“I’d be d-delighted,” I stammered. I’d always dreamed of planning a royal wedding, and although this was going to be a major step up from what I was used to, I knew it was going to be worth it.

Prince Antonio rubbed his hands together with a satisfied look on his face, and I could see that he was pleased. I was blown away with his being a prince, and could hardly believe he was so eager to ask me to help him with the wedding. He also hadn’t seen any of my work, and I was surprised to hear that he was so keen to hire me when he didn’t know how good I was.

“I’m going to have to postpone my return to the States in order to do this, so let me see what I can manage with my finances and hotel and I’ll get back to you,” I said as I pulled out my phone. I had never canceled a flight in the spur of the moment like this, and I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to keep my room at the hotel. They were planning on me being out of there that afternoon and I was planning on being on a plane that night.

The Prince waved his hand as though he was brushing off my concern. “I’ll get my people on the hotel right away. I’ll pay for everything to keep you here for as long as you need to plan this. Let me know any fees or anything at all, and it’s taken care of.”

I felt my cheeks grow warm as I blushed once more, and I used my hand to brush the hair behind my ear. “That is very kind, thank you.”

“Of course, I am going to pay you for your services on top of this, so don’t forget to send me a bill, and spare no expense! Please.” He put his hand on my back briefly and gave me a charming smile as he led me along the beach a short distance, and I felt a brief twinge of disappointment when he removed his hand once more.

“The only problem is that I have a wedding in the States at the end of the month—it’s for my best friend and I really can’t miss it. She’d never forgive me,” I spoke as I glanced over to him, hoping my words wouldn’t change his mind too much. He didn’t seem to be at all deterred by what I had to say, and nodded with more enthusiasm than I would have thought given the circumstances.

“Excellent! I would hate for you to miss that as well, so why don’t we plan on finishing mine in the next two weeks? Is that enough time for you to put together something special? I’m thinking something big, but not too big. I want to show the world that I am pleased with my decision, but I know time is of essence for you, and I don’t want you to feel stressed.” He looked at me with great concern in his eyes and I was quick to assure him I could put together a ceremony in that amount of time.

“All I will need is to know how many people are coming, who you want for roles of importance, and what you are thinking as far as ceremony and traditions go. I’ll let my imagination take care of the rest, if you don’t mind.” I winked at him and could see by the look in his eyes that he was pleased with the proposition. He gave a curt nod and reached into his back pocket.

I watched in amazement as he pulled out his wallet and quickly counted through the euros he had inside. With a sigh, he handed the contents to me and smiled. “That should get you on the right track.”

Doing my best to maintain a nonchalant attitude, I took the money and slipped it inside my clutch. I wasn’t sure if I ought to count it out right in front of him, but I quickly decided to play it cool and deal with it later. If there was a problem, he’d already made it clear that I could get a hold of him and ask for more funds.

“Excuse me, I hate to ask, but I do like to keep in touch with my clients throughout the entire process, so do you mind if I were to get your cell number so I can get a hold of you if need be?” I again tried to maintain a carefree attitude as I asked the gorgeous man for his number, but a part of me couldn’t help but reveal the schoolgirl who was eagerly waiting to see what it was.

Antonio flashed one of his stunning smiles at me and scrawled his number on the back of a receipt he still had in his wallet. He handed it to me with the same level of dignity he had given me the wad of bills he pulled out of his wallet, and I felt my cheeks flush red. I sheepishly took the receipt and this time glanced down at it, feigning more interest in the paper than I truly had.

“I’ll shoot you a text with my number later this afternoon so you can get hold of me too,” I said in my businesslike tone. I knew I was going to enjoy texting him a little too much, and felt it best that I be the one in control of initiating contact, at least for a while. After all, though this man had told me he was engaged, part of me could sense that he was feeling a level of attraction for me as well.

My mind was spinning, and I chided myself for even letting it go in that direction. But, at the same time, I couldn’t help it. Sure, I was used to getting hit on by groomsmen and other guests who attended the weddings I planned, but it was rare for me to feel as though the groom himself found me attractive.

The Prince stopped and ran his hand through his black hair. I felt my heart flutter as he slowly let his shaggy waves fall back into place, and I fought the urge to reach out and touch them myself. He flashed a grin and looked down at his watch—a moment I took to glance into the open flap of his shirt as the wind moved it at the most opportune time.

“I should really be going. There are a few things I have yet to do today, and though I feel that I have tended to what is likely the most important of all, I should get to my other duties as well.” He spoke with a regal air that made my knees go weak, and my heart pounded in spite of how inappropriate my feelings were.

“I suppose I ought to be, too,” I said with a teasing look in my eye. He chuckled as he looked down at me and I was quick to continue, “I really need to make those changes in my hotel before they give my room to someone else.”

He chuckled. “As I said, if you have any trouble at all, please don’t hesitate to get hold of me. I’ll have my people on it right away, and we’ll get it taken care of, okay?”

I nodded. I thanked him once again for retrieving my shoe, and he grinned as he told me not to worry about it. He extended his hand once more and lifted my fingers to his lips. The light flush on my cheeks made me feel both warm and embarrassed, and I smiled as I took my hand back and brushed my hair behind my ear. Antonio lingered for a moment, and I felt he wanted to say something else, but instead, he turned away, walking back into the direction from which we had come.

The sea breeze continued to blow gently across the beach, and I could feel it carry my hair to the side of my face. Though I hardly knew the man, I felt like a heroine from a romance watching the love of her life walk away while choosing to pursue my own dreams—I had always dreamed the feeling would be far more romantic than it really was.

My heart skipped a beat when he suddenly stopped and turned, and my active imagination swiftly wondered if he was going to profess his interest in me. Though half of me hoped that was about to happen, the more sensible side of me whispered that it would never work, and I would have to turn him down.

“I forgot to mention, I’m flying to the UK tomorrow morning, so I may not be as available to chat as I would like. If you happen to call me and can’t get through, just leave a message and I will return your call as soon as I can!” He wasn’t too far from me, but he did have to raise his voice for me to hear him.

I lifted my hand to show that I heard, though my heart sank as I did so. How was I supposed to plan a royal wedding in only two weeks if he was going to be out of the country? It was going to be difficult enough without having much time to consult with both him and his bride, but now, I was going to have to do it without either one of them!

Antonio didn’t look back as he continued along the beach, and I told myself he was likely thinking of his fiancée, not me. With a sigh, I finished the rest of my now-cold latte and turned my attention back to the city. I had only reserved my hotel for the previous two nights, and I had no idea what their policies were for extended stay. Since I wasn’t in the States, my phone wasn’t working as reliably as I would have preferred, but I knew I would be able to manage.

My plan was to hurry to the hotel and see if I could keep the same room. If I couldn’t, I would do my best to book another room. Antonio seemed confident that I wouldn’t have any issues if he had to get involved, but I secretly hoped that I wouldn’t need to ask for his help.

I wanted to give him the impression that I was capable, and that I knew what I was doing. Though he didn’t ask, he had to wonder why I was in Italy alone—why I had chosen to take a vacation without inviting anyone to come along with me. Had he asked, I would have been happy to tell him it was because I didn’t need or want anyone else. I was comfortable in my own skin, and capable of handling life alone, thank you very much.

It didn’t take me long to walk to the hotel. My thoughts were consumed with the idea of planning a royal wedding, and I was having a difficult enough time trying to keep them all in order without also thinking of conversing with the locals I met along the street.

Try as I might, I couldn’t get Antonio out of my head. I tried to keep it as professional as possible, but my mind kept drifting to his eyes, his hair, his smile. I couldn’t stop thinking about how he looked at me, or how I felt when he touched my hand. When he raised my fingers to his lips, I’d felt more magic run through my body than I had thought possible.

But I had to force him out of my mind—at least for a few minutes as I worked out my situation with the hotel. Of course, they’d already given my room to someone else, but it didn’t take long before I was able to get another room in the same venue for the next couple weeks, at a discounted price due to my extended stay.

After an hour of inconvenience and moving my things around, I finally sat down on the bed in my new room. It was then that a thought suddenly struck me—Antonio had asked me to plan the wedding without even consulting with his fiancée! And he hadn’t so much as texted her to see if she would be ready to get married so soon. In fact, all he had done was tell me that he would be ready in the two weeks, and he hoped that I—me, of all people—would be the one who would be ready for it!

I shook my head, doing my best to make sense of it all. Perhaps things were different in Italian culture, or at least in royal circles. I wouldn’t know—my last boyfriend had been the manager of a fast food chain whose name I hated to admit, even to myself.

Then, another thought entered my mind. I suddenly remembered the money Antonio had given me. I reached for my clutch and quickly pulled the bills out, thumbing my way through them.

There was over 8,000 euros—roughly ten thousand dollars! I almost dropped the money on the bed I was so surprised. Though I had been a wedding planner for quite some time, I had never had anyone give me so much money at once before, and the sight of it made my imagination go wild.

With that kind of money to start, my possibilities were endless, and I could throw a wedding that was fit for, well, a king. I smiled as I let myself fall back on the bed, torn between the happiness I felt in my newfound contract and the temptation to fantasize about Antonio further. I picked up the bills and flipped through them once more, thinking about what it would be like to have so much money, you could just hand thousands of euros over to a stranger.

I sighed as I sat up and threw my feet over the side of the bed. I certainly wouldn’t ever know what that felt like.

I wasn’t the fiancée of a prince.