The Royal Romance Book 1

Chapter 10: Beach Party

Maxwell leans on Drake with a sigh, "You had me at 'no fish'"

"It looks messy but... intriguing"

"Drake..." I smile up at him, "I love sloppy joes! They were basically all I ate through middle school."

"Thank you, Summers. Somebody else around here can appreciate a simple dish."

"It does seem a little strange to have such casual food here."

"Liam thought Summers would appreciate it. A little taste of home."

"This was his idea?" I find myself uncontrollably smiling and filled with glee. I glance over to where he is standing and want to run over and hug him. Instead, I shake my head and smile at him.

"Mostly. From a purely selfish angle, I'm not exactly a caviar and oysters kind of guy, so..."

"Got it."

"Anyways, let's dig in. I love a good barbeque. Reminds me of cookouts on the lawn or summers with my family..."

"Aww, Drake, that's actually kind of sweet..."

"It is not. Now, would you rather talk or eat?"

"Let's eat! I'm starving!"

"Sweet relief." Maxwell digs into the buffet.

"Well, I can give it a try." Hana says as she hesitantly grabs a plate.

The group digs into the barbeque assortment.

"So...how does one eat a 'sloppy joe'? Utensils or hands?"

"It's your choice." Drake piles a variety of everything onto his plate.

"There's no protocol? How are you supposed to elegantly eat at social gatherings?"

"It's a sloppy joe Hana. There's not going to be anything elegant about this."

"Oh my..." Hana looks down at her sandwich with frustration.

"You just have to stop caring what everyone thinks, Hana. Like this." Maxwell devours the food on his plate and smiles at her.

"I think my parents would murder me if they saw me doing that." Hana delicately uses a fork and knife to take a bite, "Oh, this is delicious."

"Mmm, rich, tangy, sweet... and soooo good!" Maxwell lets out a satisfied sigh.

"I accept tokens of appreciation in cash, check, or credit."

My eyes linger at Hana as she smiles at me, her lips covered in barbeque sauce.

"...What?"

"You, uh... you're looking pretty saucy there, Hana..."

Her hands fly to her face, accidentally smearing more sauce over her cheek.

"Ohmygosh!"

"Hana... Don't worry. Barbeque sauce is a good look for you." I laugh and then hand her a napkin.

"This may not be quite as embarrassing as the time I accidentally applied blush instead of powder to half my face."

Hana politely dabs her mouth and chuckles.

Maxwell pats her on the back and gives her a reassuring smile, "Hey, according to Drake, getting messy is half the point!"

"Exactly."

"Well, Maxwell, it looks like a sauce container exploded on you, so mission accomplished." I look him up and down and find that there is sauce all over his face with some spread to his shirt and pants.