Page 29 of That Prince is Mine
“I’m thinking I have everything figured out.” She felt her jaws jut the same way her dad’s had. She was just as stubborn as he was. “I got this, Appa. You can stop worrying.”
“I guess it might be okay if I lived in a detached in-law suite.” His shoulders drooped in defeat—and maybe a little in relief. “I would be the father-in-law, after all.”
“It would be more than okay, Appa. It would be right. Besides, I’m going to take a little break from the whole matseon thing.” Emma dropped that last detail in casually even though her heart pounded at the implication of her words. Was she really doing this? “I need to focus on my business for the next few weeks. Finding a suitable commercial kitchen is turning out to be a bit of a headache.”
“That makes complete sense.” Her dad nodded enthusiastically. “You should focus on your business. There is no need to rush into marriage. No need at all. Take all the time you need.”
“Okay, I will.” Emma ducked her chin to hide her smile and finished rewashing the dishes.
In the quiet of her room, Emma sat on her bed and fidgeted with her phone. Spending a little time to get Michel out of her system would be worth the detour in the long run. Until she got rid of that distraction for good, forcing herself to sit through matseons would be a waste of time for everyone.
But she had to tell Auntie Soo she wanted a break from the matseons as soon as possible. It wouldn’t be a long break, but her godmother needed to formulate a contingency plan in case Emma’s marital status came up while she courted the YogurtBerry family. Hopefully, the Crones’ inane chitter didn’t reach them yet. Emma also needed to tell Michel that she accepted his indecent proposal to have a… fling?
She clapped a hand over her mouth, but a loud, unladylike snort snuck past her anyway. She didn’t even have a prospective husband to chase off. What a waste. She promptly dissolved into giggles—part glee and part major nerves. A fling? Me? Pressing her lips together, she drew her eyebrows into a deep frown and swallowed her laugh.
Give me two months to prove you wrong… I’ll prove to you that you don’t want perfect on paper. Her heart swooped from the memory of his heated gaze and the conviction in his voice. No. She took a deep breath. He wouldn’t be the one to prove anything to her. After a few dates, she would have proof of their hopeless incompatibility. Then she could put him out of her mind for good.
Emma nodded to herself and unlocked her phone. She’d made her decision. There was no reason to wait. She typed two messages with quick, impatient taps.
Emma:
I want a break from the matseons.
Emma:
I want to see you tonight.
There. That wasn’t so hard. Before she could pat herself on the back, her phone buzzed twice in a row.
Michel:
A break? I’m not sure I understand.
Auntie Soo:
Tonight? What’s wrong?
“Ahhh!” Emma buried the offending phone under her pillow, but it wasn’t enough to save her from the mess she’d created. When her phone started ringing, she sat on her pillow for good measure.
“Why me?” she implored, but her ceiling gave no answer.
The ringing stopped but resumed with almost no pause in between the calls. If she didn’t answer this time, Auntie Soo would just come to her house in person. With a drawn-out groan, she retrieved her phone from under her pillow.
“Hi, Imo.” Emma took a deep breath, ready to dig deep for some bullshit to serve her godmother.
She couldn’t tell her the real reason why she wanted a break from the arranged first dates. I met the hottest man alive after chasing away the guys you matched me up with, and I’m going to have a fling with him. Oh God. A fling? Was that what she wanted? Was that what Michel meant when he all but growled at her that he wanted to be with her?
“What’s wrong?” Auntie Soo said without preamble. “Why do you need to see me tonight?”
“What? I can’t just miss you?” Emma defaulted to sweet-talking. A part of her wished she could tell her godmother everything so she could help her figure things out. But it wasn’t worth the worry the news might cause. “I didn’t mean that I’ll literally barge into your house tonight. I just meant that I missed you.”
“Well, aren’t you a dear,” Auntie Soo cooed.
“Okay. Remember that feeling, because I actually have something to tell you.” Emma cringed, closing her eyes. “I want to take a brief break from the matseons.”
There was a long pause. “A break? How brief?”
“Maybe a couple of weeks? Three weeks max?” Emma braced herself for Auntie Soo’s reaction.
