He pointed left and right as he asked, “Which way?”
They’d arrived too fast at the bottles of cold water. She stopped and directed him west. “That way.”
He took the water. “Would you have something to carry gas in here too?”
Her stepsisters were sure to find them any moment and interrupt—Linda especially had a nose for wealthy, handsome men. Her heart thumped. Charlotte had maybe another few seconds with this lovely man. “Sure, did you run out of gas?”
His cheeks reddened slightly but unlike her, his blush somehow made his face more human, instead of molded perfection. “I… took the car from the hotel parking lot and didn’t check.”
What in the world did a man like him have to hurry for? He seriously had her on tenterhooks, if such a thing even really existed. She ignored the pulsating in her veins. “You were in a rush, I guess.”
He playfully bumped into her and goosebumps grew on her arms. “I’m here on some family business, and now I’m going to be late.”
The slight wrinkle near his eye gave away that he enjoyed laughing, usually, but right now, it showed… stress. She probably had that written all over her face most of the time too. She ushered him toward the register to pay. “I see. This should be everything you need.”
They used the self-checkout and she was about to walk away, but then he asked, “And I go which way?”
Jack had said to toss the blue vest and see the world. Now that was crazy, but she did have some time. She decided to take it off. “I have a break. I’ll walk you. What’s your name?”
He paid and said, “Antonio.”
She stuffed her vest behind a checkout stand. “Nice to meet you, Antonio. I’m Charlotte.”
No one stopped them as they walked out the door and she headed into the huge but mostly vacant parking lot. He held his empty gas canister on the other side with his water bottle and their arms brushed slightly. “Nice to meet you too. Do you work at the store part-time?”
She blinked. No one new generally entered her life so she’d been accustomed to no one asking in a long time. A warm wind was at her back when she shook her head. “No, my… father started the store so it’s a family business.”
He bumped into her side. It was clear he was doing it on purpose as they crossed the paved lot to the small side street. “Interessante. I’ve not gone shopping in a store in years to be truthful.”
Her stepmother’s face popped in her head. She blinked and the image dissipated as she shared the problem that plagued their family. “Online shopping does get in the way. This is the gas station, to the left.”
They walked to the tank together, and Antonio unscrewed the cap. She tapped her hands together, but then his face contorted and he turned slightly red before he met her gaze and said, “This is embarrassing.”
Nothing had happened. Adrenaline rushed in her veins as she asked, “What?”
He held up the empty red container. “I don’t know how to open this.”
Brute force wasn’t the answer. She held up her finger and waited for him to hand it over. Once he did, she pressed the small button to the side and twisted. “Here, it’s a little tricky with a new nozzle. You push the red button first, and then you twist it off.”
He smiled and wow those dimples of his just made his face go from deadly sexy to adorable in the blink of an eye. “Grazie.”
She shrugged and let him put the gas in the container as she said, “No worries. Being queen of useless knowledge is my specialty.”
Finished, he put his card away and turned with his gas to go. As they headed out, he asked, “How did you acquire such a title?”
Her father holding her hand as he explained the superstore and everything in it came to mind as she glanced into Antonio’s warm brown eyes. which weren’t blue bust still tickled her skin that he was like Jack.
“I pretty much grew up in a general store where folks need something and it’s been my job to help find their items. Plus, I like reading.”
They headed back to the store where his silver car had coasted to a stop, his parking skewed. Soon her real life would crash into this dream. “I like reading books too. I have a collection of classics, like Albert Camus.”
Seriously, guys like this didn’t exist in the world. At least she’d thought so, until now. She squared her shoulders to not get all mushy and said, “I wish… I have my stepmother’s old tablet so I mostly get to read on that.”
The walk was too short. “I prefer paper,” he said. “It makes the story inside so much more real for me.”
The pre-teenage version of herself, before her father’d had a heart attack, would have agreed. She held that thought and pushed her stray hairs behind her ear that had fallen out of her ponytail. “I used to… but now I don’t get to be so fussy. I’m trying to prevent a shutdown of the store.”
She skipped the part of joining author newsletters to get the lowdown on sales and freebies to feed her reading addiction.
His car looked expensive, but she didn’t know vehicle brands. “I understand," he said. "I’m juggling the demands of my family with plans for my own future. Sometimes I wish my father was still here…”
Wait. She folded her hands in front of her and asked, “Did your father pass on as well?”
His silver car had two angel wings as its logo and she was sure she’d seen this in a Bond movie. The two-seater probably sped fast. What a thrill. Antonio poured the gas into the tank. “Yes, unfortunately. Look Charlotte, I have to go but can I get your number? I’d love to call you and go out officially, this weekend.”
Seriously! She bounced on her tiptoes but then crashed onto the black pavement she felt through the holey soles of her shoes. “I’d love to go but… I don’t have a phone.”
He put the container on the ground and placed his hands in his back pockets, staring at her like she was from another planet. “You don’t have a cell phone?”
Phones cost too much monthly and she was saving every penny she could… just in case she needed to leave. Her stepmother could kick her out any time. Her father had always told her to save and be prepared. “No. It was… holding me back from following my dreams.”
He squared his shoulders and then straightened like he’d made a decision. He handed her his. “Here, take mine. I know the number and I’ll call it.”
No. Way. Her eyes widened. “Seriously? You trust me like that?”
He bowed his head and showed off those dimples again when he said, “I want to—talk to you soon, Charlotte.”
He tossed the empty gas can behind his seat and her heart raced. When he turned around again she asked, “How will I know it’s you calling?”
He nodded as he mentally worked out the problem, then reached out and patted her arm, sending a wave of awareness through her when he said, “Well, give me an hour without answering the phone, and I’ll get my contacts transferred.”
An hour. Okay. She ignored how her heart beat so fast and took the phone as a lifeline to him. “I can do that.”
He winked at her. For a crazy second she wondered if he’d kiss her right here in the parking lot. Her lips tingled, but he hugged her instead. She hugged him back as he said, “Bye.”
“Bye.” She held tight. He smelled even better up close but unfortunately she had to let go. No one had made her feel so aware of being female.
She headed back toward the store entrance, her feet floating above the ground because she’d met a wonderful man. She sighed and waited just behind the tinted glass doors and watched him leave in his winged car.
As he took off, she heard snickers, but from who? Her skin prickled. Her step-family had been in the backroom. Were they now closer? She ignored them though her spine grew sharp as she headed to the warehouse portion of the store for another stack to unload and stock. Heels clacked behind her. Nancy’s voice droned, “Charlotte, that was more than fifteen minutes.”
They were here. She spun around. “I’ll stay late.” Laughter from the s
ide room where her stepsisters were counting cash broke the tension. Good. She quickly pointed to her stepsister inside and asked, “Why is Linda so happy?”
Her stepmother gave one of her rare almost like a smile look, though she never quite managed a normal show of happiness. “Linda, Mickey, and myself are going to the Morgan's mansion this weekend for a party.”
Oh-- Antonio was probably a Morgan. She ensured that Antonio’s phone was hidden in her back pocket and asked, “The Morgans? The billionaire family that used to live on the hill?”
Nancy picked up her clipboard. “Yes, they’re visiting Pittsburgh this weekend, and it’s where my girls will meet the best men and have the life I intended for them. We have one night to plan for our future.”
Tomorrow was Friday. The plan to have them all marry for money was about to be activated which meant she might have her store back sooner than later. Charlotte pivoted toward the boxes of dry goods that needed to be unpacked. “Well, good luck with that.”
Nancy watched her as she took her first step but then tapped that board of hers and said, “You’re happy.”
It wasn’t every day that she met a gorgeous man like Antonio who reignited hope in her own dreams. “It’s nothing.”
Nancy wore a small smirk on her face. “Well, I hope you and your friend Jack are very happy here.”
Wait. Her sneakers squeaked as she stopped and turned, tilting her head to stare at Nancy. “Jack… he’s just a friend.”
Nancy let out a sigh like she was disappointed in that answer. “Not interesting. Get to work, Charlotte.”
“On it.” She rushed to the boxes.
Her mind drifted to Antonio. There was absolutely no way Nancy would ever imagine her with a handsome man like Antonio. Ever. But his phone in her pocket made her feel connected to him. Just maybe anything was possible.
Chapter 4
Charlotte finished stocking rolls of toilet paper for customers to buy, the most expensive on the center shelf at eye-level. Then she marked down the outdated clothes and moved them to the sales rack.
Her mind stayed on Antonio for the entire time. He was absolutely dreamy. Until today she’d never seriously thought about dimples like that.
How could she be so into this guy?
She even hummed to the light pop music that constantly played in the store that she normally tuned out. Charlotte turned to the toy aisle to clean up.
Jack barreled into her to hug her like he hadn’t just seen her yesterday. Jack’s arms were safe, and held her tight. Like bathrooms, toy aisles needed constant maintenance, but unlike bathrooms, this was just boxes and stuffed animals out of place. Jack asked while he straightened the aisle, “Were you talking to Antonio Morgan, Charlotte?”
Her entire body froze midway of picking up a plastic dump truck. She held it and straightened fast. “Who?”
Jack seemed like he’d tease her when he said, “The guy you just took your break with earlier… Antonio Morgan.”
So she’d been seen?
And more important, was Antonio a Morgan? Jack showed her a picture on his phone with the cracked screen and sure enough it was the Antonio she’d just met. She took his phone and said, “That’s him. How do you know him, Jack?”
Her best friend stared at her like she was crazy and said, “The Morgans are world-wide celebrities with local connections. How did you not know?”
She’d never connected the magazine covers in the front of the store to actual real life people she’d meet in the aisles. Clearly she should have. She trembled, but covered it by placing the truck on the shelf. “He’s never been in my store.”
Jack lined the teddy bears up. “You live in an alternate universe.” They’d just finished the first aisle when high heels clipped behind her. Jack glanced over his shoulder and said, “Oh, look…Linda wants you.”
Now she was in a surreal universe…her stepsister had no use for her. Charlotte joined her stepsister in the main aisle as some older customers pushed their carts passed them. Linda was tall, skinny, and had piercing blue eyes. Mickey's were brown like her mother's but way softer, and she was ten pounds heavier than Nancy wished. “Charlotte?”
This was about to turn into an accusation, she could tell by the tone. Charlotte tensed. “Yes, Linda.”
Linda tapped her foot like her mother but the heel made more of a clink because of the metal tip. “Security footage shows you talking to Antonio Morgan.”
Her heart raced. Linda shouldn’t intimidate her but Charlotte didn’t like confrontation. She lifted her chin. “I had no idea who he was. Jack literally just told me.”
Linda rolled her eyes. “Of course you didn’t. What did he want?”
Good. Charlotte took a deep breath, realizing she’d diffused the situation, and pushed her hands in her back pockets, her right touching Antonio’s phone. “Water, and directions to the gas station.”
Linda leaned in and Charlotte feared she knew about the phone. “Why didn’t you call me?”
“How?” She braced against anything mean and shrugged. “I don’t have a phone. Too expensive.”
Linda glanced at the ceiling like she did when she wanted to pronounce Charlotte a total disaster and then stared straight at her. “Right. Well, did you notice anything interesting about him?”
Charlotte met Linda’s eyes and was certain she’d hate her words. “He likes to read Albert Camus.”
Linda didn’t even blink. Most people did, but Linda, she had a gaze that made the skin jump when she stared at someone too long. She’d inherited her mother’s ability to pin with a look. “Boring. Anything else?”
Her mind raced to things about Antonio that he’d be okay sharing. Common knowledge stuff. “He’s here on family business. Today he said he was late and in a hurry.”
Linda tapped her cheek like she’d just said something interesting. Charlotte’s stomach churned when Linda asked, “Family business in Pittsburgh?”
Oh no. That wasn’t common knowledge, but she lifted her shoulders and said, “I don’t know. He didn’t explain.”
Her stepsister turned to flounce off while she waved at her and said, “Useless as always, Charlotte.”
Her heels clicked on the linoleum and Charlotte went back to straighten the next aisle with Jack. He asked, “What did she want?”
The phone in her back pocket beeped as she picked up a ball and said, “To talk about Antonio.”
His gaze narrowed. “What’s that?”
She cringed and put the ball back in the bin as she avoided her friend and said, “Nothing.”
Jack's muscles were a wall that blocked out the world…he made her feel goosebumps like they were the only people in the universe. “Do you have a phone?”
Her hair stood on end. “What? No.”
Another beep went off and she couldn’t look away from Jack’s blue hues when he pressed his hand on her shoulder. “Yeah, you do.”
Right. Jack was the only person she’d even think about telling the truth to. She swallowed. “It’s not mine exactly. It’s Antonio's.”
Charlotte removed it from her pocket and showed him.
He took the phone out of its black leather case and whistled when he read the model number. He put it together and handed it back. “How do you have that?”
She tucked it out of sight in her pocket so her stepfamily didn’t see it. “He lent it to me. I’m to give it back this weekend.”
His voice went up an octave as he asked, “You have a date with a Morgan?”
Her face heated but she bobbed her head. “I had no idea who he was when I agreed.”
He came closer and she curled into his protective nearness. She heard the clip-clap of shoes and automatically straightened a toy. It wasn’t Nancy or Linda though, just a customer. Jack asked, “What are you going to do now?”
She picked up the phone and finally read the message… from Antonio. Her heart pattered at his simple words, I’ll call you after 5.
Charlotte put it away a
nd sucked in her cheeks as a means of taking her time. She exhaled while facing the dinosaur toys. “I don’t know.”
Jack finished with the super heroes and the two of them headed to the pink aisle of girl dolls next as he said, “A Morgan isn’t going to want to run a superstore.”
Now that was a truth. Someone like a Morgan would never, ever want her life. Her shoulders slumped. “You’re right. He’s more what my stepmother wants for my stepsisters.”
Jack put the fairy princesses in line. “Do you want Linda or Mickey to have him then?”
Good question. She went to the iconic plastic blonde dolls wrapped in pink to ensure front placement of the bestsellers. “No.”
Jack continued to make sure his toys were all in order as he said, “He’s having a party and they intend to fight over any of the Morgan brothers.”
Huh? She narrowed her gaze. “How do you know?”
He blushed and Jack never blushed. “I know some people who were invited.”
Over the speaker she heard Mickey announcing a sale which wasn’t her normal but at least kept the message professional, unlike Linda. As the announcement ended, she imagined her stepsisters pushing each other out of the way for Antonio. The visual was in bright color. Charlotte shook her head. “That is crazy.”
Jack finalized his section and joined her. “You need to go, and see him first.”
An expensive estate in Sewlicky, where the Carnegies once lived? A party like that would have security and she didn’t want to end up in jail. She focused on the dolls. “I’m not invited.”
Jack stood close, leaning down toward her as if about to impart a major secret. “I saw the invitation Mickey had in her hands when she was delivering cake in the break room.”
Her gaze met his. “So?”
He kept his voice low and placed his hand on her side. “So, it said the Masters family. Last I checked your last name is Masters.”
Technically her stepsisters weren’t as the adoption by her father had never been finalized. Her dad had died first. Her skin radiated anger at not being included but she pulled back and wished that emotion away. “I can’t just crash. Besides, I already have plans with Antonio, on my own.”
Secret Cinderella (The House of Morgan Book 16) Page 3
