The Royal Pain. MaryJanice Davidson

      “So you admit I’m cute!” he said triumphantly.

      “No,” a new voice said. “You’re as ugly as the south end of a north-bound skunk.”

      Shel waved at the man, a striking green-eyed blond whose shoulder-length hair was pulled back in a ponytail.

      “Oh,” Jenny said. She actually dropped her clipboard, which hit the cement floor with a clatter. After a long moment, Alex bent and picked it up.

      “This is my best friend,” Shel was gesturing through the bars, “Teal Grange.”

      “Oh,” Jenny said.

      Alex wrapped Jenny’s fingers around the clipboard.

      “Teal, this is the Princess of Alaska—”

      “I know who she is, pal. We get People magazine in Minot.”

      “—and her majordomo assistant-type gal, Jenny—uh, I can’t remember your last name.”

      “It doesn’t matter,” Jenny said, clearly dazzled. Teal was only a few inches taller than she was, but powerfully built…his navy tee-shirt bulged in interesting places, and he had the powerful look of a regular lifter. The fluorescent lights bounced off his glasses and made his moss-green eyes unreadable. The scowl, however, spoke volumes.

      “Hi.” Teal shook hands with Jenny, who forgot to put hers away. It hung in the air, a small white bird without a nest. “Hi, Princess.”