Alex raked his fingers through his hair and gazed up and down Prospect Park’s green. No Paisley. Not yet, anyway.

For the hundredth time, he wondered if he’d made the right choice asking her to attend a concert in the park. And then, on top of that, there was the picnic.

He looked at the classic, woven picnic basket at his feet. Was this whole thing too romantic? Or not… royal enough?

Alex couldn’t help that last worry. More than a few girls had been let down when they found out he was more about browsing bookstores and going to Coney Island than sailing or taking spontaneous trips to Dubai.

But maybe it didn’t matter with Paisley. She seemed to like him for who he was. She hated fame, so she probably wouldn’t have agreed to see him a second time if she didn’t appreciate the man behind the image.

“Boo!” someone shouted at the same time two hands landed on his shoulders.

Alex jumped and turned around. Paisley wore a grin and her shiny hair was pushed back with a handkerchief.

“Sorry,” she said. “Kind of immature. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“You didn’t,” Alex lied, his heart beating fast.

“You were standing there looking so serious, and I kind of couldn’t help myself.”

He chuckled and ran his hands down his face. “Oh, no. That’s not what I want to hear.”

“Thinking about work?” she asked.

“Yes. There is a lot going on there.”

Alex didn’t like lying, but he couldn’t tell Paisley how hard it had been pushing her from his mind since they met in person.

“This is an awesome spot,” she said, surveying the area. They were at the top of a hill and not far off a reggae band played on stage. A crowd had packed around the show, but where Alex had spread out the blanket it was more relaxed, with dogs chasing frisbees and people sunbathing.

“Please, have a seat.” Alex gestured at the blanket. “This isn’t too far for you?”

“Oh, no. I love Prospect Park.” Paisley settled cross-legged and Alex joined her.

“As do I,” he said, opening up the basket and pulling out lunch.

“Wow. You made this?” Paisley eyed the pasta, potato salad, pickled beets, hummus, and chips.

“Uh…”

Paisley laughed. “I get it. They know me way too well at my corner deli.”

Alex grinned. “I do enjoy cooking. I simply don’t always have the time.”

She nodded and leaned against the tree. “I bet. You run a company, and you’re a prince.”

Alex shrugged lightly. “I’ve distanced myself from politics in Belmonte as best I can. When not working, it’s mostly my foundation’s work that takes up my time.”

“The Brighter World Fund,” Paisley murmured. “Tomorrow starts with every child.”

Alex glanced quickly at her. “You know the creed.”

“Yeah. I googled you,” she admitted, her cheeks turning pink.

Alex handed her a plate and fork. “And what about you? How do you spend your time? That is, when not arguing with people on Movie Geek?”

“Hey! WestFlicks123 was asking for it.” She squinted her eyes. “Have you been following me on there?”

“Of course I follow you on there.”

“No, but have you been, like, you know… checking up on me?”

Alex snorted.

“Never mind.” Paisley waved her hand dismissively.

He had been watching Paisley’s movements on the review site all week long and all because he couldn’t stop thinking about her.

“I had the other night,” he admitted.

“Yeah, I did too.” Her eyes lit up, but she quickly changed the subject. “This pasta looks amazing.”

Alex swallowed and shoveled some pasta onto her paper plate.

“Fried pickles. Yum.”

Alex chuckled. “How did you feel about seeing all those movie stars?”

Paisley twisted her lips. “Is it weird that I love movies so much, and yet when it comes to movie stars I’d rather watch them from a distance? Like on a screen or from behind a potted plant?”

“It is not weird to me,” Alex said.

She nodded. “That’s what I like about you.”

Alex tilted his head, intensely interested. “What?”

“You get me in that sense. I mean, you live that life of fame, and so you know—” Her gaze drifted to the blanket. “You moved here, but--”

“It’s quite all right. I know what you meant and that is what I like about you as well. You are not infatuated with the glitz and glamour.”

“Yeah.” Paisley looked up and the smile on her lips made Alex warm all over.

He forced himself to look away. “Potato salad?”

“Yes, please.” She held her plate out to him. “So, how often do you go back home?”

Alex pulled the bottled waters from the picnic basket and thought about it. “More than I want to. Not as much as my parents like.”

“You don’t like it there?”

Alex sighed and looked across the field. A ball flew above the grass and a small terrier jumped and caught it mid-bounce. “My parents expect a lot out of me and I find that being here I’m able to accomplish more than I would there. In a political setting, I feel I’m a fish out of water. But Belmonte is a beautiful place with wonderful people. It’s a cultural melting pot, but it also has its own flair. Have you ever been there?”

“No.” Paisley shook her head. “I’ve been to the countries around it, though.”

“You like to travel.” Alex smiled.

“Yeah. And, luckily, my dad lives in London, so visiting him always makes a great excuse for getting up and going.”

“What is your favorite place you have been?”

Paisley’s eyes lit up at the question. “Oh, man. Mexico. Definitely.”

“Which part?”

“All of it. I’ve been to Mexico City, Monterrey, Guanajuato… Lauren, Nicole and I went together to Guadalajara and Veracruz.”

“You travel much with them?”

“No. They’re pretty busy now. They have a lot going on.”

Alex nodded. “Nicole has her first baby, right?”

“Yeah, but it’s more than that. We live in different parts of the country. I’m happy for them, for sure, but I’m sad not to see them so often anymore. We met in college and it’s been kind of hard making friends since then.”

“Do you have any friends from work?”

“One. Trish. We hang out some, but she’s very busy.”

“Most people are.”

Paisley caught her bottom lip between her teeth and studied him. “You’re probably the busiest out of everyone I know and yet you’re here. Having a picnic in the park on a Saturday.”

Alex held her gaze. “I make time for the things that matter. People are at the top of that list.”

Paisley smiled. “I like that.”

Across the field, the song switched and the crowd went crazy.

Paisley looked over her shoulder at the stage. “Guess it’s a fan favorite.”

“We can go over there, if you would like.”

She shrugged. “I like being here. This is kind of perfect.”

Alex couldn’t stop his smile. “Yes. It is.”

Paisley speared a potato. “By the way, this is the perfect lunch.”

“Glad you think so. I was slightly worried.”

“About what?” she asked.

“I assume you are quite the critic of food,” Alex said.

Paisley’s brow folded. “Why would I be?”

“You work in the food industry.”

She laughed and set her plate down so she could take a sip of water. “Kung Fu Curry? It’s just a job.”

“What do you want to do?”

“Ah. The million dollar question.”

“That means the answer is a good one,” Alex said on a laugh.

“Here’s the thing. I know I’m supposed to have some big answer, like, oh I want to cure cancer, or I want to change the world through doing this or that, but honestly… I just want to travel. And I like my job. I don’t love it, but the right restaurants give you time off to do other things.” She paused. “Is that not what you wanted to hear?”

“Hm.” Alex stretched his legs out and planted his palms in the grass behind him. “How do you know you are not doing good things through your work?”

She pressed her tongue against her teeth. “I guess I don’t.”

“Do you ever make people laugh or smile when you are waiting on them?”

Paisley shrugged. “Yeah. All the time.”

“There is your answer. You are a positive force in the world.”

She blinked fast. “I never thought of it that way.”

“Also, not everyone’s greatest impact is made through their job. Sometimes, just being yourself is enough. It can start a ripple of positive change.”

“Yeah,” she said slowly. “Sometimes I feel guilty, though. Or not good enough. I feel like I’ve been programmed to believe my work has to be, like, a vehicle for everything good.”

“Programmed by society?” Alex asked with a grin. “You don’t say.”

Paisley chuckled. “Crazy, right? Anyway, that’s one reason I like traveling. It opens you up to different ways of seeing things.” She smirked. “Different types of programming.”

“That it does,” Alex agreed.

Paisley drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. “Thank you for this. It’s just the talk I needed.”

“You’re welcome, although I am only expressing my thoughts.”

“Well, man, then I like your thoughts.” She nodded at something next to him. “You brought a frisbee.”

Alex picked the plastic disc up. “Do you play?”

“Do I play?”

“Uh-oh. I feel I just jumped over my head into something.”

Paisley stood and wiggled her fingers for the frisbee. “I have to warn you. Once I start playing, I may not be able to stop.”

Alex handed the frisbee over. “I see nothing wrong with that.”

Paisley winked and that warm feeling returned to Alex’s chest.

No. I cannot think of her in that way.

Or couldn’t he?

Certainly, his being royal was an issue. Paisley detested the famous life and there was nothing Alex could do to change his part in that. But he also didn’t like the glitz and glamour and he didn’t want to drag her into the spotlight, for he did everything he could to stay out of it himself. And now here they were, playing frisbee in the park like so many others around them.

Perhaps once Paisley saw he meant what he said about not caring for fame she would change her mind about him. She would see him in a new light.

Paisley tossed Alex the frisbee. It cut a straight, clean line through the air and landed in his hand. Deftly, he served it back.

“Nice!” she commented as she leapt for a catch.

Alex followed her movements with his gaze, certain that pushing her from his thoughts was about to get even harder.