Stephani held down the mouse button and slid the email over into the “responses” folder. That made four replies now, and she starting to panic over how to answer. Did she go for interviews? How could she manage that without Raoul knowing what she was doing? How could she ask for time off right now . . . when their relationship was just getting going?

And the biggest question: Did she still want to leave?

It felt as if moving forward with the job-hunting process would create a self-fulfilling prophecy that the relationship would fail. On the other hand, if it did fail—and of course there were no guarantees—she needed to have a plan.

What frightened her most of all was that she’d walked into the office this morning, dying to get her first glimpse of him. To see him smile at her. It made her feel unfocused, and she didn’t like that. At all.

Raoul was at a meeting in the city and she should be taking this opportunity to catch up on the things that got behind during wedding week. Instead she heard running feet coming down the hallway, and a decidedly girlish giggle.

It was Emilia, dragging a gigantic gift bag, with Max and Alex trailing behind.

“Tía Stephani! We’re back from Disneyland and we brought you a present!”

Lucy was with the boys, and sent Stephani a grin. “Wait’ll you see. Emilia picked out the big present.”

“I did.” Emilia rushed over to her desk. “We got home a while ago but Tía Lucy said we had to do things before we could come see you.”

Stephani was ridiculously pleased that Emilia had not only picked out a souvenir for her but that she was in such a hurry to present it. “Well, let me see!” she exclaimed, getting up from her desk chair.

The bag was nearly as big as Emilia. Stephani wondered how she’d managed to run along the hall without tripping. The little girl danced from foot to foot as Stephani knelt down and removed tissue paper from the top of the bag.

Inside was a dress. A princess dress in a bright, golden yellow.

She held it up and truly didn’t know what to say.

Lucy burst out laughing, then covered her mouth, her eyes sparkling. Oh, she was enjoying this too much, wasn’t she? Stephani raised an eyebrow in Lucy’s direction, then dutifully did a half turn, swirling the skirt in front of her. “Emilia, I am going to look just like Belle!”

She’d never been one for Disney movies, but the recent remake of Beauty and the Beast meant that she was familiar with the iconic gown.

“Do you really like it?”

Her heart melted. “Of course I do, pequeña.”

“Will you put it on? I want to see!” Emilia’s dancing from foot to foot had turned to full on jumping.

Stephani looked at Lucy. “Did you feed her candy for the whole flight?”

Lucy laughed. “No. I might have, but Brody would have killed me. Max, you give Stephani your gift now. Emilia, Stephani can try the dress on later.”

“Aww.” Emilia pouted, but Max stepped forward and took a little bag from behind his back.

She opened it and found an adorable Christmas ornament of the castle.

“It’s Sleeping Beauty’s Castle,” he informed her. “It has sixteen turrets. Our castle only has four.”

“Dios mío! Sixteen!” She turned the figure over in her hands. “Gracias, Max. I’ll put it on my tree this year.” Then she looked up at Alex. “Did you have a good time, Alex?”

He nodded, then grinned at Max. “Max and I went on rides. Emilia did at first but then she got sick.”

“Only because I ate pizza first!”

“We all had pizza,” Max pointed out. “You were the only one who—”

“Okay, we get the idea,” Lucy interjected, still trying not to snicker.

Emilia looked up at Stephani with pleading eyes. “Tía Stephani, will you please put on the dress? I want to see so bad.”

How could she resist? There were no further meetings or visits scheduled for the day, so it wasn’t like anyone outside the family would walk in. And Raoul was downtown. “I’ll put it on, but just for a minute, okay? I’m supposed to be working.”

She came out of the staff bathroom five minutes later, feeling ridiculous but knowing she’d do just about anything to see the smile on Emilia’s lips. The poor child had spent months with barely a smile. It was only when Rose had come to the household that she’d perked up. Now she laughed and played as before, with only moments of somberness when they spoke of Ceci.

“Here I come,” she announced, thankful that the dress was at least of a decent quality. The skirt swooped around her ankles and she’d put her hair up in a loose bun, holding it with the golden ribbon that had been attached to the dress.

“Tía Stephani! That’s so pretty! Isn’t it pretty, Tía Lucy?” Emilia was nearly beside herself, and Stephani felt both girlish and silly. She turned in a circle for Emilia’s benefit. “What do you think? Do I look like Belle?”

“Very much,” came a deep voice.

She froze, her mouth falling open as she looked up and found Raoul standing behind Lucy and the boys.

“Papa!” Emilia forgot all about Stephani and rushed to her father. “We’re home!”

He scooped her up in his arms. “So I see. And looking like you had a wonderful time.” His gaze settled on Stephani again. “And you brought Tía Stephani a dress?”

Emilia nodded. “Yes, Belle’s dress! Because Tío Diego says you are always grouchy and a beast to work for. And that Tía Stephani deserves a medal for working for you.” She wiggled in his arms. “We got you something, too, but it’s upstairs.”

Stephani tried not to laugh. The description sounded precisely like something Diego would say.

“Hmm. I think I’m going to have a chat with Tío Diego.”

Emilia’s face fell. “Uh-oh. Am I in trouble?”

He kissed her cheek. “Not at all. Were you good for Tía Lucy?”

She nodded. He looked down at the boys. “And you two? Did you have fun?”

“The rides were the best,” Alex said. “And the fireworks.”

“I liked everything,” Max stated firmly. “We should have a Disneyland here, Papa. But the castle would need more turrets.”

Raoul laughed, and so did Stephani, though she was still feeling conspicuous in the dress. “Well, I don’t think we can turn this place into Disneyland, but there might be some exciting things in store for Marazur.”

Stephani met his gaze. “The meeting went well?”

He nodded. “Very. There’s a lot I want to talk over with you.”

Lucy stepped in. “That’s our cue. Come on, kids. Let’s go up and have something to eat. We’ll see your papa at dinner tonight.”

“Aww,” Max grumbled. “I wanted to show Papa my light sabre.”

Raoul knelt down in front of his son. “We’ll have dinner, and then I’ll come up and you can show me everything you got and tell me all about your trip.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.” He held out his hand for a fist bump.

Max grinned and bumped it back, then turned to his cousin. “Come on, Alex. I bet Señora Ortiz made cake.”

They dashed off, Emilia not far behind. Raoul looked at Lucy. “Does he always think with his stomach?”

She laughed. “They both do. Alex is even worse.”

“Thank you, Luce. For taking them. They needed it, and I haven’t done something fun like that with them for a long time.”

“It was my pleasure.” She looked over at Stephani. “No hard feelings about the dress? Emilia was pretty single-minded about it, and I didn’t have the heart to say no.”

Stephani laughed. “No hard feelings. Though I don’t think I’ll be wearing it to the next state dinner.”

“Aw, why not?” Lucy teased, and threw Stephani a wink. “I’d better go after them or they’ll stuff their faces full of cake and spoil their dinner.”

When she was gone, Stephani made for the bathroom to change back into her work clothes. But Raoul’s warm voice stopped her.

“Where are you going?”

She looked over her shoulder. “To change.”

“I think you should leave it on.” His lips held a twitch of humor. “Belle.”

“Don’t be silly.” She was embarrassed, but at the same time, she liked a teasing Raoul. It was a side that she’d glimpsed often when he’d been happy before, but one that had been absent for months. She’d missed it.

“I’m not silly.” He stepped forward and reached for her hand, then tugged it, spinning her into a dance hold. “Now, I’ve watched a few of these movies from time to time, and it seems to me that when the dress appears, it’s usually a dance scene.”

“Yes, and usually at a ball. This is an office.”

“But also a castle. And I am el príncipe, am I not?” He pulled her close. “Should I put on my official sash and medals?”

She swallowed tightly. “Raoul . . .”

He started humming, and moved his feet. “A ball gown is made for a dance, is it not?”

She had no choice but to follow. She took little steps until he spun her around, and her stride accommodated the movement naturally. A smile played on her lips as he kept humming, something she didn’t recognize but she suspected was slightly out of tune. “Now who’s being silly?” she asked, then caught her breath as the spun her under his arm, her skirt swishing behind.

“I am. Because I solved a problem today.” He pulled her back in, close to his chest. “We both want a chance to explore this without family interference, and I found the perfect solution.”

She lifted her eyebrows. “You did?”

He nodded. “Remember when I suggested you needed a vacation at the wedding? It’s all set. We’re going to the Riviera.”

Her feet stopped moving. “We are?” Confusion rushed through her veins, cramping her chest. “You mean France? When?”

“I’ve been officially invited. The resort developer we’ve been working with has several properties on the Riviera and has offered to host us for a week. It’s a chance to see the things that are working there, what we’d like to do differently, meet with his development team about potential designs, and run figures. It’s a working trip, but you have to admit, the location is second-to-none and naturally, I’ll need an assistant.”

It wouldn’t be the first time she’d traveled with him on a business trip. But to use it as a smokescreen for their relationship . . .

“It feels a little clandestine, doesn’t it?” Maybe it was wrong, but the idea of it was a teensy bit exhilarating. She’d always been a rule follower. Crossing her t’s and dotting her i’s, making sure protocol was followed to the letter.

“A bit. But no one will give it a second glance, and it gives us a little time. Not much, but a little.” He reached for her hand. “Just last night my father was asking who I was with and why I wasn’t reachable. Diego called and wondered why I wasn’t here. The children missed saying good night to me. Forgive me, Steph, but when do I get to have a little freedom? When do I get a chance to do something without it being on someone’s daily agenda? It’s not a perfect solution, but it’s the best one that will prevent a lot of intrusive questions.”

The idea of spending a few days in a five-star resort on the Med wasn’t a hardship. Particularly spending it with Raoul. “How long would we be gone?”

“Just short of a week. We’d leave the day after tomorrow. I still have to take a security detail. I’m sorry about that, but I’ll take Marco to be our driver and have him choose a few people from the team.”

“I can be ready by then. I’ll delegate some of the work from here to Sofia. It gives her an undue burden, though.”

“It’s only a week.” He squeezed her fingers. “But you’ll come?”

She met his gaze and shrugged, feeling ridiculous once again in the rustling, golden gown. “I work for you. You say I go, I go.”

But he shook his head. “No, Stephani. Not this time. I’m asking you to go with me. Not commanding.”

Why did he have to be so perfect? “All right, then. I’ll go. I’ll work on a handover for Sofia tomorrow and pack tomorrow night. And I guess I’ll reschedule your appointments for the next week.”

“Perfect.”

She pulled her fingers from his grasp. “Now may I please change out of this dress? And get back to doing my job?”

“By all means.”

She was nearly to the bathroom when he called out behind her, “That’s a great color on you, by the way.”

Her cheeks flamed the whole way to the door.