Christmas and the Prince: Modern Christmas Fairy Tales

By Lexi Ostrow

Lucille needed a Christmas getaway more than she would ever let on. Hard work to open her own pastry shop in the elusive French Quarter drove a wedge between her and her fiancé. A female shaped wedge that ended with Lucille kicking him out December first with a Christmas vacation to Europe booked and no way to refund the tickets. 

Henri wanted nothing to rule his Father's kingdom on his terms, when he deemed himself ready. Life as a prince suited him well. However, the only way to stay powerless was to prove his thoughts were entangled elsewhere by courting a woman, least he jeopardize his country by listening to his heart more than his head. So when he spies a beautiful woman kiss a frog by the palace lake he did the only thing he could, invited her to be a princess in exchange for her dream.

Swept up by the offer,  Lucille didn't hesitate. It was all fun and games for the holidays, wasn't it? Time off work wasn't in the cards, but quitting to live the good life and get her dream proved too good to ignore. In his world, they learn from each other, growing closer until Lucille's ex shows up, ready to apologize and bring her home - offering her everything she wanted before she met Henri. One hardworking woman, one down on his luck prince, and one lucky frog meet the magic of the Christmas season and blend two worlds into one. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lexi Ostrow
• Release date: Jan 2, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201152192

Lexi Ostrow

USA Today Bestselling Author Lexi Ostrow has been in love with the written word since second grade when her librarian started a writing club. Born in sunny southern California she's spent time in various places across the country thanks to her husband's USCG career. Now, she's also mom to a far too adorable toddler, and a menagerie of pets, spinning fantastical worlds whenever she gets the opportunity. Lexi has been a writer ever since the second grade in some form or another. Getting her degree in creative writing and her master's in journalism she couldn't wait to get a chance to put her fantasies down on paper.  From paranormal romance to thriller there isn't a genre she doesn't love to spend her time reading or writing. With her BA in creative writing from UCR and her MA in multi-media Journalism from Emerson College, she's ready to take on the literary world one novel at a time. Reading and writing are her first loves, but her passion for shopping, love for yummy food and her love for all her many pets are not far behind. Lexi is an enthusiast Whovian and DC Comic Show lover who isn't afraid to talk someone's ear off about them. She hopes to one day help other readers fall in love with writing as she did.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

Lucille could nearly taste the sugary delight on her tongue as she opened the small shop door. Pecan pralines – the only kind that mattered – cooled to perfection just beyond the shop’s counter on gleaming white marble slabs. A stainless steel conveyor moved the ingredients along and dedicated bakers checked each for consistency or added in little goodies before leaving them to cool.

Fudges, chocolate covered fruits, and more praline flavors than a person could shake a stick at lined the wall-to-wall cooling display. From a mint marble swirl fudge to a pecan brittle that could make even a devout peanut butter lover switch to pecans, no sweet treat was left unbaked.

Three customers waited, one being a mom with her two kids who happily plastered their faces against the glass, gleefully claiming which treat they wanted.

Lucille smiled, straightening the picture of her and her father that hung on the wall. Martin Johnson sacrificed his dreams to join the military so there was always a paycheck and a roof over his family’s head. When he’d separated from the service, his family returned home to a post-Katrina New Orleans. Work was easy to come by, but the laboring left her father worn out most nights.

Martin taught Lucille everything she needed to know about the precious art of praline making, right down to the proper ratio of brown sugar and cream to make them extra creamy. He’d always talked about opening a bakery and shipping them worldwide to weddings and birthdays. His dream became Lucille’s when she made her very first batch. There was something special about the treat that always tasted better when made by him, and always cheered up her day.

This is for you, Dad. Lucille’s hands plopped onto her hips, and she finished her look around.

A plate of cracked up pralines sat on the counter directly in front of her, the sign tempting customers to try them in beautiful gold calligraphy.

The shop was small, but it was filled with love, delectable treats no one could turn down, and employees living out their dream. All in the best city she’d ever lived in – good old New Orleans.

Lucille! God damn it, woman, Lucille! Frank’s guttural voice crashed through.

Everything disappeared – the customers, the photo of her and her father, and the shop in general.

Are you not listening? Order’s up! The surly line cook may as well have slapped her.

Closing her eyes, Lucille shook off the fantasy and accepted her reality.

She didn’t own her own bakery or pastry shop. There was no photo to make her father proud hung on display. There was just a ridiculous teal mini skirt and white top indicating she worked at Penny’s – one of many fifties’ themed diners around the French Quarter.

The busiest one, with a sigh, Lucille scooped up the plate, ignoring the way the yolk from the sunny side up eggs sloshed over the side of the plate and covered her arm. At least it didn’t hit the uniform.

Careful not to spill more, Lucille lifted her arm over Kelly as the other waitress tripped coming in the kitchen door.

Sorry, Luce!

Not a problem. Lucille plastered on a smile, already feeling her lips trembling with the pull of her skin.

Navigating through the restaurant at midnight on a Friday was never fun. Penny’s stayed open twenty-four hours to accommodate the lovely drunks coming in off Bourbon Street. Lucille dodged to the right to avoid a man staggering through the front door and paused at table two.

Empty.

They couldn’t even wait five minutes. Another customer loss they’ll blame on me.

She’d worked at Penny’s since she was sixteen and her parents moved home. She’d been there through the good and the bad. She’d served more dedicated Saint’s fan’s opting for food over a bar on Sunday’s than she could ever count. It also meant she saw the death of the original owner – Penny Jible. Penny’s daughter, Kelly, didn’t like Lucille, tried to fire her daily, but thankfully Kelly’s father had a sweet spot for the young teen he helped raise like a second daughter.

Too bad he’s retired.

Her phone vibrated from where it was tucked away in the waistband of the skirt. It would only be one person at this hour. A smile lifted the corners of her lips. Devlin always seemed to know exactly when she needed a phone call.

Touch that phone, and you’ll go home without tips. Kelly sneered as she sauntered past, drunk as a fish.

One day that shop will be yours.

---

"H enri!"

He cringed, drawing his shoulders in even as he threw his face down. Not now, for the love of all that is good in this world, not now.

Ah, there you are. Your Father and I have been searching for you since lunch. His mother’s sharp voice entered the small sitting room.

Of course, you have, because what better way is there to drive me insane?

Mother, Henri plastered on a grin, catching sight of his cheesy expression in the overly polished blackness of the piano as he turned. Whatever could you be looking for me for?

She tilted her head to the side, the gold crown not so much as sliding thanks to the millions of hairpins Henri knew lay nestled in her graying hair. Do not play coy, it’s not a good look for you.

Nonsense, his grin grew real. Practically everything is a good look on me. Some days, the smugness pissed his mother off so much she ranted at him and left without what she needed.

Cut the horseshit, I know you don’t truly see yourself in such a pig-headed manner. Then there were other days where she responded like that.

Can you blame me when I know it tends to get me out of whatever trouble I am in?

A grown man, running from his parents because he’s in trouble? His father’s voice floated down the hall despite the man not seeming to be nearby. That is precisely what we need to talk to you about.

Henri didn’t need to ask where the conversation would go. He knew, all too well, what his parents wanted him for.

The throne.

His father wanted to pass on the glorious gold crown to Henri, his only son. King Jeffry served his country well. He was not a figurehead of the small country of Hilistra. Nestled away next to Germany, the small country was often forgotten, leaving his father the arduous task of making sure the world remembered them at all times. After thirty years as the acting monarch, the king wanted his time to enjoy life once again – something that is increasingly hard to do while bearing the mantle of king.

Which was the precise reason Henri had no desire to turn himself over for king and country. Despite being raised to take over, and having a firm hold on politics and his people’s needs, Henri wasn’t done traveling. Though he’d seen the pyramids of Egypt, the catacombs of France, and other like wonders, he’d yet to understand what it would be like to visit Galway and drink in a pub or a quaint town in America and see the simple life.

You’ll be ready when you’ve seen the world. Henri did want to lead. He wanted to ensure his people lived prosperous lives, and his father didn’t die without regaining his freedom as monarchies of the past functioned. Henri also understood that to lead, he needed to understand the world he lived in. Tutors and lessons could only teach one so much about life.

Time is ticking down, Son. I know you are not abusing the life of a prince, but it is time you step into the role you were literally born to do. His father rubbed a hand over his gray beard as if contemplating something, but said nothing.

Surely, you can understand why I wish to wait. Another year, please, Father. Careful to keep a pleading tone out of his voice, Henri raised his gaze level with his father’s.

Another year wouldn’t be enough time, Henri knew that. However, another year would bring him give him a little longer with what he wanted – freedom without the weight and responsibility of ruling.

There is no one more year, Henri. You are years behind where you should be, and as of now it would appear you will offer no offspring in our bloodline to keep our family on the throne. I will not force an arranged marriage for you. I am not archaic. But you cannot rule and fall in love at the same time, there simply isn’t time for it.

Falling in love didn’t have a place on Henri’s to-do list. Flitting from woman to woman suited him. With his background, women weren’t honest with him, and though his mother and father were happily married, the era of social media and paparazzi made finding someone who loved him without his money impossible.

Henri, please, say something. His mother chided.

I’m not ready. I will agree to ascend when I have the tools I need to be an effective leader. He stood to make his exit.

Sit down! His father’s voice boomed through the small room.

Though Henri no longer feared his father, he did flinch at the callousness of the shout. He didn’t sit, proving to his father he was his own man.

You will take the throne just after Christmas. Period.

I respectfully decline.

Henri didn’t miss the vein in his father’s neck that pulsed with anger.

Then you are no longer a member of this family. Two months. King Jeffry’s rage flared in his eyes. Eyes that everyone said Henri had a matching pair of.

Henri didn’t get a chance to defend himself. Not that he could have. Losing his home, and his wealth, was not on the table. In two months, he’d be the ruler of Hilistra.

CHAPTER TWO

"S ee you tomorrow, then?" Cody, a line cook, asked with a smile and a wave of a spatula.

Always.

He chuckled and went back to swirling the cake batter. You better start taking some time off or you’ll wear yourself out!

There’s no stopping until I can afford a shop out here in the Quarter. Big dreams, big sacrifices.

About that… Cody let his words trail off, his bright blue eyes lifting to look at her. The line cook had looked after her since first started working at Penny’s. When her father died, he slipped seamlessly into the role of second father, which meant she knew that tone.

Out with it. Lucille leaned down on the counter, setting her chin in her hands.

It’s just that, it’s two in the morning. You’re brilliant, beautiful, and been engaged for far too long to that handsome stud to spend all your time slaving away.

I am not going –

Ah. I wasn’t done, young lady.

Lucille flushed as Cody’s voice dropped an octave and his finger literally wagged at her.

I was going to say, start this bakery of yours somewhere else. The Westbank is affordable.

And crime ridden more than you can shake a stick at. Lucille sighed. Besides, the dream is to be on this side of the river. The Westbank is dead and forgotten most of the time. They have what, two parades during Mardi Gras and just the bonfires at Christmas? She balked, not caring that she was little better than a petulant toddler. I want to be here, in the city, where the food critics and tourists come every single day. I don’t want to start in the little leagues. It’s go big or go home.

Cody chuckled. That was a dozy of mixed metaphors. He stopped stirring and set the bowl down on the table, a sadness coming into his usually friendly eyes. You know, me and your father were supposed to open that shop together. If you want to go at it with a partner, you say the word.

Lucille ignored the backward grammar in light of the sentiment. I appreciate that, but I have to do this on my own. It’s my father’s dream meeting my dream. No little shack somewhere out of the city. It has to be a big store right here in the quarter with pralines in every flavor you can imagine! Her grin spread across her face, nearly stretching her cheeks too far. Just another year or so, Cody. I’ll get there. Just you wait and see!

I have no doubt, my girl. I just want to make sure you don’t get so caught up in your ambitions you forget to see what’s right in front of you. Life can’t just be about making it to your dream, sometimes life has to be the dream.

Lucille dropped a kiss on his cheek. You always know just the right things to say. She leaned back. I promise I’m living my life. Devlin understands we just can’t pay for a big wedding when I have to save nearly fifty-thousand for the property down payment, machines, ingredients and worker salaries. He doesn’t want the court house, so we’re just having a long engagement. Putting her hand on top of Cody’s, Lucille gave a gentle squeeze. Hard work matters. Let me get where I’m going and then everyone can let me rejoice.

You are your father’s daughter alright, Cody