If The Shoe Fits (5 page)

Finally, he led her up to the wide, long
deck. The warm wood beneath her feet and the afternoon sunlight
bathing her skin had Charlie relaxing instantly. His large hand
clasping hers made her feel safe and cared for.

Stop that, she scolded herself; he’s
Francie’s. But he hadn’t said it yet, hadn’t burst any bubbles
yet.

Just this once, this moment, she promised
herself, she’d enjoy his company.

He halted near the bow of the yacht where a
laden table awaited with sparkling crystal and pristine white
china. A small bouquet of colorful flowers adorned the center.

Holding out a chair for her, he said,
“Charlie.”

She smiled, feeling pampered. “Alex,” she
murmured. His low, soft chuckle teased her ear.

Seating himself across from her, he nodded to
his waiting chef. Soon trays of food were brought before them. As
the platters appeared, Charlie’s tummy rumbled at the
mouth-watering grilled salmon and mixed vegetables.

Alex chatted. Charlie kept up her side of the
conversation throughout the meal. But in the back of her mind she
recalled why she was here. He wanted Francie for his wife. The
nagging thought dampened her spirits. She couldn’t hide that fact
any longer. The food melted in her mouth, but, when it sank to her
middle, it hit like a rock, hard and sharp. A sip of water stuck in
her suddenly dry throat.

As her mind echoed,
He’s Francie’s, he’s
Francie’s
, her stomach knotted even more. Perspiration trickled
down her forehead. She swiped at it.

“Are you all right?” His concern only made
her insides twist more.

Taking a deep breath, she said, “I’ll be
fine. Maybe we just need to get down to business.”

He raised his left eyebrow. “Business?”

Dabbing a napkin on her upper lip, she said,
“Yes, remember, you needed my ideas. I take it it’s for your
bride.” The last word stuck and faltered. She cleared her throat,
her voice stronger now. “Is it the dress? Between my designs and
Dolly, who’s a whiz on a sewing machine, well, let’s just say if we
were in business together we’d be giving some people a run for
their money.”

Of course, that’s why he invited her here
today. Her stepmother must have championed her and Dolly as the
dressmakers. But when did her stepmother ever praise her? And why
would a groom care about a wedding dress?

Her head seemed light on her shoulders, her
thoughts harder to grasp and hold on to. Looking at him across the
table, she made a concerted effort to blink away the white spots
swimming between them and focus on those gorgeous dark eyes of
his.

He nudged his nearly full glass of wine
toward her and waited while she took a long, deep sip. “A
dress?”

Her head cleared slightly. “Yes, no offense,
but Francie does need some help in the fashion department. Well,
she’s a genius when it comes to ballet.” She stopped herself short,
frowning. “Did I tell you she’s an incredible ballerina? Such
talent. She would have went all the way, too, if—”

“Her mother hadn’t nixed it, right?”

“You know her so well. But don’t let
Stepmother stop you. Francie’s like a little caterpillar. She’s
cocooning now, but soon she’ll be the most beautiful
butterfly.”

Charlie’s middle clenched tightly. Nausea
bubbled up to her throat. She swallowed hard, stumping it down. She
tried another gulp of wine, hoping it would relax the grippers. She
looked anxiously at the side railing to her right and farthest away
from Alex. Then she turned back to look at him again.

“You speak highly of her.”

“Why not? She’s talented. Some of it, the
little bits of it, she’s found, but someday she’ll uncover so many
more treasures to behold. That’s when she’ll blossom.”

He rubbed his jaw. “Blossom?”

“Yes,” she croaked out, grabbing for the wine
glass once again.

“You’re so sure. Unwavering loyalty,
Charlie?”

A dull heat swept over her cheeks. She bowed
her eyes and shook her head. “No.” She shrugged uncomfortably. “I
can spot talent when I see it.”

“See any lately?” His soft voice wrapped
around her center.

She sucked in a sharp breath, catching and
holding his stare. “Maybe… I’ve recently met a prince, of all
things. The most charming man.”

He leaned closer, covering her hand.
“Really?”

Feeling the rumble in her middle before she
heard it, Charlie dragged her hand away and pressed it to her
tummy.

His brow furrowed. “Charlie, you’re under a
misconception here.”

“How so? Have you gotten me here under false
pretenses?” She tried to make her voice light and cheery, but it
fell flat.

He dragged a hand down his face and sighed.
“Something like that.”

Another cramp seized her middle. “Explain,
please,” she squeaked out.

Looking directly at her now, he said softly,
“It’s not Francine I want for a bride.”

Charlie shook her head. “Priscilla?” she
barely whispered.

“No.”

Her stomach ached. Maybe it wasn’t even
someone she knew. Either way, she didn’t think she wanted to hear
his answer, but she had to ask anyway. Breathing in short, quick
breaths, she asked, “Someone else? Who?”

He seemed to force a smile as his frown
deepened. “You, Charlie,” he said softly. “Will you marry me?”

Just then her belly heaved. She shoved back
her chair, the legs painfully scraping against the wood, and dashed
to the side railing. Leaning over, she’d made it just in time.

Alex dragged a hand through his hair as he
paced back and forth in his large, echoing foyer. “Is she all
right? Did you get her home safely?” He couldn’t squelch the
anxiety in his voice.

“Sir, she was a little pale and shaky, but
she’ll be fine. You said you called her friend, Dolly, didn’t you?”
When Alex gave him a nod, he went on, “So there you have it. She’ll
sort Miss Charlie out.”

“I can’t believe she took it so badly. It
couldn’t have come as that much of a shock. Surely she had to know
I was attracted to her.”

“Denial.”

Halting, Alex looked over his shoulder at his
driver. “Denial? How so?” Frowning, he began pacing again. “I never
once made any overtures to either one of the other sisters. Never a
hint of attraction or even interest in either one of them. Nothing
for her to think it was Francine or even Priscilla. No, it was
always her.” He shook his head.

“It’s her, sir. She didn’t want to see it.
Probably had her mind set on someone else and boom, you hit her
with it.” He shrugged his shoulders. “So, I wouldn’t take it
personal- her getting sick. Shock was all it was.”

Alex halted in front of his friend. Letting
out a weary breath, he tried to allow it to sink in. “I should go
to her. Try to explain things.”

This time it was Edward who frowned. “Not
everything, sir. Surely not everything.”

The skin on his face felt even tighter as he
caught and held his driver’s concerned gaze. “No, Edward, I can’t
tell her that.” Heaviness seemed to weigh down his body, sinking
deeper and deeper. “From what I can gather, that store means the
world to her. I think it would destroy her if she knew what I was
about to do with it.”

“You could always call it off.”

His chest tightened. “Not likely, Edward.
After all this time, I finally found a woman I’m willing to marry.
So much is at risk here. If I keep my word about King’s, I hurt
Charlie but honor my grandparents’ wishes by marrying and later
producing the heir they desperately crave.”

“Tough choice.”

“The business or Charlie.”

“No, sir, the way I see it is, it’s your
grandparents or Miss Charlie.”

***

“There now, honey,” Dolly soothed, patting
her on the shoulder. “It ain’t that bad.”

Charlie raised her head from her hands and
moaned. “You didn’t ever throw up when someone asked you to marry
him, did you?”

Dolly chuckled. “No, can’t say I ever did
that.” She winked, saying, “But I’ve done some pretty silly stuff
in my day, I’ll have you know. My, the stories I could tell…” Her
voice trailed off.

“I just bet you could.” She sighed
heavily.

“Maybe you got seasick, ever think of that?”
She wrinkled her nose. “Or even sick from all that rich food, you
know. That fancy stuff never set right with you.”

“I wish I could blame it on something else.”
Charlie groaned. “I can’t believe I did that. Of all the things in
the world to do in front of him, that was the last.”

Suddenly, Dolly clapped her hands and
whooped, startling Charlie.

Frowning, she looked at her friend. “What?
Did I say something funny?”

“You like him, that’s all,” she said, holding
her hands together and grinning broadly.

Warmth spread to her cheeks. “Why do you say
that?” She heard the brittle tone in her own voice and cringed at
the similarity to her stepmother’s demeanor.

“‘Cause you wouldn’t care a fig if it were
anyone else you puked in front of. Not that Dexter, I’ll have you
know.”

Her middle cramped again. She raised her
hands to her cheeks. “Dexter?” she barely whispered. “I keep
forgetting about him.”

“See, if you ever had any real feelings for
the science boy wonder, which we both know you don’t and never
will, you’d have thought of him first thing.”

She acknowledged the truth. Their commitment
to the store she longed to save created a strong bond and a shared
goal. But Dex thought and felt differently. She didn’t want to hurt
her friend.

Another realization hit her. “But Alexander
Royale? He’s so unreachable, his world, lifestyle,” she threw up
her hands, “everything. Why me?”

“Don’t you say those kinds of things. He
coulda had one of them society wives all along. Did he? Nope. Know
why? He’s sick to death of them kind, that’s why. Probably been
offered up on platters to him all his life. He’s got sense, that
one. Why settle for plain when you can have an original,
Charlie?”

Charlie chuckled, shaking her head. “You have
such a way with words, my friend. An original, you say?”

Nudging her, Dolly said, “Dag straight, you
are. Ain’t no two like you, I’ll have you know.” The kettle whistle
blew. “I’ll have you some tea in a jiffy. With lots of honey, just
like you like it.”

A tinge of a smile tugged at her lips. Tea
with lots of honey had been her cure-all while growing up. Tea,
honey, and Dolly.

“Hey, you know what I was just thinking of?”
Dolly’s muffled words came from the depths of the kitchenette.

“Oh, no, you’ve been thinking again.” This
time she smiled fully.

Dolly rounded the corner and stuck out her
tongue at Charlie. “Smart aleck.”

Taking a deep, cleansing breath, she
shrugged. “Couldn’t help it.”

Teacups rattled as the maid set the tray on
the coffee table. Scooping one up, Charlie sipped the sweet,
soothing liquid.

Sitting down beside her friend, Dolly poked
Charlie with an elbow. “The thinking part, remember? Why you and I
will get to live together after all. You his wife and me his cook,
how’s them apples?” Her voice went up a little higher in her
excitement.

“You’re taking it? You’re actually going to
leave the barracuda for good?”

She got another poke with an elbow. “Damn
straight, if you’ll be there. It’ll be just like we’ve always
dreamed about. You and me. You sketching your dresses and me making
them.”

“Ah, I hate to burst your bubble, but you’d
still have to work for … him.” Her voice caught on Alex’s name.

“That’s the thing. He’s paying me double to
do half the work I’ve been doing. Ain’t that a hoot?” She put down
her cup and clapped her hands in glee. “No more dusting, vacuuming,
making beds, cleaning toilets, nothing. He’s already got a maid to
do all that.”

Charlie pulled back slightly. She put down
her own cup. A ray of hope for Dolly spread in her middle. “You’re
sure about this?”

“Had me a good little talk with Mr. R.”

“When?”

“This morning. He came around to the house
and made me a deal I couldn’t refuse. He even had a contract made
out and all. Real fancy like.”

Charlie’s mind raced with the sequence of
events. Alex must have gone to see Dolly right after he left her
office this morning, and then he went to the yacht for their lunch
date. “Did…did he say anything about me then?”

Dolly waved her off with a hand. “Oh, no, he
never told me his plans for you. But he did say you could come
visit anytime you wanted to, stay as long as you like.” She
shrugged her shoulders. “You know, giving you free rein of his
house.”

“So he knew.”

“Honey, he knew last night. The way he was
looking

at you and kissing your hand.”

“He kissed yours, too,” Charlie pointed
out.

She sighed wistfully. “But not like
yours.”

Leaning over, Dolly bumped her shoulder

against Charlie’s, and then moved slightly
away.

“What do you say, kiddo? You and me living
with
the
Alexander Royale? Ain’t too shabby for the likes of
us.”

Regaining her sense of humor, she said, “It
does have some interesting possibilities, doesn’t it? I don’t think
he would know what hit him with the pair of us.” She giggled as the
thoughts tumbled through her mind.

“Do you think we could get him to be our
mannequin for our new designs? You know, a little silk here, a
little lace there…” She burst out laughing and Charlie joined
her.

Suddenly there was a sharp rap on the door,
startling Charlie and her friend.

A moment later, taking a deep, shaky breath,
Charlie opened the door. “Stepmother! What are you doing here?”

The thin-lipped woman shot her a look of
disdain. “Really, Charlotte, your manners.” She brushed past
Charlie and came to an abrupt halt. Quickly, she gazed around the
loft apartment. Her brow furrowed more and more as she took in the
tiny, sparsely furnished area. “Really, Charlotte!”