“Thanks, but I doubt Cassandra is up for a public appearance at this point, especially since members of the ruling council are too likely to recognize her.”

“Let her know she is welcome if she would like to come.”

“I will.”

“One more thing.”

“What’s that?” Levi asked.

“Since you’re going into Bellamo, would you mind picking something up for me at the museum?”

“Sure. What do you need?”

“A painting,” Janessa said. “While you’re at it, you could give Cassandra a tour.”

“I could, but I think I’ll enlist the help of an expert.”

“That would work too.”

CHAPTER 9

Cassie gripped the edge of her seat as she and Levi drove toward the village of Bellamo. The plain sedan, her simple cotton dress, her colored contacts, her lightened hair—surely no one would realize she was Princess Cassandra of Sereno.

She glanced at Levi. “What do you have planned for us this afternoon?”

“There’s a restaurant I thought you would enjoy. It has a great view of the water, and it’s early enough that it isn’t crowded yet.”

“And the food?”

“You’ll have to be the judge of that,” Levi said. “Personally, I think it’s a toss-up as to which is better, the food here or Patrice’s cooking.”

“Now I’m intrigued.” They reached the top of a rise, the red-tiled rooftops littering the valley below. Cassie’s grip on her seat loosened, and a pang of homesickness washed over her. “How quaint. It reminds me a bit of the village near the palace in Sereno.”

Levi patted her hand. “We’ll get you home soon, but for today, let’s pretend you don’t have a kingdom waiting for you.”

“I’ll try.”

Levi pulled up beside a stone building, the wide patio beside it adorned with wrought-iron tables and padded chairs. A handful of customers sat beneath umbrellas, a waiter moving among them with a pitcher of water.

What would it be like, she wondered, to have the freedom and comfort to sit outside and enjoy the sun and the breeze?

Levi parked and circled to open her door. She put her hand in his and stood. They fell into step, the light breeze lifting her hair off her shoulders and teasing it around her face. The thought of how she would look in photos surfaced, immediately contradicting the scene before her. No paparazzi, no crowds, no attention whatsoever. Was this what normal felt like?

They reached the main entrance, and Levi released her hand. The sudden lack of warmth brought forward a new reality. The simple gesture of walking hand in hand had been so natural that Cassie hadn’t realized Levi had maintained that connection between them until it was broken.

Levi escorted her through the double doors, taking her hand again as they approached the host standing at the podium.

“I have a reservation for Marin.”

“Yes, sir.” The bald man in his fifties picked up two menus. “Right this way.”

If they couldn’t sit outside, their table by the window was a good second choice. Levi pulled her chair out for her, and Cassie sat, her eyes still on the wide window and the view it provided: an open stretch of beach, gentle waves washing over the sand, a curve of land providing beauty and contrast.