Page 66 of Expecting Royal Twins!
Her arms dropped to her sides. “My what?”
“Good Works,” he clarified. “The social issues, charities and causes you want to focus your energies on apart from the ones we work on together.”
“Are these Good Works another one of my duties?” she asked.
He nodded. “The entire country will follow what you choose to do.”
She stared off into the horizon. The twinkle returned to her eyes and loosened the knot in his stomach. “I could bring a Formula 1 race to Vernonia.”
Niko dug the oars into the water to take a deeper stroke. He needed to steer her away from that idea. “Grand Prix is an interesting thought, but I’m sure you will come up with something else.”
“Think about it.” Two little lines formed above her nose. “A race sponsored by a long lost American princess would give Vernonia lots of good press and tourist dollars.”
“Most princesses work on things like education or health issues. That’s why they call them Good Works.”
She slid him a furtive glance. “I’m not like other princesses.”
“I know, but you’re working on that, right?” he half teased.
She didn’t look amused. “Cars and racing are my things. Why can’t I combine those with Good Works?”
“Having your own interests is fine, but you are still Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Isabel of Vernonia,” Niko explained. “You will become a role model.”
Isabel frowned. “So you don’t think I can be a role model now.”
“You’ll be a stronger role model if you take your contemporary outlook and make it more appealing to the masses.”
Isabel crossed her arms over her chest. “So I’m not appealing, either.”
“That is not what I meant.”
“What do you mean?” Her voice rose and not in a good way. “You talk about wanting to modernize Vernonia yet you cling to all these outdated stereotypes. You should show Vernonians that things are changing.”
“Show, yes, but we cannot shock people into progress.”
“My working as a mechanic is not shocking. Neither is bringing an F1 race to Vernonia. It’s a pretty darn good idea actually. You shouldn’t dismiss it without at least considering it.”
“Change takes time.” Niko knew Izzy had a stubborn side. He didn’t want her to dig in her heels about this. “Before you become too attached to this race idea, consider what Julianna might do if she were in your shoes.”
Isabel winced. “You want me to be like Jules?”
“She would be an excellent role model for you to emulate when it comes to the choice of Good Works.”
Anger flared in Isabel’s eyes. “I don’t know what Jules might choose to do, but I know something she wouldn’t do.”
“What?” he asked.
Isabel grabbed one of the oars and threw it into the water on the starboard side of the rowboat.
Forget stubborn. Now she was being ungracious. Niko reached for it. “You’re not being nice.”
Isabel stood. “I’m only getting started.”
He didn’t know what she had in mind, but her voice had an edge to it he hadn’t heard before. “Sit down before you fall overboard.”
She leaned over toward one side. The boat tipped.
“Isa—”
Niko splashed into the cold water. Isabel, too.
He tried to reach her so he could help her back into the rowboat, but she dodged his arm. “Come here,” he shouted.
She lay on her back and kicked, putting more distance between them. “Jules is my friend, but I don’t want to be like her. I want to be me.”
With that, Isabel swam toward shore. Each long, graceful stroke took her farther and farther away from him. The security detail on shore scrambled into the water.
Niko gathered the oars, climbed back into the rowboat and watched her with a sinking feeling in his gut.
The honeymoon wasn’t scheduled to end for two more days, but it was definitely over now. Niko rowed back to shore. He had no idea what this meant long-term. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
THE next day, an overcast sky hid the afternoon sun. Emil, the castle butler and Uncle Frank’s cousin, predicted rain would fall on the parade. The weather wasn’t ideal for the village’s celebration, but it matched Izzy’s mood perfectly.
