Once Upon Stilettos (Enchanted Inc #2) (42 page)

“Thank you. I know I’m going to love this.”

I noticed that he didn’t hug me or otherwise touch me. Now that the game was over, it appeared that we were going to go back to being just friends. It was a disappointment, but I wouldn’t want to lose his friendship now that I knew how much it meant to me. “And thank you for everything,” I said. “You got me through this. Without your help, this wouldn’t have worked out at all.”

“That’s what friends are for, right?”

I forced a smile even though I wanted to cry. “Right.”

He put the book down on a nearby table. “Actually, I haven’t been entirely honest with you.” He turned a shade of pink I’d never seen before, then it faded to white, leaving his cheeks rosy. He seemed to search for words, then finally blurted out, “It wasn’t just the shoes, you know.”

“What?”

“Ari was wrong. It didn’t take the shoes for me to find you interesting. That twenty-four-hour Katie channel has been tuned to that frequency pretty much since the moment I first saw you.”

I was so shocked I forgot to breathe. “Oh,” I managed to gasp. “But I thought—all this time—you didn’t even—Why didn’t you say something? Or do something?”

“You mean other than walk you to work every morning, ask you to dinner, talk to you more than I talk to anyone? And you kept talking about being friends.”

I laughed. “That’s because I thought that’s what you wanted. I didn’t want to scare you.”

He pulled me to him and held me against him. I could feel the laughter rumbling in his chest. “We’re so clueless, I think we deserve each other,” he murmured in my ear.

I was glad he was holding onto me because I felt so dizzy I was afraid my knees would buckle under me. “It’s funny, but I seemed to interpret all those clues that you liked me as clues that you didn’t like me, or maybe that you liked me, but only liked me. I was trying so hard just to be your friend, and you made it more and more difficult by being perfect.” I looked up at him. “And what does someone like you want with someone like me, anyway? You’re like a superwizard and I’m Miss Ordinary.”

“Katie, shut up.” He said it kindly with a fond smile on his lips. “Don’t talk yourself out of this.”

I groaned and leaned my head against his chest. “See what I mean? You take in homeless cats and keep old ladies in their homes, and you’re brilliant and powerful and did I mention gorgeous, and here I am—”

He proceeded then to shut me up very thoroughly. It turned out that first perfect kiss was no fluke caused by a pair of enchanted shoes. The second was even better, and this time it was for real.

S
HANNA
S
WENDSON
has written category romance novels (as Samantha Carter), radio scripts, marketing brochures, annual reports, newsletter articles, and too many news releases to count. She has been a finalist for awards given by organizations ranging from
Romantic Times
magazine to the Dallas Press Club. She lives in Texas, but loves to play Southern belle in New York as often as possible. She is the author of
Enchanted, Inc.
Visit her website at
www.shannaswendson.com
.

ALSO BY
S
HANNA
S
WENDSON

Enchanted, Inc.

Praise for
Enchanted, Inc.

“With its clever premise and utterly engaging heroine, Shanna Swendson has penned a real treat!
Enchanted, Inc.
is loads of fun!”

—J
ULIE
K
ENNER
, author of
Carpe Demon

“A totally captivating, hilarious and clever look on the magical kingdom of Manhattan, where kissing frogs has never been this fun.”

—M
ELISSA DE LA
C
RUZ
,
author of
The Au Pairs
and
The Fashionista Files

“Light and breezy, but not without substance…a bit of the sense of a screwball comedy, only updated for these times that we live in…with a hint of
Sex and the City
and maybe a dash of
Bridget Jones.
”

—C
HARLES
D
E
L
INT
,
Fantasy & Science Fiction

“Lively…a pure and innocent fantasy…a cotton candy read.”

—Publishers Weekly

“This is a witty, unique approach to the familiar story of a young woman working in modern Manhattan, and the laughs are plentiful.”

—Romantic Times

“Swendson offers a quirky twist on supernatural powers, suggesting that not having any can actually be an asset. This appealing novel offers a charming cast of characters and a clever premise, and readers will hope that Katie’s skills will be needed in New York City again soon.”

—Booklist

“A totally fresh approach to chick lit that’s magical and fun.”

—
freshfiction.com

“From the moment that you pick up
Enchanted, Inc.,
you know that you will have fun…. A marvelous world populated with the most interesting people.”

—
aromancereview.com

“Ms. Swendson does a marvelous job of bridging our world with the world of fantasy, in such a way, as to be completely plausible…. This book, if you’ll pardon the pun, enchanted me from the first page.”

—
romancejunkies.com

“Light humor, a bit of magic, a dash of danger and adventure, and an engaging heroine add up to a recipe for a really enjoyable novel.”

—
BooksForABuck.com

“Lots of likeable characters (and potential romantic interests) that leave you wanting more.”

—
Locus
magazine

“[Katie is] like the Harry Potter of adulthood. Author Shanna Swendson pens a delightful, whimsical tale about an unlikely heroine who saves the day against all odds—and oddities.
Enchanted, Inc.
offers a wonderful escape from the ordinary.”

—Dark Realms

Once Upon Stilettos
is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

A Ballantine Books Trade Paperback Original

Copyright © 2006 by Shanna Swendson

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Ballantine Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

B
ALLANTINE
and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Swendson, Shanna.

   Once upon stilettos : a novel / Shanna Swendson.

     p. cm.

   eISBN-13: 978-0-345-49338-5

   eISBN-10: 0-345-49338-9

   1. Young women—Fiction. 2. New York (N.Y.)—Fiction. 3. Women—Employment—Fiction. [1. Magic—Fiction.] I. Title.

   PS3619.W445O53 2006

   813'.6—dc22

2006040721

www.ballantinebooks.com

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