Page 48 of Misadventures with a Time Traveler

The rest of me…not so much.

Why don’t I believe a word he’s just said? How the hell do I figure this all out? Figure him out?

I was never the girl who wanted to play damsel in a tower, mostly because I knew nobody was coming to rescue me. But this man is so different. Makes me feel so differently. Not just about him. About everything. I hate having made him this sad. I’m ready to do anything to make him happy again.

What the hell has he done to me?

As we make our way back out to Chambord’s entrance area, neither my head nor heart are ready with an answer to that. And Max stays so mysteriously silent, I wonder when the emo rock soundtrack is about to start up.

“Allie! Max! There they are!”

Saved from the emo rock by my happy-dance best friend.

Raegan bounds the last few steps to us, literally bringing the beats with her. A fast-paced club track blares from her ear buds before she stashes them into a pocket. “Got in some steps on that crazy-ass staircase,” she explains. “Did you know the king used to have his mistress take one flight and his queen take the other because the two spirals never meet?”

“Proving again that sin is the true mother of invention.” Drue completes her drawl by giving both Max and me a onceover. “On that note, what have you two been up to?” Since it’s one of her don’t-talk-because-I already-know-the-answer questions, she goes on. “And next time, can I watch?”

“No.” I verbally stomp on the word for a couple of reasons. One, to ease the stunned stare on Max’s face. Next, to impart a bigger concept.

There isn’t going to be a next time.

Thankfully, Drue picks up on the nuance with twice her usual speed. I’m grateful for the incisive look she flashes as Raegan links an elbow with Max. As our strawberry-haired friend yanks him back toward the limo with her trademark bounce, Drue slows her pace to match mine.

“Okay, missy,” she orders beneath her breath, making sure we maintain a safe distance as the rear sweep squad. “You’re going to fill Auntie D in on all the deets, or I really will watch next time.”

I want to roll my eyes, but that would mean losing sight of Max’s beautiful backside. Damn. His ass may be the perfect justification for reviving breeches as a fashion trend. I store the thought away while teasing my friend back. “You’ll have to be a little more specific, nosebody.”

“Ah,” Drue croons. “Specifics. That it? All right. How about the fact that Max is strutting with freshly fucked glory but scowling like someone farted on his brie?” Shoulder nudge. “What happened, lover? You turn him down for anal?”

“Nope.” I force my eyes to stay straight ahead. “I turned him down for marriage.”

Drue halts. She does it so hard, I almost check for scuffs on the toes of her treasured Tory Burch booties. “Before or after you granted him anal?”

I choke. “Jesus, D.”

“You think I’m kidding?” After we start walking again, she presses, “But he was kidding, right? Like, a postcoital funny to ease the tension while you two were getting dressed?”

I wince. “Yeah.” Chew the inside of my lip.

She coils a dark-blue strand of hair around her matching accent nail. The other four fingers are coated in an iridescent hue, so they become prisms in the sunlight. “So what are you not telling me here?”

“Huh?” Hiding my trepidation is impossible, but Drue doesn’t seem shocked by that, either. “What on earth are you—”

“Allie.” She folds her arms. “Come on. It’s me.”

I resort to a full scowl. “Which means…what?”

“That it’s time to call this one like we see it.” She taps one of her Tory’ed toes. “Your knight in tight breeches may have the bod of a bronze statue and an accent made for a race car commercial, but sometimes crazy is just crazy.”

I copy her folded arms. “Gee, don’t sugarcoat things on my account.”

“How I see them doesn’t matter.” And of course, she decides clasping hands is a better move. She uses the grip to pull me to the side of the path. “Are you seeing things clearly?”

“Well, I didn’t accept his proposal, if that’s what the hell you’re getting at.”

“Hey.” She twists her grip a little tighter. “I’m on your side.”

“I know.” I sigh while gathering her into a hug. “I do, okay? It’s just that…”