by Terri Marie
“What?” Carrie looked very concerned as she, too, stared down at her legs and feet.
“Do you have any high heels?” There was no way this dress could be pulled off without them.
“No, I don’t own a pair. To be honest, I doubt I could even walk in them.” Carrie laughed a little, as she stepped back into the fitting room and took her dress off.
“Time to learn.” Renee grabbed the dress from over the door and pushed the stroller up to the counter. “Get your clothes on,” she called over her shoulder. After paying for the dress, Renee picked out some nude thigh-highs, and then off to the shoe department they went.
“These are really pretty,” said Renee as she lifted a red stiletto sandal. Look how elegant it is!”
“You’re kidding, right? I can’t walk in that damn thing. Look at it! I’ll break my legs in front of everyone, Renee. Let’s go find some matching flats. How about some ballet slippers? They probably make red ones.” She smiled, pointed to some sensible flats, and attempted to walk away.
“Nope!” Renee protested and grabbed her wrist. “What size do you wear?”
“Seven. Honestly, Renee. If we’re sitting at a table eating, no one’s going to notice my feet anyways. I don’t understand why you’re so against ballet slippers or flats.” Carrie’s face was clearly showing her aggravation.
“I wear a seven too.” She asked the saleswoman to bring out a pair in the needed size. When she did, Renee took off her sneakers and socks, and then slipped her feet inside of them. She pulled her pant legs up and slowly walked up the shoe aisle. “You like?”
“Oh, my! Those are beautiful!” Carrie stared at Renee’s feet. “How did you learn to walk in those?” She shook her head and looked for the price printed on the box. “No, no, no!” she insisted.
“You don’t have to know the price. Besides, they aren’t expensive.”
“Did that sticker say sixty bucks?! For shoes?!” Carrie put the box down and refused to have anything more to do with them.
“Look. They’re in the clearance section.” Renee smiled and snatched up the box, and quickly put the sandals inside. The shoes weren’t part of the clearance sale, just near it, and they were ninety dollars, but Carrie didn’t need to know any of that. She asked her to wait with the boys, while she went to the register and paid for the items. At the counter, there was also a jewelry case, and a row of clutches, so a few more items were added to the purchase. She quickly stuffed the earrings, necklace, bracelet set, and clutch into her own purse.
Renee dropped Carrie and the boys off at Vincent’s house. She was exhausted. Running around the mall had always tired her out, but now that she was pregnant, she had a lot less energy than before. She’d offered to keep Carrie’s new outfit at her house, so Vincent would be surprised when she revealed herself. Now she just had to make sure that she kept the dress away from Tyler, so he wouldn’t blab to his brother. She told Carrie to hide the shoes in her room and practice walking in them. By the time Renee was finished with this woman, she’d be the talk of town, or at the very least, the apple of Vincent’s eye.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Vincent walked into Elissa’s office, reached over and saved the file on her computer, before he proceeded to pull her up from the chair.
“Vinnie! I’m in the middle of something!” She yanked her arm back.
“Do you know what day it is?” he asked slyly, while he squinted his eyes at her.
“Wednesday, and I have—” She suddenly stopped and stared at him. “My new car—Oh my God!” Her eyes began to water. “Oh. My. God!”
“Let’s go get it. The dealership just called and said we can come pick it up. Drive your old car there and I’ll follow you.” Vincent winked, helped her put her arms into her sweater, and then escorted her to the parking lot. He fought to remain calm; his insides were ready to burst with excitement.
After her old car keys were exchanged for the new ones, the plates transferred, and all the other final details were taken care of, Vincent stood by the salesman and smiled as he watched Elissa drive off the lot. She was already crying when she started the engine, and he hoped she could see where she was going through her tears. He dug out his phone and called Sean.
“Well, Bro, she drove off into the sunset,” laughed Vincent.
“Sweet! It’s lunchtime, so no sunset. Which way did she head?” Sean returned the laughter.
“The office I assume, but who knows? That girl’s in seventh heaven.” He could no longer see her up the street, so he thanked the salesman and then walked to his car. After seeing Elissa’s face, nothing could ruin his day.
Vincent stopped by Tyler’s office, letting him know he hadn’t heard anything about Robert yet. As he walked past Elissa’s office again, he saw that she was working like a crazy woman; her fingers were flying across the keyboard. He was surprised to see her back at the office so soon.
“And I shall call you, Speedy.” Vincent stuck his head in the door and smiled.
“I’m just so excited, Vinnie.” Elissa stood up from her chair and ran to him. She threw her arms around his neck and thanked him over and over again. “You’ve changed my life, and you’ve given the boys a future they can be happy in. I don’t even know how to express my gratitude.” She buried her face in his shoulder.
All at once, there was a man knocking on the open door. He had a box in his hand and he stepped inside. “Elissa Chiles?” he asked.
“Yes?” Elissa backed away from Vincent, so she could speak to the delivery man.
“This is for you. Have a great day,” he said, while handing her the box.
Vincent tipped the guy and then looked back at Elissa with curiosity. “Well, open it.” He smiled and waited. “Oh, did you want me to go?”
“No, you can stay. After all, these are probably from you.” Her cheeks flushed, while she slid the ribbon off the box. Inside were twelve, beautiful, red, long-stemmed roses. “Oh, wow…” she whispered.
“Red? Okay, whose your secret admirer?” he winked.
“’You deserve every great thing life has to offer. Sean’” Elissa looked up from the card and stared at Vincent.
Vincent gently took the card from her hands. “Well I’ll be damned.” He stepped backwards into the hall, looking for his brother. “Emma’s a vase hoarder. Go grab one, so you can get these in water.”
Elissa agreed and took off up the hall. While she was gone, Vincent strolled over to his brother’s office at the opposite end of the twelfth floor. He tapped on the door before opening it. His brother was in the middle of stuffing his face with chicken Lo Mein, with a set of chopsticks. Classic rock was playing, while Sean flipped through papers.
“Wow, dude, you’re a train wreck,” laughed Vincent.
“Yeah that’s me. Want some?” Sean offered as he held out the quart of noodles.
“Elissa loved her roses.” Vincent winked. “You know…the red ones. Not yellow as a sign of friendship, but red. The long-stemmed red ones. The roses that represent love. Did you know that that’s what they symbolize?” Vincent walked closer to the desk and looked Sean in the eyes.
“So? They’re flowers. They looked nice in the bucket at the florist. I just thought that every girl liked red roses. What do you expect me to do, Vinnie, go grab them from her and exchange them for some puke color?” Sean shook his head and crammed more noodles into his mouth.
“Let me guess. You send red roses to Donna…” He couldn’t help but egg his brother on.
“No, I give her assortments. She likes that kind of thing. Besides, she’s just a kid.” Sean stared up at Vincent with grease on his lips. “Nice try, though, Brother. Now get out, and let me finish what I’m doing.” He placed the chopsticks in the carton and shooed him away with his hand, while laughing.
“If you washed that shit off your face, you might even grab yourself a girl who can look past all of your obnoxious habits.” Vincent pointed at him.
Sean smiled and lifted a napkin up to h
is face. “Yeah, like you, Mr. Lonely?”
“I happen to have a date with Carrie this Friday,” Vincent responded proudly.
“Bullshit,” laughed Sean.
Vincent nodded proudly at his brother, before leaving. He couldn’t seem to keep that upcoming evening off his mind.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Vincent offered to do the dishes after dinner, and Elissa had gone out to take the boys for a drive in her new Equinox. Since everyone was busy, Carrie decided that it’d be the perfect time to get used to her new high heels. She sat on the bed in her room, and buckled the red rhinestone and satin straps over her ankles. They were the most elegant, beautiful shoes she’d ever seen. While holding onto the headboard, she pulled herself up, and stood in front of the floor-length mirror. Wow, I look like a walking disaster, she thought. Her ankles shook with every step she took. This is ridiculous. Carrie sighed and attempted to walk from the headboard to the far wall, but she ended up falling into a heap on the floor. “Shit!” she cursed out loud.
“Hey!” yelled Vincent from the bottom of the stairs. “Are you okay?”
Carrie cracked open the door, hiding her feet. “Yeppers! I was just moving the bed a bit. I dropped my favorite pen behind it. I got it, though!” When she felt he was satisfied with her explanation, she closed the door and resumed her plight. She didn’t do too badly if she kept her eyes focused on her feet, but when she stood up straight and lifted her chin, she’d fall flat on her rear. This time, she’d mistakenly grabbed the bookshelf, and several hard bound classics went plummeting to the floor.
“Jeeze!” She heard Vincent yell again. “Are you sure you’re okay? Do you need help with anything?”
“No, I’m okay. I was just reaching for a book and knocked a few down. I got the one I wanted, though. Thank you!” she yelled back. Her ankles were killing her.
“Nice! Which one did you choose?” Vincent inquired.
Carrie sighed. She quickly scanned the shelf and floor. “This one on World War Two.”
“Oh wow. I’m a history buff as well. I didn’t know you liked that sort of thing. Which series number?”
“Oh my God,” she whispered. She wished he’d just shut up. She was already several steps away from the shelf and the books scattered on the floor. “I’m not sure! I don’t have my glasses on!” Feeling relieved, she slowly and carefully took small steps, while focusing on a black and white framed photo of a tree, which was hung on the opposite wall. Left, right, left, right. When she finally made it, she slowly walked back. Carrie was proud of herself, until she realized that she needed to practice walking on a hard-surfaced floor. She doubted she’d be dancing on thick, plush, carpet.
She slowly opened the bedroom door, peeking up the hall to make sure no one else was upstairs. That was all she needed. Vincent was still standing at the foot of the steps.
“You wear glasses? I never saw you in them before,” he smiled. “Why don’t you grab your book and come on downstairs?” he asked cheerfully.
“No, that’s okay. My stomach doesn’t feel very good. I think I should lie down for a few.” Carrie didn’t know she could come up with excuses this fast.
“Let me know if you need anything, Carrie. Feel better.” Vincent finally walked away.
She waited about thirty seconds or so, until she heard the sound of the television. Very carefully, while holding onto the door frame, she took a short step onto the hardwood floor. Her ankles shook, but not terribly. With her hand on the wall, she took a couple more steps. Confidence filled her and she grinned. She lifted her chin, swayed her hips just a little, and then slipped on the shiny floor, falling flat on her rear. The impact made her body throb. Fast footsteps could be heard running towards the stair case. Panic filled her as she drug her body through the bathroom door, by holding onto the door frame. She had no time to stand, no time to remove the shoes and very little time to get out of Vincent’s line of sight.
“Did you fall or something?” The sounds of him running up the steps made her hurry and slam the door shut.
“No, my stomach doesn’t feel good. I think dinner didn’t agree with me.” This is fruitless, she thought.
“I’ll get you some Pepto.” He was right outside.
She quickly reached up and pushed in the lock. “I’ll be fine. Give me just a minute and I’ll come downstairs.”
While she sat on the cool tile, she unbuckled her shoes, and removed them. Carrie stared at the high-heels with disdain. “Damn you!” She cursed them softly. Once she was sure he was gone, she fled from the bathroom and into the bedroom. She crammed the shoes back into the box, and flung them in the closet. She took a few breaths to calm herself, then opened the door and walked down to the living room in her bare feet. They were throbbing. She sat on the sofa across from him, and smiled.
“Are you sure you didn’t fall?” His face was full of concern. “Your ankles and knees are all red.”
“No, I was just sitting on the floor reading.” Carrie tucked her feet underneath her. In her mind, she knew that this date was going to land her in a wheelchair.
Chapter 14
Renee waited until Brian was with his teacher before picking up her phone. She quickly called Carrie to see how she was doing and to make plans for Friday.
“I can’t even walk in them! We need to go back to the store.” Carrie sighed hopelessly into the phone.
“Oh you’re not giving up, girl. I’ll be right over!” Renee hung up, told Brian where she was going, then grabbed her purse and headed to her car. She didn’t give her one second to object. Even if Renee had to stay there all day, she was going to make this evening perfect for Carrie and Vincent.
When she pulled up in the driveway and got out of the car, Carrie was already standing at the front door.
“Renee, please. Let me get the boys ready, and we’ll take these stupid shoes back!” she pleaded.
“Go get them,” laughed Renee as she walked inside. She said hello to the boys, but they were too busy playing with some toy cars to notice her.
“Here.” Carrie held out the box as if it contained snakes.
“I’m going to put them on and demonstrate for you.” Renee sat down and put the elegant shoes on her feet then stood up.
“Those look a whole lot better on you. You should keep them. I think I’m going to call Vincent and tell him I’d much rather go for a burger…or bowling…anything other than a fancy restaurant and dancing!”
Renee just smiled and shook her head. “Watch me. See how I set each foot down? You can’t take steps like you would in sneakers. Just watch.” Renee slowly walked back and forth in the kitchen.
She removed the shoes and slipped one onto Carrie’s foot and pulled at her to stand up.
“So…I’m going out with one shoe?” laughed Carrie.
“No, but let’s try getting used to the heels, one at a time.” Renee didn’t know how else to break her of the fear. When Carrie felt okay with one shoe, Renee sat her down and placed the other one on her foot.
“Now I’ll kill myself.”
“You aren’t going to fall. You’re going to hold onto me until we reach the counter. Remember to take slow steps like I did.” Renee prayed this would work.
By the time lunch rolled around, Carrie was walking like a princess. She went up and down the stairs and was even able to slowly twirl around.
“See?! You did it!” Renee clapped.
“I don’t think I had the straps tight enough last night. This isn’t that hard. I don’t think I can dance in them though.” Carrie looked down at the shoes and frowned.
Renee began to hum and held out her arms. “May I have this dance?”
“You’re kidding, right? I can’t really dance, with or without these shoes.” Carrie slowly went to her, while shaking her head.
It was a day to behold, but Renee had complete confidence in Carrie by the time she left. She told her she’d make sure the boys were cared for tomorrow and that she’d pick her up at nin
e. She smiled as Carrie looked at her quizzically.
“For what?” she asked.
“It’s a surprise, my dear. We’re going to turn you into Cinderella. Sleep tight!” Renee blew her a kiss before climbing in her car.
As she pulled out of the driveway, she called Tyler.
“What a nice surprise! I miss you,” he answered.
“Honey, I need you to help me with something. Can you somehow convince Vincent to give Elissa the day off tomorrow?” She crinkled her face, hoping he’d say yes.
“Babe, I don’t really have anything to do with that. Is Elissa sick?” Tyler asked with concern.
“Okay. I’ll tell you something, but if you open up your mouth about it, you’ll be sleeping in the garage. Deal?” she warned.
“Can I at least have a blanket?” he laughed.
“Tyler! I’m being serious. I need to help Carrie get ready for her date with Vincent tomorrow night, so I’m treating her to a spa day. She wants to surprise him by looking pretty. Don’t you say one word of this to your brothers…especially not Vinnie. If Elissa stays home, Carrie will be free.” Her frustration was showing through the phone.
“Okay, I’ll think up something. Mum’s the word.” Tyler told her he loved her, before hanging up the phone.
Renee could just picture him sitting at his desk laughing. She shook her head and turned on some relaxing music for the drive home.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Tyler leaned back in his chair and laughed. He could just picture Carrie socking his brother in the gut for getting too close. He knew Vincent was used to women who readily accepted all of his smooth moves, but Carrie was more of a tomboy, and he wished he could be a fly on the wall to take pictures of their date. Tyler stood up and walked out into the hall, while trying to keep a straight face. He knew his brother was in court, so he headed directly to Elissa’s office and slowly poked his head inside.
“Hey, Elissa. Do you have a moment?” he nonchalantly smiled.
“Sure, Ty. What’s up?” She stopped typing and looked at him.
