“Like it? It’s the latest fashion trend.”
They both chuckled. He held out his hand. “My lady…”
She smiled widely, slipping her hand in his large, warm grasp.
As they made their way through the cabins below, Charlie couldn’t help but ooh and aah over the rich, mahogany wood, gold outfittings, and plush furnishings. Mr. Alexander Royale was definitely living large.
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.
Chapter 7
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.”
&nbs
p; “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!”
Charlie’s middle clenched tightly. The verbal reprimand careened her back to her childhood. To throw her off, she said, “I’m glad you approve.”
The air thickened between them. Her stepmother moved into the room, looking from left to right, scanning every element with her shrewd gaze. Turning back to Charlie, she said, “That’s not what I meant and you know it. Why do you always have to be so difficult? Your snide comebacks and now this, you getting sick after a marriage proposal from one of the wealthiest men in Dallas.”
She reared back, feeling the color drain from her face. “How—”She stopped herself short and twisted to search for Dolly.
Her friend winced, forced a smile, and then said, “Sorry. She called when you were in the bathroom brushing your teeth and changing into jeans. You puking your guts out kinda…slipped out.”
Groaning loudly, she wished she could turn back the hands of time and erase this meeting completely. She steeled herself for bad news; surely, her stepmother would reverse her decision to revamp the store now. Gritting her teeth, she asked, “All right, Stepmother, what is it you would like to say?”
Her stepmother’s eyebrows shot up, clearly not expecting the question. “Marry him.”
“That’s it, that’s all you have?” She couldn’t stop the stunned wonder from entering her voice. What, no reprimand for stealing Francie’s prospective groom?
“You’re a silly twit if you don’t.”
“What about Francine and Priscilla?”
For the first time, she looked away and smoo
thed the back of her French twist. Her lips pursed, and then she said, “He seems to have overlooked them.”
Dawning hit Charlie. Alex had met with her stepmother this morning. It had been about her, not one of her stepsisters. How shocking for both her stepmother and her. Charlie had never thought she’d marry. Ever. The family store had always been her top priority.
“And you don’t care? I mean, him picking me over them?” She knew she shouldn’t have made the comparison.
Her stepmother dropped her hand and straightened her spine. Staring intently at her, she said, “He chose a King and for that you should be proud. You want the legacy to live on, don’t you? Here’s your chance to have all you ever wanted—”She stopped abruptly.
Hope filled Charlie’s middle. She blinked several times, trying to absorb it all. “You mean, if I marry him, you’ll agree to the changes I want to make at King’s? The changes we talked about last night after dinner?”
Her mouth tightened. Finally, she said, “Let’s just say that I have every intention of making a profit in the near future.”
“King’s, you mean.”
“What else could I mean?” she asked, avoiding her stare.
Why didn’t Charlie feel completely comfortable with her answer? Nothing had ever been this easy with the woman who controlled the purse strings for the store. Could she trust her stepmother to keep her word? More importantly, could she really marry Alexander Royale, Prince Charming?
Chapter 8
Charlie roamed his large house with Alex following at a discreet pace. Each room was fashionably decorated with the most exquisite taste in furnishings. Leather chairs, rich woods, and creamy white walls greeted her. But she didn’t feel it was a home, just a building with expensive things showcased. Her mind raced with possibilities of redecorating. Warmth, light, and color, she thought; that’s what the place needed.
She entered his cozy study once again, feeling welcome here. This room seemed warmer to her. It gave her more of a glimpse into the man who wanted to marry her.
As if sensing her thoughts, Alex said, “It’s yours to do with as you please.” An unmistakable softness entered his voice. “I want you to be happy and feel at home.”
If The Shoe Fits Page 4
