Twelve narrow boats sat along the edge of the lake—half in the water, half on the land. They were the size of large rowboats, decorated with ornate curving prows that reminded me of giant snail shells.

Twelve guys stood by the boats, each holding a lantern. To say the princes wore brightly-colored jackets with matching pants wouldn’t be quite accurate. Pants go down to the feet. Theirs ballooned out and ended at the knee.

Each guy wore colored hose and leather shoes with heels like a woman’s. But perhaps the oddest things in their ensembles were their ruffled collars. They were so thick they made the guys look like their necks had gone into hiding.

I stopped walking and searched for Jason. Which boat was he standing by? And more importantly, what should I say to him? I’d thought of dozens of things, but wasn’t sure what would be best. How does one properly apologize for sticking a complete stranger in a fairy tale—twice?

I heard a muffled laugh behind me; Donovan’s commentary on the scene. “So,” he said, “every night the princesses go and hang out with elaborately dressed clowns? That’s the big secret?” Another laugh. “No wonder you don’t tell your father about this.”

“They’re not clowns. That’s Renaissance fashion for noblemen.”

“Call it what you want. They’re still wearing poofy capris.”

“Your pants go to the knee too,” I reminded him. “The only reason you don’t look ridiculous is you’re wearing boots.”

“And I’m better looking.”

That too, but I didn’t admit it.

Donovan let out another low chuckle. “All those dudes look like their heads are stuck on platters.”

“No one claims that fashion makes sense.”

A row of lampposts stood at the end of the trail. The other princesses hung their lanterns there and then headed toward the princes. I walked slowly to the posts, still searching for Jason.

I spotted him at the end of the row of boats, closest to the trail and the lamppost. He was half leaning, half sitting on his boat’s prow, eyes shut. Instead of carrying his lantern, it sat on the ground by his feet.

My hands felt sweaty and a lump of dread settled into my stomach. This was it. Time to face the music, pay the piper, and any other metaphor that meant, you must fess up to tossing a guy in the past. I hung my lantern next to the others, then retied the tie on my cloak. I didn’t head to the boats. My legs wouldn’t move that direction.

Beside me, Donovan drew in a low breath. “Is that Jason Prescott?”

“Maybe.” Ouch. “Yes.”

“That was your other wish? You made Jason Prescott come here to be your boat rower? Sheesh. Remind me not to get on your bad side.”

“It wasn’t like that. I wished for him to be here because I liked him.”

Donovan paused. “In that case, remind me not to get on your good side.”

A couple of fireflies circled around me, flashing as they chased each other. I waved them away. “You can’t go any farther toward the lake. Sadly, you didn’t have the forethought to wish anyone here who has their own boat. Bring one with you tomorrow night. And don’t forget the oars.”

I headed toward Jason. I doubted my instructions would have any effect on Donovan. In the fairy tale, he snuck onto the youngest princess’s boat.

Most of the princes left their boats, and strolled toward the princesses, their strides filled with anticipation and gallantry. The princesses glided happily to their boyfriends, as poised as a ballet troop. They called out happy greetings and curtsied demurely. Each girl held out a hand to her prince, and each prince took his girlfriend’s hand and kissed it.

I imagined my greeting from Jason would be quite different. I trudged toward him, words tumbling uselessly around my mind. I’m really sorry. Completely, thoroughly, mortifyingly sorry.

Jason had finally noticed me. He watched me, eyes narrowed, trying to place me. I didn’t know whether to be relieved or insulted he didn’t recognize me. Was there any way I could get through this night pretending we hadn’t met?

No sign of his head injury showed on his forehead. I supposed I should be grateful to Chrissy for fixing that, but right now it was hard to be grateful to her for anything.

When I drew close, Jason’s eyes went wide. He gasped in surprise and took a startled step forward. “You!” he said, waving a finger in my direction. “You’re that girl from the audition.”

Chapter 13

My throat went dry. I cleared it uncomfortably. “Yeah . . . um . . . hi again.”

His eyes, which had always looked so kind and understanding in his pictures, now glared holes into me. He kept waving his finger. “You’re responsible for all of this, aren’t you?”

“Sort of.” Chrissy was responsible part of it. I held out my hands, a gesture asking him to hear me out. “This will sound crazy, but I have a fairy godmother, and I made a few wishes. I didn’t know she would send you here. I didn’t even know she would send me here. I wouldn’t have—”

“What kind of crazy stalker are you?” he shouted. “You come to the show, make a mess, have a bunch of smelly sailors kidnap me, then I end up in a place where everybody dresses like the Three Musketeers.” He took another step toward me, his finger nearly jabbing me. “Take me home right now!”

Everyone was staring at us. I imagined the princesses would have plenty to say about this when we got back to the castle, and none of it would be good.

“You’re making a scene,” I whispered.

“A scene? You haven’t seen the scene I’ll make if you don’t get me out of here. I have people, you know.”

I raised my hands in an attempt to calm him. Several princes shot him disapproving looks before turning their attention back to the task of escorting their princesses to their boats.

“I’m trying to get us home,” I said. “But I need your help.” Behind Jason, our boat wobbled back and forth on the shore, a tell-tale sign Donovan had climbed inside.

“Help? You want my—” Jason stopped. His eyes went over me, once, twice. “Wait a second, did you . . .” He shook his head as though clearing it. “Were you a mermaid at one point?” His gaze zeroed in on my shoes, checking to make sure I had feet.

I cleared my throat again. “I need to explain a few things.”

Jason’s lips clamped together, and his nostrils flared. He didn’t look like he wanted to stay here for two more seconds let alone stand around and hear what I had to say.

The other princes had finished escorting the princesses to their boats and were exchanging whispered words before helping them step inside. I didn’t have much time. I quickly condensed the last day of my life into a minute-long report, emphasizing I’d never meant to involve him. He listened in sullen silence.

“So it was an accident,” I emphasized. “All we have to do is get the queen’s golden goblet, and we can go home.”

“Fairies did this,” Jason said flatly. “That’s your explanation.”

“Yes.”

He stared at me for another moment, then smiled with dawning realization. “This is a prank, isn’t it?” He glanced around, nodding his head as though he had the whole thing figured out. “Did my manager okay this? Cause I’m going to kill him if he did.”

Jason put his hands on his hips and forced out a laugh that sounded more relieved than happy. “When he told me I should dive into reality shows, I didn’t expect him to take things this far.”

“It’s not a prank.”

Jason scanned the shoreline. “Where are the cameras?”

“Look,” I said, trying to recapture his attention. An idea had suddenly occurred to me. “We might be able to get out of here on a technicality. You don’t love me, right?”

He reached out and patted my shoulder patronizingly. “I love all of my fans. They’re the best.” He said this too loudly. “No hard feelings.” He glanced around again, still searching for cameras. “You got me good.”