Majesty (American Royals, #2)(42)

All night, Marshall had been playing the role of her boyfriend with robust enthusiasm—spinning her on and off the dance floor, charming her friends with his outrageous stories, calling her a series of increasingly obnoxious names like schmoopy and pumpkin bear.

Everything he did, Sam realized, was larger than life. It wasn’t just his sheer physical size, though that might be part of it. But Marshall seemed to inhabit every moment to the fullest. He even laughed more deeply than anyone Sam had ever known, the type of hearty belly laugh that people joined in simply for the sake of hearing it.

“He’ll be fine on his own,” Sam decided.

She led Nina out of the tent, past the laughter and music bursting from its edges. The palace loomed up to their right, its glass windows catching the moonlight, so that the massive building seemed to be winking.

Past an avenue of drooping locust trees, on the other side of a gated stone wall, was the Washingtons’ pool house—originally built by King John as a home for his mistress, though everyone pretended to forget that. Now the ornate pillars and carved stone balcony looked out over an Olympic-sized pool.

Sam kicked off her shoes and sat along the edge, letting her bare feet trail in the water. It felt pleasantly warm; someone must have turned on the heater, knowing that the twins were having a party tonight. Wind rippled over the surface, creating a thousand shadows that chased each other over the water.

“Okay,” Sam began as Nina sat down next to her. “What’s up with you?”

Nina shifted guiltily. “What do you mean?”

“You’ve got that look. Like there’s something you want to talk about, but you don’t know how to bring it up.” Sam tugged halfheartedly at the hem of her white dress, which was shorter than she remembered, then gave up and looked over at her friend.

“There is a guy,” Nina admitted. “But it’s complicated.”

Sam nodded. “Good! You were overdue for a rebound.”

“Actually…it’s Ethan.”

“Wait. Ethan Beckett?”

She listened as Nina explained that she and Ethan had started hanging out after they did a project together for journalism class. Then, last weekend, he’d walked her home and kissed her in her dorm room.

“Have you seen him since?” Sam asked, and Nina winced.

“He didn’t come to journalism yesterday. I don’t…What if he’s trying to ghost me?”

“He’s probably freaking out,” Sam said patiently. “You’re his best friend’s ex, and he likes you.”

Nina looked up, hopeful. “You think he likes me?”

“If he didn’t like you, he would have showed up to class and acted like nothing happened. Instead he’s hiding, hoping you’ll be the one to make the next move. Ugh, men.” Sam flicked a hand dismissively. “Now you’re the one who has to decide—was it a one-time thing, or do you like him?”

The answer was immediate. “I like him.”

Sam leaned back on her palms on the flagstone terrace. “You do realize that things would have been so much cleaner if you’d moved on to someone new. I mean, someone outside our group of friends.”

“No one else would get it!” Nina exclaimed. “Ethan understands what it’s like being an outsider within the royal family.”

“You aren’t an outsider!”

“Sam, you know I love being your best friend. But no one ever appreciates what it means. They either judge me for it, or envy me for it,” Nina explained. “All I’m saying is that Ethan gets it because he’s been through the same experience.”

Sam hated how complicated she made things for her friend. Growing up alongside Sam had put Nina in a constrained and bizarre situation, one foot in each world without really belonging to either.

“Okay,” she breathed.

“So you approve?”

“First of all, you don’t need anyone’s approval for your romantic relationships. Even mine,” Sam said emphatically. “But for the record, I’m fine with you and Ethan. Besides,” she added, “I’m not exactly in a position to judge.”

Nina let out a strangled laugh. “We make quite the pair. You’re faking a relationship, and I’m hiding from my ex-boyfriend, plus his best friend, who I kissed last weekend.”

“These are massive problems,” Sam agreed. “Clearly, the only solution is to sneak into the kitchens and eat Chef Greg’s raw cookie dough.”

Nina smiled. “You know, that does sound like a solution.”

They started to clamber up from the ground, but before they could move, Sam heard the soft creak of the gate being opened.

“There you are, snickerdoodle! Hey, Nina,” Marshall added. “You ladies look comfortable. Should I bring the party to you?”

“Actually, I’ll catch up with you guys later.” Nina stood. “There’s something I need to do.”

Sam would have argued, but she had a feeling that Nina was going to look for Ethan, so she just nodded. “See you later.”

When Nina had left, Marshall turned to Sam with a lifted eyebrow. “Did I scare her off?”

“She doesn’t like you,” Sam said blithely, and Marshall snorted. “I mean, she doesn’t like what we’re doing. She thinks it’s a bad idea, faking a relationship.”