And I was glad now I hadn’t. “That’s fine. I don’t want him to be unhappy.”
Donovan grunted in a way that made it clear he was less concerned with Jason’s happiness.
“What about the princesses?” I asked. “Will they be okay?”
Chrissy gestured toward the bed, and for the first time I noticed a picture book lying there. “See for yourself.”
I glanced at the cover. The Twelve Dancing Princesses. The illustration showed dancing couples swirling through the fairy pavilion—my sisters. I picked up the book and flipped it open. An illustration showed a man coming to the castle in soldier’s clothing. Not Donovan. Prince Geoffrey. I smiled and turned pages, watching my sisters and me getting ready for bed, stepping down the stairs, waltzing. The prince I danced with didn’t look like Jason. He looked like Donovan.
I flipped to the ending and saw my sisters waltzing with their princes again—this time at the castle ballroom in wedding attire. The king and queen overlooked the celebration, the queen with a pleased expression, the king—well, in the time I’d known him he’d never looked happy, but he at least looked satisfied. It did have a happy ending.
I turned back to the picture of Donovan and me dancing and held up the book so he could see it.
He took a step closer to examine the picture. “That’s not how it happened.”
“I know,” Chrissy said without glancing at the book. “Sometimes you have to improve the story. How would it look if the youngest princess ditched her prince and ran off with a thief? You don’t want to be responsible for traumatizing children, do you?”
I took Donovan’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Actually, I like that ending.”
He pulled me into a hug. Saying goodbye was going to be hard. Phone calls would be a poor substitute for seeing each other.
After a moment, I pulled away from him and turned to Chrissy. “When are you taking Donovan home?”
She stopped examining the goblet and gave me a disbelieving look. “Take him home? I already did that once. Then he wished to get you and bring you here.” She made a sweeping motion that took in the room. “Voilà. We’re here. My job is done. And remember, I did it exceptionally.”
“Donovan lives in Ohio,” I protested. “We’re in St. Louis.”
Chrissy’s wings opened and shut slowly. “That’s why humans invented the bus system.”
“It’s okay,” Donovan said, resigned.
But it wasn’t okay. “He’s on probation. He’s not supposed to leave his state.”
Chrissy rolled her eyes. “I already explained to you that magic is being rationed.”
The words triggered my earlier complaint. “Yeah, about that. You said you cut corners on my wishes. You knew all along you hadn’t given me what I wished for, didn’t you?”
I’m not sure why I pressed the issue. It wasn’t like I wanted her to give me extra magic. I’d had enough of wishes. I guess I just wanted her to admit I hadn’t been unreasonable or crazy when I complained about being the Little Mermaid and a dancing princess.
Chrissy raised her chin in an affronted way. “I gave you exactly what you asked for. The only corner I cut was that instead of giving you a new singing voice, I gave you the voice you’ll have after you practice a few years.” She waved her hand airily. “Moving your talent up a few years took less magic.”
My hand went to my throat. “This is my real singing voice?”
“I know. It’s amazing what practice will do, right? You might want to remember that in other aspects of your life. Like dancing.”
She opened her purse and set the goblet inside. Instead of shrinking to fit in the purse, the way her wand had, the purse grew until Chrissy was able to shut it.
As I watched her, I caught site of my reflection in the mirror. Streaks of dirt crisscrossed my arms and face. My gown was rumpled, dirty, and torn. Bits of twigs and leaves littered my hair. My mom would wonder what I’d done while she was gone. How would I explain it?
I wiped at my hair, knocking bits of debris from it. “Now that you’re done being my fairy godmother, my nose won’t grow anymore, right?”
“Right,” she said cheerily. “Feel free to go back to your normal dishonest self.” She pulled her wand from her purse and gave it a twist. Sparkles fluttered around her like fireflies paying their homage.
“Clover will probably show up eventually to check on your progress. Tell him I said he’s a slacker and he missed all the good parts and he’s fired. Again.” She gave us one last smile, then disappeared in a swoosh of sparkles and glitter.
I stared at the spot where she’d stood. I suppose Chrissy had that effect on people. You had to stare, even after she left.
“So,” Donovan said, running a hand through his hair. “I guess I’d better check the bus schedules.”
“Do you have to leave right away?”
“I doubt I’ll be able to. How often do you suppose the buses go to Ohio?”
My purse sat by the door. I dug my phone out and handed it to Donovan. “There’s one way to find out.”
While he looked up the schedules, I took clothes from my suitcase and went into the bathroom and changed. I undid my hair, brushed as much dirt out of it as I could, and cleaned my arms and face with a washcloth. I hung my gown in the shower. It was the only place it would fit. Hopefully my mom wouldn’t look inside before we left.
When I finished, I went and sat on the bed beside Donovan. He had the internet open to bus schedules. “A bus to Cincinnati leaves in four hours. I can transfer to Hamilton from there.”
“Will you get in trouble for being away?”
“No. If anyone notices I’m gone, my brother will cover for me.” Donovan handed me my phone. “It’s hard to believe we’re back, isn’t it?”
“Things will be different for you now,” I reminded him. “You’ve got silver and gold.”
“And you,” he said. It was a question more than a statement.
“And me,” I agreed. I liked being needed, being loved. “Which reminds me, no matter what you made Jason promise, I’m not going to prom with him.”
Donovan smiled. One of his smirks. “I bet I could sneak out on your prom night. After all, I do own an invisibility cloak.” He leaned over and dropped a kiss on my lips. “Can you come to Ohio for my prom?”
“You’re sure you want to show up with the girl whose upchucking video goes viral?”
He grinned. “I’ll find a way to live with the infamy.”
Donovan slid his hand across the back of my neck and kissed me again. He smelled of the woods, of that strange jasmine scent that hung there. His lips were warm against mine, soft, and perfect. Everything felt perfect. We were home again. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer.
A moment later, the hotel door swung open and we jumped apart, startled. My mom stood in the doorway, a grocery bag in her arms. Her gaze went from me to Donovan and her mouth dropped open.
“Oh, hi Mom.” I tried to sound casual even though I knew I was blushing. “This is my friend, Donovan. Donovan, this is my mom.”
Mom didn’t move. She may have gone into full-blown shock.
Donovan cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Ramirez.”
“Nice to meet you too.” Mom’s expression said, where did this guy come from, and why were you kissing him?
I gulped nervously, grasping for an explanation to his presence here. “I called Donovan and told him about my audition disaster. He was in the area, so he stopped by to make me feel better.”
It was a good thing I could lie now, since I had a feeling I was about to do a lot of it. “Donovan lives in Hamilton, Ohio,” I added to fill the silence. “I made him miss his bus back home, so he was checking to see when the next one left.”
Mom finally came out of her shock. She smiled stiffly and set the grocery bag on the bed. “Well, it’s always nice to meet Sadie’s friends.”
She eyed Donovan more thoroughly, clearly wondering at his Renaissance era clothing. The scabbard and sword at his side probably didn’t reassure her that he was a guy her daughter should be kissing. “So,” she said slowly, “how did you two meet?”