The Prince's Secret Baby (A Baby for the Prince Book 1)(11)
Maggie laughed. “If you’re sure, then I’m sold. I can’t wait.”
Raffaele agreed; he couldn’t wait to show Maggie his home. He clapped his hands together. “Excellent! I’ll text you details tomorrow morning.”
Maggie wrinkled her nose up in a way that Raffaele found adorable. “Speaking of tomorrow morning, and as much as I hate to bring this night to a close, I have to be up early to get things ready at the restaurant. I should go.”
Raffaele nodded. “Of course. Let me have the driver bring the car around and I’ll take you home.”
Maggie shook her head and smiled. “That’s sweet, but please don’t leave on my account. You should enjoy the rest of the party.”
Raffaele studied her. He could tell that she was tired, and if he went with her, she’d feel obligated to be entertaining and talkative.
He wanted her to be at ease, so he agreed, but added firmly, “I’ll stay, but my driver will take you home.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that.”
Raffaele texted the driver asking him to bring the car around, and watched as Maggie wrote her phone number on a napkin.
She handed the napkin to him and said, “You’ve got the number to the restaurant, but here’s my personal cell.”
Raffaele nodded. “We’ll talk more about the party soon.” He stood and offered her his arm. “I’m looking forward to seeing you again, Maggie.”
“Me, too.” She took his arm and let him escort her through the crowded party. When they got to the front door, the butler opened it and Maggie turned to him. “Thank you again, Prince Raffaele.”
Raffaele shook his head. “Don’t say goodbye yet. I’m walking you to the car.” Maggie started to protest and he held up one hand. “Yes, I am.” He dropped the hand in a flourish indicating the open door. “After you, chef.”
Maggie made her way to the car, where the driver had the door open for her. Raffaele waved him back to the driver’s side of the car and held the door for Maggie himself. She stopped and looked up at him.
“Tonight was wonderful. Thank you for inviting me.”
Raffaele looked down into her eyes and had the impulsive thought to kiss her good night. He wanted to, but worried that it would be too forward after knowing her for only a few hours. He settled for stepping forward to give her a brief, but warm, hug. When he pulled back, Maggie was smiling and Raffaele knew he’d made the right call.
“Thank you for coming with me, Maggie. You made this evening truly special.”
He helped her into the limo, and before he shut the door, said, “I’ll talk to you soon. Good night.”
Maggie lifted a hand in a small wave as he closed the door. Raffaele watched the limo drive away, already thinking about seeing her again.
Chapter 5
Maggie
Sunlight slowly filtered into Maggie’s tiny bedroom and she woke up with her head still filled with music and lights and Raffaele’s smile. Her dress hung from the hook over her closest door, where she had left it the night before. Curling up around the pillow, Maggie studied her dress, wondering if the whole night had been a dream.
A really good and very realistic dream, maybe, but she wasn’t entirely sure it wasn’t a product of her tired, over-worked mind.
Maggie rolled over and reached for her phone to make sure no one from the restaurant had left her any messages. She sat up quickly when she saw an unknown number on one of the texts waiting for her.
Raffaele had written:
Good morning! Normally, I don’t talk business first thing in the morning, but I wanted to share the details for the party. As I said last night, the event is for my family and friends, with around 300 people attending. I’d appreciate the opportunity to work with you on creating a menu, though the final say is yours. I look forward to sharing your amazing food with the people I’m closest to.
Maggie almost fell out of bed at the next part of his message. He was offering to pay her for her time, and the amount was more than the amount her parents had paid for their house. It was more than enough to cover the expense of her travel for the event and a few days’ vacation. BienVille would be fine without her for a week, and the change of scenery would be good for her.
She started typing quickly:
I accept. I’m so looking forward to cooking for your family and friends, and I can’t wait to see your home! Thank you, for the offer and for last night. I still feel like I’m in a fairy tale.
She couldn’t help but smile when his response showed up on her phone almost immediately.
Excellent. You’ll stay at the palace, of course, and I’ll make arrangements for my jet to fly you out and back home. I’ll be in touch soon with more details.
“He really is a modern Prince Charming,” Maggie whispered to herself.
She thought about crawling back into bed for some more delicious dreams, but she was a little too giddy with excitement.
And, she thought, coming back down to earth just a bit, there’s still produce to take stock of and tonight’s dinner to prep.
She smiled to herself as she got ready, and carefully hung her dress in the closet as she put on jeans and a T-shirt appropriate for her morning’s work.
Maggie walked to the restaurant, smiling cheerfully at the few people she passed on the street. She knew she was being a little silly, that the Prince wanted her for her chef skills. But that alone was flattering; Maggie knew that this kind of job could provide great press for the restaurant. It was an amazing opportunity.