Real-Life Prince Charming: A Friends To Lovers Romance Read online

  Real-Life Prince Charming

  A Friends To Lovers Romance

  Lauren Wood

  Copyright © 2020 by Lauren Wood

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  Prologue

  1. Amber

  2. Amber

  3. Frank

  4. Amber

  5. Frank

  6. Amber

  7. Frank

  8. Amber

  9. Frank

  10. Amber

  11. Frank

  12. Amber

  13. Frank

  14. Amber

  15. Frank

  16. Amber

  17. Frank

  18. Amber

  19. Frank

  20. Amber

  Epilogue

  The Billionaire’s Fake Fiancée (SNEAK PEEK)

  Chapter 1

  Also by Lauren Wood

  About the Author

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  Prologue

  Amber

  We were laying together on the roof of my grandfather’s house. The third story had a window that led out perfectly onto the flat part of the roof, and we would sit out there and watch the town of Hampton beneath us. It was a small town that I went to every summer to stay with my grandparents. My grandmother had passed away the year before, so this was the first time that I was here all summer by myself. It was just me and my grandfather. We had a great summer, so many memorable times. It was the summer I knew I was never going to be able to forget. Not when I considered meeting Frank and all the antics we had gotten involved in.

  “I can't believe you already have to leave. I wish you could stay here longer.”

  I told him that I wished the same thing, but I had to get back to Dayton where my family was. School started in another week. I looked over at Frank with his kind blue eyes and I could tell that he was bothered as well. Never before had I wanted to stay so badly.

  Hampton was usually the last place that I wanted to go, but this time it was different. This time, I had found someone to share all my secrets and adventures with. Frank knew things about me that nobody else knew. I felt like he got me and that was really important to a fifteen-year-old such as myself.

  He sat up and looked at me. We had talked about my leaving. It wasn't like it was just sprung on him, but Frank was acting like it just happened so fast. Before I realized how great my summer was going to be, I felt like it was already too late. It was already getting light out later and later, and the sun was going down sooner and sooner. It was clear to see that the summer was dwindling fast. I had to leave in the morning, and it was all I could do not to lose it in front of Frank. It would have been embarrassing.

  “I don't want you to go.”

  “I know, Frank. I want to stay as well, but my parents would never let me. I think the only reason they let me come for the summer is so that they can get some time away from me.”

  “Let them have the whole year. I want you to stay. You can come to school with me. You'd like it.”

  He had talked like that before, and although I loved the idea of it, I knew not to give it much thought because there was no way that they would let it happen. I had to go to the school that was private, and they paid a lot for it. Somehow, it was supposed to be better.

  It didn't feel better to me, though. I wanted to stay in Hampton, where I was happy. Why couldn’t they just let me stay?

  I would fantasize about asking them and them telling me that I could. Then, whatever was happening with me and Frank could continue. It was the summer of love, as far as I was concerned. I wanted it to continue just as badly as Frank said that he did, but I knew better. I knew it wasn’t going to happen, so I tried not to let any sort of hope in. There was no room for hope.

  My mind was so wrapped up in what was going on, that I didn't notice that Frank was getting closer. When I looked over to say something, he pulled me in for a kiss, and it caught me off guard for a moment. I was not expecting that, and it was shock more than need that had me responding to his touch.

  His lips were always so soft yet demanding. Frank was the first boy that I had ever kissed, and if he was any judge, I liked it a whole lot. When I was with Frank, everything just made sense. He made me feel things that no one else had ever done before. I was young, but even then, I knew that what we had together was special. In hindsight, though, I didn’t appreciate it enough.

  I pulled away and gave him a look that told him that I didn't think we should go any further. No matter how much fun we had this summer, I still wasn't ready. I liked to think that I would be ready soon. I knew that when I was, Frank would be the person that I went to. I just wasn't quite there yet.

  “You can't go, Amber. I don't know what I'm going to do without you if you do.”

  I told him that I had to go, that he knew I had to go. Frank agreed and relented. I could tell that it was still bothering him, but at least he wasn’t going to fight it, anymore.

  “I won't forget about you, Frank, just like I hope you won't forget about me. Next summer will be here before you know it, and then we can start right where we left off. It’s not going to be for that long.”

  “Yeah, but what happens if you don't come back?”

  “Since I come back every year, I don’t think that next year would be any different. I am going to come back, Frank. Maybe you can wait for me. Wouldn’t it be worth it?”

  He kissed me again, telling me that it would be worth it. My body was trembling when he pulled away.

  “It will be worth it. I know it. I am just not liking the idea that we’re going to have to wait for months to see each other again.”

  I touched his face. “It will go by quicker than you can imagine. I will see you again before you know it.”

  Amber

  10 years later

  My assistant was calling my name when I finally heard her. I had the model standing in front of me with my newest design on her perfect form, and I was supposed to be doing tweaks to the hem. Thank God they just wrote off my spaciness for being an artist and it was just my way of doing things. I was glad for the leeway that creative types were given.

  “Amber, are you okay? I was telling you that Frank Levin was on line one. Did you hear me?”

  It was not the Frank I was thinking of. I couldn't help, though, every time I heard Frank's name, I thought about the last time that I saw him, on my grandfather’s roof. We had kissed and made promises to see each other soon. We were going to call, we were going to write. All these things we were going to do and none of them happened. Instead, I got wrapped up in school and quickly put him to the wayside. By the time summer arrived, I was excited to see him again, but then I realized that he no longer lived in Hampton. He had moved away to stay with one of his uncles for that summer. His uncle was an investment banker and wanted to teach Frank the ropes.

  I didn't really care about any of it, just that I’d lost my favorite person that quickly. Frank and I had a great summer the year before, but that was the last time we spent together. To this day, ten years later, I still hadn't seen him again, and I caught myself wondering from time to time how he was doing.

  “Right, what does he want?”

  “He says that the dresses that were sent are not the right color. They’re more purple than mauve.”

  I rolled my eyes and tried not to be upset. I wished that it had been t
he other Frank on the phone. Frank Levin was one of my better clients, but he insisted on being so high maintenance that it was almost not worth it. I kept telling myself as soon as I had my own fashion house, I would not need to sell to people like him, anymore. Then, I could just sell my own wares and cut out the middlemen like Frank.

  Today was not that day, though, so I took the call and tried my best to calm down a man that was obviously too upset over the color of a dress. It made me wonder if he was having a bad day in the rest of his life and that's why he was so adamant about the dresses. I promised that I would come down and check them out to make sure that something hadn’t gone wrong. I thanked him for bringing it to my attention, and we made a meeting for later that day. It was a meeting that I wasn't looking forward to.

  Once again, I started thinking about Frank Smith. What was he doing, and was he still the man that I’d fallen for and then been crushed by his departure? What would I even say to him, if I ever saw him again?

  Those thoughts kept my mind active for a while before I realized that I had so much more to do. The real question that I asked myself was the same. Did Frank think about me as much as I thought about him?

  2

  Amber

  It was about a week later from that incident when I got a phone call that I wish I hadn't gotten. As soon as I heard where the nurse said she was from, Hampton, the small town of my childhood summers, I knew that it was going to be bad news. My grandfather was old, really old, and apparently, he had died an hour before in the hospital. I thought that they wanted me to come identify the body, but they said they were calling for something else.

  “I need to give your information to a lawyer that came in after your grandfather passed. I cannot give out that information, unless you okay it. Or, you can give it to him yourself.”

  I was confused by what a lawyer was doing with my grandfather. He wasn’t the type to go with the crowd, but this was a bit much. What would he have a lawyer there for?

  The phone was exchanged to someone else and then a deep voice got on the line.

  “Miss Ravel?”

  “Yes, this is she.”

  “I would like to talk to you about your grandfather’s estate. As you know, it was rather large, and your grandfather called me to the hospital to make sure that everything was taken care of. He wanted to make sure that you were taken care of, Ms. Ravel.”

  “Taken care of? Did he know he was going to die? He didn't even tell me about it. I didn’t even know that he was sick.”

  “You know how Gerald was. He did not like to admit to anyone that he couldn’t do something. He thought that he could beat it. He had cancer for several years, and he kept it from most people. The only reason I knew about it was because I was the one that did all the paperwork. I promise that your grandfather spoke very highly of you and cared deeply for you. You could tell when he talked about you.”

  That was good to hear, of course, because I loved my grandfather as well, but I was still a bit shocked about it all. What did he mean by me being taken care of? I was almost twenty-five years old, had a degree from Paris, and was making quite a name for myself. I was taking care of myself just fine.

  “I know that Grandad had a bit of money, but it wasn't enough for you to go through all this trouble, was it? I am just now finding out that he has passed, so I am really not thinking about his stuff.”

  “I'm sorry that I called in this way, but I didn't know how else to do it. Gerald was very clear that he wanted this all taken care of as soon as possible. I made a promise, and when someone makes a promise to your grandfather, they really want to follow it. He meant a lot to me, and I am sorry for your loss. We're all going to feel a loss like his. Gerald is really going to be missed.”

  I wanted to ask him how he knew that, but I guess it really didn't matter. Whatever it was that he wanted to show me or give me, I would have to be there to receive. It was my grandfather’s last wish, so, of course, I wanted to know exactly what it was. I had been to his house every single summer since I could remember. He was an integral part of my life, and I couldn't even fathom my life without him. How was this going to ever be better?

  “Thank you. If you want to meet somewhere, it'll probably take me a day to get down there. I'm staying in Chicago right now, and I will call and see how quickly I can get a flight.”

  “The sooner the better. You're grandfather wanted to make sure that you got everything that was entitled to you.”

  “I know that he had a little bit of money, but what exactly is this all about?”

  “The house, Ms. Ravel. One of the biggest assets that he left to you was his house.”

  I was floored by that. My grandfather’s house was pinnacle to all my memories. I had always loved it. It was huge, sprawling, and had multiple levels. I remembered playing hide and seek with the maid for hours and still not being able to find her sometimes. My eyes started to tear up with all the memories coming over me. I was really going to miss him, and I could already feel a hollowness where he used to be.

  I assured him that I would be there by the morning and we would go over whatever paperwork he had for me. I was hoping that I could get an early flight. There was also things to deal with as far as his funeral, and I made mentioned to that before I got off the phone with his lawyer, but the man insisted that everything was already taken care of.

  Apparently, my grandfather had been rather good at taking care of everything. He even did it after he was dead.

  I got off the phone and I just kind of stared at the model for a time. Finally, I had my assistant, Gemma, tell the models that they could go home for the day. I wasn't going to be able to get any work done.

  “Gemma, try to get me a flight to Alabama. The sooner, the better.”

  “Alabama?”

  “Yeah, my grandfather died, and now I have to go there and take care of his estate.”

  She wanted to know more and give her condolences, but I didn't really want to listen to it right then. My mind wasn’t working. I grabbed my keys and my purse, and I left the office. Why did it feel like this homecoming was going to be different than all the rest?

  My flight was late, and I didn't get back to town until it was well past dark. I drove the familiar route to my grandfather’s house, trying to imagine what life was going to be like without him. I still, even at twenty-five-years old, would go to visit him every summer; although, I couldn't stay as long as I used to. I would stay as long as I could and help him around the house, do any fixing that he needed. Just spent time with him. I hated to think that all of that was going to go away.

  The realization of his departure was even harder to deny when I went into the house. It was the first time in a long time that I had gone in without several lights glowing. This time, it was not only quiet, no sound except the ticking of the clock, but a stillness creeped me out. It almost felt like he was sleeping, but I knew that wasn’t the case. That he was never going to wake up.

  I sat down on the couch that still smelled like him and I cried a little bit. It wasn’t my best moment by far, but I couldn't help myself. I knew that one day I would lose him. I didn’t know it would be so soon. Maybe I was just greedy and wanted more time with him.

  I looked around, and all sorts of feelings and emotions came up. It had just been so long since I’d cried, and I cried for at least an hour. Right there on the couch in the living room, not a light on inside. The darkness was the only balm I could feel.

  The next morning, I called the lawyer that I’d talked to before, and he wanted to meet at Christy’s Diner. I had not found a better place for pancakes anywhere, even with all of my travels. I agreed to the location because of that fact, and I said that I would be there soon. Staying in the house and thinking about it all didn’t sound like anything that I wanted to do.

  When I got to the diner, Emory was already there and had ordered for both of us. Apparently, there was nothing else that was worth ordering as far as he was concerned, and I just went w
ith it. The last thing I wanted to do was deal with any small decisions that I didn't need to make. I had some really big ones to make quite soon. He said that he had more to tell me about Grandad and since they were friends, maybe I was looking for more than just a lawyer. Maybe I was looking for a few stories to remind me that I'm not the only one missing him.

  “So, what else did we need to talk about?”

  “You got into town last night? That was quick.”

  I agreed, and then he asked if I had stayed at the house, and I told him that I had.

  “It was quite weird being back there. I can't believe he's gone.”

  He assured me that he couldn't either, and neither one of us talked for several moments. I'm not sure what there was to say. I still had to get the funeral together, and I worried that whatever Grandad had set up, would not be enough. I wanted him sent off in a way that everybody would remember.

  We talked about the will and what was left and what I needed to do. I wasn't as worried about that as I was about the funeral, and I asked him what Granddad had set up. He was always a simple man in life, and while I wanted to honor that, I wanted him to go out with a big bang, as well. He meant so much to me and so many others, it seemed only fair that we sent him out in the same manner he’d come.

  As we went through it, I quickly realized that Granddad had done well. Everything that could be thought about had been thought about, and I knew that the service would be perfect. I thanked his lawyer for taking the time to meet with me. I knew that he didn't have to. Emory was friends with him and that somehow made it easier. It made it feel like he was doing the right thing and taking care of it, because he owed it to Grandad. I didn't know if that was true or not, but I certainly felt like Grandad and his legacy was in good hands.