A Shot with Prince Charming

Chapter 4

Jackson

The best I could hope for was that Ruby didn't throw up all over my scratchy, ugly tunic. But judging how well my day had been going so far, I wasn't feeling too optimistic.

Her smile was frozen on her face, and I was pretty sure I wasn't the only one who could see the sheer terror in her eyes. But I was definitely the only one who could feel her hand shaking in mine as I knelt before her.

The little girls and their relatives didn't seem to notice. They were wide-eyed and open-mouthed with awe as they watched me make a big production out of whipping out the clear, plastic high-heeled shoe my mom had been using as a prop for years now.

I took Ruby's hand in mine again. Every time I did, she held on tight, so I had to hope my grip was helping. If nothing else, I could potentially catch her if she were to faint right now. "Almost done," I murmured. "You're doing great."

Her nostrils flared, but her smile never faded.

Then she surprised me by hissing through her smile. "Lies."

I choked on a laugh at the unexpected whisper. But then again, this was half the reason I liked her so much. I never knew what to expect when I talked to Ruby. Or even just when I watched her. Not to sound too creepy, but I did watch her. A lot. Probably more than was cool, but not enough to classify me as a stalker. I hoped.

She was just really enjoyable to watch. Her reactions to people and comments were never what I'd expect. It was like she lived to defy expectations. Every time I thought I had her pegged, she'd go and do something to startle me all over again.

Like back when I was hiding. I'd sort of expected her to turn tail at the sight of me. She typically seemed in a hurry to get away from me, not join me. But today she'd actually sought me out and sat next to me.

At first, I'd been heartened by the fact that she hadn't run away in the opposite direction. But then she'd informed me that she'd thought Emily and I were still a thing.

Me. And Emily. I could feel Emily's beaming smile aimed at me now. She'd lit up like a Christmas tree when I'd made my big appearance as Prince Charming, leaning over to whisper something in some girl's ear.

It wasn't a secret that my mom ran this troupe, so she couldn't have been too shocked to see me. Not as shocked as I'd been to see her, at least.

"How long does it take to put a shoe on?" There was that clenched-teeth hiss again.

"An impatient Cinderella. That's a new take on the role," I said through a smile of my own as I leaned over and kissed her hand in mine, making her squirm and the little girls around me say aaahhh in unison. "In a hurry to meet up with another prince?"

She gave a little snort of a laugh as she smiled, and I felt like a king. Or...a prince, I guess. I'd give just about anything to get a real laugh from her.

I'd heard her laugh before. When she was joking around with Callie and Willow. When Savannah was regaling us all with a story. Once at something Flynn had said when she'd been helping him set up chairs for a Fourth of July event.

I'd been tempted to tackle Flynn and beat the crap out of him for making her laugh when she only ever acted like a skittish colt around me. But Flynn had taken one look at my expression and rolled his eyes.

You know me better than that, the exasperated eye roll seemed to say.

And I did. Despite the rumors that swirled around the guy or the people he tended to hang out with when he wasn't working with us, he was a solid guy. He wouldn't make a move on Ruby when he knew all too well that I'd been harboring a thing for her for years.