"Now this is the right way to spend your summer," I said, taking in the view. The water was crisp turquoise and the sand was warm and inviting. The sun beat down on us as we sat around a table loaded with food.

"What is this?" Hana asked, looking skeptically at her plate.

I turned my attention from the scenery to the table. "Sloppy Joes," I said, not quite believing it myself. "I used to live off these in middle school."

"It looks messy...but intriguing," Hana decided, picking up a fork and knife. I looked at the other options on the table. Barbecue chicken, pulled pork sliders, corn on the cob…

"Not to complain, because this is the best meal I've had all summer," I said, "But is anyone else wondering why we're eating food that's typically served at my Uncle Steve's annual fourth of July barbecue?"

"It does seem a little strange to have such casual food here," Hana said. She still hadn't taken a bite.

"Liam thought Harkness would appreciate it," Drake said, popping a piece of chicken in his mouth. "A little taste of home."

"This was Liam's idea?" I asked, surprised.

"Mostly," Drake said. Then he added, "From a purely selfish angle, I'm not exactly a caviar and oysters kind of guy, so..." he trailed off, but I got the idea.

"Well, selfish or not, the outcome pleases me greatly, so thank you."

"Yeah, yeah. Are we done talking? I'm starving," Maxwell said. He took a sloppy joe in two hands and tore into it.

Hana delicately cut a piece of her Joe and held it up on her fork, examining it before eating it. "Oh my," she said at last, "That's delicious!" I grinned and bit into my own meal.

After about twenty minutes of stuffing our faces, we were finally filled up. "Oh," I groaned, leaning back in my chair. "I think I have a food baby." I rubbed my stomach, and Hana giggled.

"Maybe we should jump in the water," she suggested, "To work off some calories."

I shook my head. "You guys go ahead. I'm not moving for at least twenty years."

"Yeah," Maxwell agreed with an exaggerated yawn. "I'm ready to stretch out like a beached whale."

Hana and Drake took off into the ocean, while Maxwell and I settled into the sand. I took off my belt, followed by my sweater, so that I was sitting with just my shorts and a black camisole. I stretched like a cat basking in the sun before noticing Maxwell sitting with his shoes still on, long pants, and standard polo tee. "Aren't you a little overdressed for the beach?" I asked him.

"Huh?" he looked down.

"Kick off your shoes and stay a while, Maxwell."

"Ha! Yeah, I guess I could do that." He leaned down and removed his shoes and socks, wiggling his toes into the sand.

"Are you having fun today?" I asked him.

"I am. Are you?"

I nodded. "Sure. The news about the King was kind of...heavy, though, don't you think?"

He shrugged. "We always knew you'd be queen some day. Does it matter if it's sooner rather than later?"

My mouth twitched into a smile. "What?" Maxwell asked, seeing the expression.

"You seem so confident in me. Or are you just hoping for the best?"

"Honestly, Riley?" He asked. I nodded. "You just keep impressing me. You've adapted better than I ever thought possible. So, yeah, I believe in you. Don't you?"

I studied the sand for a while. "I actually am starting to believe that Liam might choose me," I said at last. "But...I'm still not sure I can actually be a queen."

"Well, if there's one thing I know about Liam, it's that he always does what's right for Cordonia. So if he does choose you to be his Queen, you have to trust that he knows what he's doing."

I looked at Maxwell. I wasn't used to him being so serious, or poignant. "Maybe you're right," I said. "Thanks."

"I hate to ruin this beautiful moment," Maxwell said, his trademark grin returning to brighten his face, "But I see a great opportunity for you. Look over there," he nodded to something just beyond my shoulder, and I turned to see Lady Penelope standing alone by the appetizers. She looked like she was crying. "Looks like she's having a hard day," Maxwell said quietly.

"Poor Penelope," I murmured. I hadn't gotten as close to any of the other ladies as I did with Hana, but Penelope was one of the nicer ones. We were friendly, if not friends.

"This could be your big chance to get her on your side!" Maxwell told me. "Remember, competitors or not, you're going to need the court to think well of you if you're going to be the next queen. So get over there and charm her!"

I had already been thinking that I should go check on Penelope, but Maxwell's prodding definitely added to my motivation. I left Maxwell sitting by the water and joined Penelope by the food. "Hello," I said, almost like a question.

"Oh, it's you," Penelope said flatly. I was a little taken aback by her abrupt manner.

"Penelope, is that any way to greet a friend?" I asked.

"We're not friends," she sniffed. "Er, are we?"

I smiled softly. "Well, perhaps not technically. But I'd like to be friends. And it seems like you're having a difficult time today."

"I suppose it's obvious, isn't it?" She dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief. "I got terribly seasick from the Regatta, and now, I'll be stuck here on this beach in the sun for hours." She sighed loudly. "My advisers said I only needed to look pretty at t he balls and flirt with the Prince, but it hasn't gone that way at all. Between you, Olivia, and Madeleine, I don't have any chance at all. What's the point of even staying here?" Her voice grew quavery toward the end, as more tears threatened to burst from her red eyes.

"Penelope," I said gently, reaching a hand out to touch her arm. "There's more to this than just the Prince."

Penelope seemed confused. "Like what?"

"Like forming friendships and bonds with the other women here!"

"I don't know..."

"Listen. Right now, we're all after the same thing. But pretty soon, one of us will marry the Prince, and the others will head home. We should at least try to get something more out of the social season, don't you think?"

"That sounds right, but I-" Penelope suddenly shrieked, looking down. I followed her gaze and saw a tiny crab pinching her big toe. She was wiggling around frantically, "Something's attacking me, get it off!"

"Hold on, hold still!" I yelled. Penelope did her best, and I reached down to detach the crab's claw from her foot. I held him up to her before gently tossing him back into the waves. "Threat neutralized," I said.

"Riley," Penelope gasped, "That was...amazing! You saved me!"

I laughed. Penelope was sweet, if a little...sheltered. "Hey," I said, "You just survived an attack by a vicious sand crab. Maybe you're tougher than you think."

She smiled softly at me. "Maybe." Then, her smiled faded into a pout. "But I'm not going to win the Prince's heart, and I'm going to leave here a failure."

Okay, this whole thing was starting to get on my nerves. I wasn't thinking about allies or strategy when I told Penelope, "You're hardly a failure. You can still use your time here to your best advantage."

"And what's that?"

"Like I said, you can form bonds with the other women. I'd like to be your friend." I hesitated, feeling guilty, but remembering Maxwell's advice. "And if I am chosen to be queen, I'll need good friends like you I can trust."

"I suppose I could put in a good word for you here and there."

"That would be really nice. Thank you, Penelope!"

She smiled at me fondly and then said her farewells and walked away, saying she needed to find a mirror to freshen up. I was just about to rejoin Maxwell when I turned and bumped right into Liam.

"Riley," he said brightly. "There you are."

"Looking for me, were you?"

"Yeah. I brought you a drink. It's hot out, so I thought you'd like something refreshing." He offered me a glass with something pale and frosty, with mint leaves mixed in.

I took a sip and smacked my lips in appreciation. "Yum," I said, "Mint lemonade? I like it. Sweet, but tart."

"Just like you," Liam said, his eyes sparkling.

"I'm tart?" I asked, one eyebrow raised as if to say Did you really just say that?

He let out a chuckle. "In a way," he said. "You certainly have an interesting way of letting your opinions be known."

"Uh huh," I said, crossing my arms. I was acting annoyed, but my smile gave me away. "Not hearing the compliment yet."

"And you're incredibly sweet?" He ventured.

I dropped my arms and let my smile go wide. "Aw, thanks." I put one hand on my hip, tilting my head up towards Liam curiously. "Now, I can't believe you'd come all the way to see me just to give me a drink."

"What if I did?" He said, his own smile stretching from ear to ear. "It's all part of the royal service."

"Really? What other services can I expect from the Crown Prince of Cordonia?" I sipped my lemonade innocently as I waited for his answer.

Liam glanced around and leaned in almost imperceptibly. "To be honest," he said, his voice hushed, "I was looking for you because I wanted to take you somewhere. I know of a special place called the Forgotten Falls. It's a short hike from here, but it's gorgeous. I used to go there often as a kid. It's a really special place to me. It would mean a lot to me to share it with you."

"You want to sneak away with me?" I smiled at him with mischief in my eyes. "Now?"

"If you're up for it."

"It'd be my absolute pleasure."

"I'm so glad you said that." Liam reached for my hand, and I barely had time to set my drink down before he was leading me past the beach, through some brush, and towards a barely visible trail. After a short climb, we reached the top of the overgrown hill, and I looked down to see a valley with a tiny lagoon at the base of a stunning waterfall.

"Here we are," Liam said. He was still holding my hand, but with his free arm, he gestured grandly. "The Forgotten Falls. Do you like it?"

"It's..." I was at a loss for words. This was the most beautiful view I had ever seen. I recovered myself enough to tease Liam, though. "It's going to take more than this to impress me."

"You're a tough critic."

"What else have you got?" I grinned at him, daring him to impress me.

"There's a legend about how this waterfall came to be." He guided me down the slight slope to the edge of the lagoon and seated me on a large rock, facing him. I watched as he told the story, gesturing and speaking with as much excitement as I had ever heard from him. "It's said that hundreds of years ago, there were two lovers from warring clans. They were forbidden from being together, but they would meet here, at this hidden cove, and make their plans to run away together. When the day came for them to leave, they vowed to meet here at dawn. When dawn came, the woman waited and waited, but her lover never appeared. They say he was caught by her people and killed. But she never had the heart to leave this spot. So she knelt on the cliffs and wept, and her tears became the waterfall, until that's all that was left of her."

"That's so sad," I said, my voice quiet.

Liam sat next to me on the rock, and we both turned our bodies to face each other. He took my hand again and looked at me intently. "Tell me, Riley," he said, "What would you have done if you were the woman in the story?"

I shook my head. "I would never have let anyone hurt my lover in the first place," I said.

Liam let out a short laugh. "You know what? I believe you." He looked at me deeper still, his sharp gaze almost painful. "You're one of the fiercest people I've ever met, Riley."

I rolled my eyes. "You need to get out more."

He just shook his head. "You know, there's one silver lining to the story."

"Oh?"

"It's said that if two lovers climb to the top of the waterfall and jump in together, they'll get the blessing of the lady of the waterfall."

"Is this your way of telling me we're going to jump in?"

He stood, pulling me up with him. "Exactly." He pulled off his shirt so he was standing in just a pair of cargo shorts. I looked down at my shorts and camisole, then shrugged.

"Race you to the top!" I said, and dropped Liam's hand to take off towards the steep hill that led to the top of the falls.

I wasn't quite prepared for the uneven landscape, but I was able to grab vines and find handholds well enough that I was still ahead of Liam by the time we reached the top. Almost. Just as I pulled myself up to the top of the cliff, Liam tackled me from behind. We rolled over on the ground until he was on top of me, pinning me down at the arms.

"Got you," he said with a smile.

"I still won the race," I smirked back.

"I'll gladly admit defeat to you, Riley Harkness." He stood up and offered me a hand, which I gladly accepted. We stepped up to the edge of the waterfall. "Ready?" He asked.

The water racing around my feet was freezing, but it was the height that made me shiver. "I didn't realize it was so high up!"

"It's better if you don't think about that right now," Liam said, pulling me back at the shoulders so I wasn't peering over the edge. "Hold my hand." I did as instructed. "I think some would call this a leap of faith," Liam mused. "On three?"

I nodded. "One..."

We counted in unison, and on three, we both leaped from the edge and plummeted to the water below. My legs flailed and I screamed noiselessly as the fall took my breath away. In a second that felt like minutes, we hit the clear, freezing water, and let go of one anothers hands so we could make our way to the surface.

"That was..." I panted.

"Amazing," Liam finished for me. I nodded with a smile, then leaned back so I was doing a back float. Liam did the same, and we lay floating for a minute in silence as we both caught our breath. I felt Liam brush my hand and I lifted my head to look at him. "Thank you," he said.

"For what?"

"For coming here with me. For actually getting to know me. For...for caring about me, Riley." He shifted so he was upright, treading water, and I imitated him. We drew close. He continued, "I've never had anyone in my life like you. And now that I have you, I never want to lose you."

I stretched out an arm under water, wrapping it around Liam's waist and drawing him close. I pressed my lips to his softly, letting my free hand fall lightly against his bare chest.

"Riley," he breathed as we broke our kiss. He was stopping me, pushing me back.

"You can't say all those romantic things to me and not expect to get kissed," I protested.

"Fair enough," he said with a small smile. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. It's just..." he trailed off before starting again. "I don't know what's going to happen, but the last thing I'd want is for you to get hurt."

So maybe he's not going to pick me, I thought. Outwardly, I told Liam, "It's sweet of you to worry about me. I know it means you care."

"I do care about you, Riley," he nodded. "More than you know. More than I should."

He took my hand in his again, and we waded to the sandy shore of the lagoon. As we stood, dripping wet, he looked intensely at me again. I must not have been thinking, because otherwise I would have realized it was a stupid thing to do, but I reached up and grabbed him for another kiss. This time, though, he didn't push me away. He deepened the kiss, drawing me flush against him, and then lowering us down to the sand. Suddenly, his lips left mine and I could feel him kissing me along my neck and collarbone, up to the spot just behind my ear lobe.

"Liam," I moaned.

"Riley," he whispered in my ear.

I ran my fingers through his hair, enjoying the feel of his lips, his weight, his warmth. Finally, breathlessly, he pulled back, resting his forehead against mine, his eyes dark with desire, and maybe something else.

"We haven't known each other very long," he said, his voice low and husky, "But every moment I spend with you, I can't help but feel...Riley, I think...I'm in lo-"

He was interrupted by a bird exploding from the nearby bushes with a loud squawk. We both darted our heads to look as it flew off, chased by a fox.

I sighed and looked back at Liam. "You were saying?"

"Uh," he said, cheeks red. "Never mind. It was nothing." He shook his head, giving me a longing look. "We should probably get back."

I nodded as he helped me up. "We've been gone a while," I agreed.

"No matter how much time we have together, Riley, it's just never enough, is it?"

"Not by a long shot."

We walked silently back to the beach, and as we reached the shore, the sun was just beginning to set. We had been gone even longer than I realized. As soon as we arrived, King Constantine approached us, dragging Liam off. He barely had time for a goodbye, so I just waved as he left and turned to look for the rest of our friends.

Drake let me know that Maxwell was already waiting for me in the limo, so I rushed there and climbed in. "Look who finally made it," Maxwell said with a grin. Next to him was Bertrand.

"Bertrand, what are you doing here?"

He addressed me with his usual level of grump and told me we needed to prepare for the next event.

"Can't we at least take tonight off?" Maxwell whined. "It's been a long day, we all deserve some rest!"

"You can rest when Riley is crowned Queen of Cordonia," Bertrand snapped, "And from where we're standing, that's not going to be any time soon."

I scowled, wondering if I should tell him about what Liam had said – and what I think he had almost said – at the waterfall. I decided against it, and settled in for the ride as Bertrand started telling me about what was coming next. We'd have a few weeks off – which meant, no major press events, but still a few fancy dinner parties with the royal court – and then we'd be off to the countryside for something that I had actually read about in my travel books – the Cordonian Apple Festival.