The Prince's Christmas Vow. Jennifer Faye

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       CHAPTER THREE

      THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING.

       It must be some sort of nightmare.

      Zoe seriously considered pinching herself, but before she could put her thought into action, she heard footsteps behind her. Her pencil paused over the rough sketch she’d been making of the ballroom with notes for a tentative design.

      She didn’t even have to turn around to know who was behind her. It was Demetrius. What did he want now? The sure, steady steps of his dress shoes clicked over the marble floor, growing louder as he grew nearer. The footsteps stopped. He cleared his throat as though to gain her attention. Her entire body tensed.

      The truth of the matter was that she owed him an explanation. It was long overdue. But this was not the time nor the place for this reunion. She didn’t even know what to say to him. “Sorry” just wasn’t enough. Regardless, there was no chance of ignoring him.

      She leveled her shoulders and turned. “Did you need something, Your Highness?”

      “You can stop with the ‘Highness’ bit, we’re alone.”

      Zoe’s gaze darted around the room, just to be sure. She took a calming breath. “I honestly didn’t expect to find you here.”

      “Obviously. Your start date isn’t until tomorrow. What are you doing here early?”

      The easiest solution would be for her to hand in her resignation here and now. The words teetered on the tip of her tongue. But the artistic part of her didn’t want to walk away from this amazing opportunity. This mansion was steeped in Old World charm and beauty. However, her feet were poised to run from the one man in this world who could make her heart flutter with excitement with just one dark, mysterious gaze.

       Fight or flight? Fight or flight?

      Her spine stiffened and her chin lifted. “I wanted to be prepared for tomorrow when I meet with Mr. Belmonte.”

      “Your meeting isn’t with him.”

      “What do you mean?”

      “I mean that your meeting is with me. I requested you for this job.”

      Zoe’s stomach lurched. None of this made any sense. Why would he hire her with their messy history?

      “By the time this job is completed, this mansion is going to be restored to its former glory. It’ll start outside with the sweeping steps and the large, white columns and continue inside with its vintage style. In this section, I want people to forget that it’s a care home and instead feel as though they’ve been transported to a tranquil place. Do you think you can deliver something like that?”

      She glanced around at the peeling paint and the chipped plaster. The mansion had been downright neglected. It was hard to imagine the building being transformed into one of beauty. But she knew that it could be done.

      “Of course I can do it.” Her unwavering gaze met his. “But you knew that or you wouldn’t have hired me.”

      “True enough.”

      “What are you really up to? And don’t tell me that you hired me out of the goodness of your heart. I won’t believe you.”

      Demetrius’s dark brows rose. “If I didn’t know better, I’d swear you just implied that I’m heartless.”

      “I don’t want to play word games with you.” She took a second to pull herself together, because it felt as though her world had just slipped off its axis. “What are you up to?”

      “I would think that is obvious. This is a royal project and I am overseeing it from start to finish.”

      “Not that. I want to know why you hired me of all people.”

      “Does it matter?”

      “It does.” There was something more—something he wasn’t saying.

      The man standing before her wasn’t the same man she’d married—the man who’d swept her off her feet was sweet and fun. His biggest worry back then had been wondering what he’d do for entertainment the next day. She didn’t understand how someone in his position could have lived his life so carefree, but obviously it’d all caught up with him. Because this man with his lips pressed together into an uncompromising line while staring directly at her meant business—of that she was certain.

      He crossed his muscular arms. “Perhaps hiring you was a mistake—”

      “No—” She bit back her next words but it was too late. Demetrius’s brows lifted at her sudden outburst. “I mean, we have an agreement. Or at least I do with Mr. Belmonte.”

      “Agreements are made to be broken.”

      “But it’s in writing.”

      “And you didn’t think that I would leave myself a loophole—a way out if the need arose?”

       Who is this man? And what had happened to the laid-back Demetrius?

      Her gut told her to get out now. That she was getting in far too deep with a man who still had a hold on her heart. But what kind of daughter would that make her? This was her chance to make the remainder of her mother’s life better.

      And to complicate matters further, she had no job to return to. She’d already resigned from her position as interior designer for the island’s most prominent and discriminating furniture store. And most important, this job paid well—well enough to pay her mother’s bills.

      Zoe was stuck.

      “You still haven’t answered my question. Why did you hire me?” She watched him carefully, not sure what sort of reaction to expect.

      “I wanted the best for this job. And you are the best on the island.”

      Was he serious? He thought she was the best? A warmth swirled in her chest and rose to warm her cheeks. Their gazes connected and held. Her heart thudded harder, faster. She refused to acknowledge that his words meant anything to her. She was over him. Past him.

      “So you just expect us to work together like...like nothing ever happened?”

      * * *

      A loud bang echoed through the expansive ballroom.

      Demetrius’s body tensed.

      “What was that?” Zoe whispered.

      He didn’t know but he certainly intended to find out. He peered around the various drop cloths, plaster buckets and scaffolding. “Who’s there?”

      A movement caught his attention. Across the room, a worker in a yellow hard hat straightened from where he’d dropped a load of lumber. He glanced their way. “Hey, you aren’t supposed to be in here. This is a designated hard hat area.”

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