouldn't be far behind. I'd be in New York next week to start at NYU, and I had no doubt Jackson would be leaving around the same time.

How did I know? He'd also gotten into NYU...not that we'd ever talked about it.

One didn't just talk to Jackson Messner. I mean, he was nice and all, but he was also Jackson Messner.

And me? Well, I was currently hovering on the sidelines, watching the scene before me through a camera lens. Like always.

Jackson, meanwhile, was strutting around the makeshift staging area in the Vernons' basement like he was the king of the kingdom. Or, the prince, I guess. He paused to study his reflection in a mirror.

"But Savannah's never late," Mrs. Messner said. "And we need a Cinderella. That's Maggie Vernon's favorite princess, her mother told me so."

It was the seriousness with which she made this proclamation that had me stifling another laugh. I couldn't help it. As someone who merely watched the princesses perform at these birthday parties, it was hard to fully understand the intensity that went on backstage.

One would think performing at a seven year old's birthday party would be all fun and games.

One would be wrong.