Cinderella Busted (The Cinderella Romances #1)

by Petie McCarty

  “I'll bet you ten bucks right now that you decide taking Lily was a big mistake,” Garrett said, right on his heels.

  Rhett stopped to scowl at him. “I am not betting on my date with Lily, and it's not going to be a mistake. Good Lord, you'd bet on anything.”

  "Only when I'm going to win."

  Rhett and Garrett strode into the ornate, cherry-paneled conference room across the hall where six attorneys impatiently waited around a dark cherry wood conference table that took up most of the room.

  “Good afternoon, gentlemen,” Rhett greeted the group as he took his place at the head of the table. Garrett slid into the chair always left open for him to Rhett’s right. “I apologize for my tardiness. A previous meeting held me up.”

  Whittenhurst sniffed, and Rhett ignored him. “We’re meeting to discuss parcels on the East Coast of Florida, which you—” He nodded at Whittenhurst. “—are trying to acquire for my next golf resort development.”

  “Yes,” Whittenhurst cut in, “and we’ve pared the list to three parcels and feel a site visit to be in order.”

  Rhett held up a hand to stop him. “Carstairs, I haven’t toured sites with you at this preliminary stage in four years, and I don’t see a reason to start now. I’m too busy. These are golf resort parcels, BDC’s bread and butter, and you know exactly what I want and need. You’ve been with me for eight years. Every property you secured in that time has met our needs perfectly, both physical and financial. So let’s move on.”

  Whittenhurst’s lips pressed into a hard line, and he prattled on. “I didn’t know if you wanted to purchase one parcel at a time or all three together.”

  Pompous ass.

  “Can we afford all three?” Rhett matched his icy tone. “Yes, we can. If we don’t develop them right away, we can always sell them later, so press forward. What’s the timeline on the closings?”

  “Two immediately, the third will be delayed.”

  Rhett raised his brows.

  Whittenhurst gave a resigned sigh. “The third property is the last open parcel of coastline facing Jupiter Island that is big enough for a golf resort community, and we’ve met with a few roadblocks, but we’re working through them.”

  “Roadblocks big enough to squelch the deal?”

  “I don’t believe so, but one never knows.”

  “I’ve wanted to do a golf course community in Jupiter since I moved here,” Rhett said eagerly. “Find out, Carstairs, and do it quickly. And I better not hear that Aidan Cross stole one of the parcels out from under us like he did last year. Got it?”

  The ass gave an imperious sniff. “As you wish, Mr. Buchanan.”

  Tammy appeared on the nursery path to the cottage and joined Rob and Lily in the driveway. Lily crossed her arms and awaited the interrogation.

  “She wanted to wait for you to get started,” Rob told Tammy as she caught up to them.

  “I’ll bet.” Tammy grinned and stopped alongside Lily. “So?”

  “Nuh-uh. I go first,” Rob complained. “Is my Porsche all right?”

  Lily rolled her eyes. “It’s fine, I think.”

  She hoped so. After the first half-dozen jerks and bucks, the remainder of the ride had been smooth. She shoved in the clutch at her driveway entrance and coasted to a stop.

  “You think?”

  Tammy swatted him. “What do you care? Lily’s more important than some old car.”

  Rob arched a brow, and Lily took up for him. “It is a Porsche, Tammy, and I did just jump in and take it without asking.”

  “It’s all right. You were just trying to impress the guy,” Rob said grudgingly. “I’m just dying to know why.”

  Lily smiled at her head grower and best friend in the whole world. He could afford a dozen Porsches with his trust fund and never miss the money.

  Rob had disowned his family, which amounted to his parents since he was an only child, when they refused to bless his horticulture career and subsequently cut him off without a cent. Lucky for Rob, his grandfather had left him a small trust fund. Though access to said trust fund came with the single proviso that he had to hold down a forty-hour-per-week job. Somewhere. Luckier still for Rob, his grandfather’s idea of a small trust fund could buy and sell corporations.

  Rob had snatched his trust fund out of his father’s bank, secured a horticulture internship at Bloom & Grow with Lily’s father, and even moved into the little blue cottage with the Fosters until he eventually secured a place of his own. Rob had never left. Lily shared her father and finally got the sibling she’d always wanted.

  “I’m waiting,” her faux sibling prodded with a grin.

  “I’m sorry I took your Porsche without asking,” Lily said, with proper chagrin.

  “Oh, who cares?” He waved off the apology. “Why is what I’m waiting for.”

  “Well, we met in the nursery office. Rhett was looking for Tammy, so he could do his final inspection on the BDC order. I thought he knew I worked here, so I offered to show him the trees. We were having such a good time, and then he asked me out. I hesitated because I feel funny dating customers, but I really wanted to go.”

  “Then I showed up and almost blew the whole deal for you,” Tammy said. “It took me a few minutes to figure out what was going on.”

  Lily groaned. “That’s the bad part. I realized too late that he thought I was a wealthy customer, so I kept pretending.”

  Rob frowned. “You lost me.”

  “Rhett asked me out because he thought I was some Jupiter Island socialite, the kind of woman he obviously dates. If he thought I was just a gardener, he wouldn’t have asked me out. I just know it.”

  “What?” Rob and Tammy exclaimed in unison.

  “You heard me.”

  “That’s ridiculous,” Rob said.

  She shook her head. “I don’t think so, and when he insisted on going back up front with me, I just couldn’t jump in my dirty truck. Wealthy Jupiter Island socialites don’t travel by truck.”

  “And I pulled up in the nick of time with Cinderella’s Porsche,” Rob finished.

  Lily shrugged sheepishly.

  “What was the name of his company again?” Rob wanted to know.

  “BDC is what the landscape architect Garrett Tucker listed on the purchase order,” Tammy volunteered.

  “No, it can’t be,” Rob said.

  “You know the company?” Tammy asked.

  “What was the owner’s name again?” he demanded. “I wasn’t paying attention.”

  “Rhett Buchanan, why?”

  Rob scrubbed a palm down his face and gave a long, deep sigh. “Geez Louise.”

  “What? Tell me,” Tammy pleaded. “I can’t take this.”

  “I don’t think I want to know,” Lily said softly.

  Rob opened his eyes and stared at her. “You might be right, Lil. Rhett Buchanan is the most eligible bachelor on the entire East Coast, let alone Jupiter Island. BDC is a worldwide conglomerate. I know because my father does business with them. Buchanan is the CEO. He’s a billionaire.”

  Lily gasped.

  Tammy hooted. “This is great!”

  “No, it’s not,” Lily said sternly. “I’ve changed my mind. I’m not going.”

  “Yes, you are,” Tammy argued.

  “Lil’s right, Tammy. This has mistake written all over it.”

  “Are you crazy?” Tammy said. “This is what she deserves.”

  “A relationship built on deceit?” Rob stared open-mouthed.

  “I don’t have a relationship,” Lily cried, “and right now I don’t even have a date. I’m not going.”

  “Wait just a minute, both of you.” Tammy held up both hands to silence any interference and turned to Lily. “You liked him, didn’t you?”<
br />
  Lily could feel her cheeks growing warm again. The curse of being a fair-skinned blonde—everyone knew when she was embarrassed or upset. Her cheeks took out all the guesswork.

  “Well?”

  Lily stared at her friend for a long moment, then nodded.

  “A lot. Am I right?”

  Lily flinched under Tammy’s intense stare. She had never lied to either Tammy or Rob and never would. The truth was she hadn’t felt this excited over a guy since . . .

  Well . . . Since never.

  The butterflies in her stomach still fluttered, and just imagining Rhett’s face made her cheeks grow warmer still.

  “I can see by your blush I’m right,” Tammy said softly. She held up a hand to silence Rob. “Lily, you deserve to be Cinderella for at least a little while. You can always tell him the truth later, and by then, he’ll love you as much as we do.”

  Lily wanted desperately to go along with her suggestion. Rob remained silent, and she knew what he was thinking. Socialites considered gardeners to be dirty second-class citizens. His own parents had disowned him for passing on a chance to enter the family investment business and for choosing to be a lifetime gardener. Rhett Buchanan would never have asked her out if he’d known she was the head gardener there.

  “You’ve let this nursery suck all the life out of you for too long. You deserve some fun, Lily. You always make the sacrifices, but not this time,” Tammy prodded gently. “Maybe Rhett is Mr. Right. Maybe he isn’t. But you deserve to have the choice.”

  Rob suddenly heaved a resigned sigh. “She’s right, Lil.”

  Lily stared first at Tammy, then at Rob. He’d surprised her. “Can I borrow the Porsche?” she asked.

  “After I give you those pumpkin-coach-driving lessons,” he said, laughing, “and I’ve got time right now.”

  Lily slid the stick shift into second gear and steered around the corner with a sigh of relief. Rob’s driving lesson had worked wonders, and she only had a little further to go, all of it down residential streets on Jupiter Island.

  She pulled to the side of the two-lane road to call Rhett and briefly turned on the inside light to click numbers. She looked in the rearview mirror, and a face she didn’t recognize stared back—eye shadow, blush, mascara, lipstick, and blond hair swept back in a graceful chignon, held in place with an elegant gemstone comb. Who was that woman staring back?

  Cinderella.

  Tammy was right. Tammy was always right.

  Lily punched in Rhett’s number and turned off the interior light. With the darkness came a jolt of panic. What if he didn’t answer? He was arguably the most important executive on the entire eastern seaboard. Why should he wait around for her call? What if something better had come up? Or someone better? He probably had a hundred girlfriends.

  Rhett answered on the second ring, and her heart woggled wildly in her chest. “I was afraid you’d changed your mind,” he said. “Where are you?”

  Lily felt her whole face pull into a wide grin. He had worried, too. How cool was that? Considering who he was. “I’m sorry I’m a bit late.”

  It was Tammy’s idea to make you sweat, but I can’t tell you that.

  “If I’m still invited, I’m at the corner of Gomes and Estrada.”

  “Of course you’re invited,” he said quickly. “Come down three more streets to Larkin and take a right, second house on the right. I’m out front waiting for you.”

  Lily heaved a loud and contented sigh. The way he said waiting for you made every single vertebra in her spine quiver in unison.

  “I’ll be there in a few minutes,” she said breathlessly and didn’t even flinch at her inability to sound cool and calm.

  Rhett Buchanan was waiting for her, and if his voice alone did that to her, what would his touch do? She felt her grin stretch even wider. For tonight, she was Cinderella. She intended to enjoy every minute and hope Prince Charming didn’t pry enough to find out she was a gardener.

  At least she felt beautiful, arrayed in the brand new cocktail dress she and Tammy flew over to Niemen Marcus to purchase that afternoon. Two hundred dollars’ worth of black chiffon in horizontal tiers with a silver pendant of cubic zirconia stones and matching drop earrings. Tammy had also found a pair of sexy black sandals for her, not too tall since Lily didn’t often wear heels. An outfit worth every penny she had spent.

  “Well, here goes everything,” she murmured and put the Porsche in gear. “Please, Lord, just let me have a good time this one night.”

  She made the turn as directed and found the entire street lined with cars on both sides. The second house on the right was lit up like a Christmas tree, and as promised, Rhett waited in the middle of the front yard. Attired in a navy blue suit, cream-colored shirt, and dark tie, he looked every inch the billionaire.

  Good grief, Lily! The richest man in Florida is waiting out front for you like a high-school boy at a birthday party.

  She forced herself to breathe. Why, oh why couldn’t Rhett be poor, so they could have a chance together? She didn’t want to like him because there could be no future for them. But just looking at him made her feel tingly all over.

  Just one night. Keep telling yourself that, Lily. Just one night.

  She slowed to a stop in front of the house, unsure what to do since there was not a parking place in sight. Rhett spotted her immediately and hand-signaled someone in front of the house as he strode toward the Porsche. A valet jogged to the Porsche, and Rhett reached her side by the time the man climbed in the driver’s seat.

  Rhett slid the valet a bill. “Don’t let anything happen to the young lady’s car.”

  The valet grinned and took off.

  Rhett took Lily’s hand in his. His touch felt warm and confident. He pressed a kiss against her knuckles and smiled. “I’m so glad you came.”

  Her hand felt white hot at the spot where his lips had touched her skin, and she yearned to reach out and touch the spot. She felt dizzy and weak-kneed and couldn’t ever remember anyone gallantly kissing her hand.

  “Me, too,” she said and inwardly groaned at her ineloquent response. “I mean, thank you so much for inviting me.”

  He didn’t move and stared as though he were memorizing her features. She could drink in the sight of him all night, and his sensual gaze did funny things to her heart. Good grief, was this what the poets meant by love at first sight?

  No, no, no. Just one night, Lily. Just one night.

  “You look stunning,” Rhett said finally and stepped back to scan the dress, too.

  She felt the grin explode onto her face, both ineloquent and involuntary. No help for it. “Thank you.”

  Gracious, did he still have hold of her hand? How had she missed that? Without thinking, she squeezed his fingers, and his eyes immediately twinkled, then darkened. He leaned in and gently brushed his lips across hers like a stealth bomber on a strafing run, mission over almost as soon as it began.

  Before disappointment could filter to her brain, his lips pressed again—more firmly now—and she felt the tip of his tongue part her lips. The only other part of him touching her was the strong hand enveloping hers. His tongue gently played with hers, their lips together with only a fine pressure, and the tingling sensuality made her sway. His other hand cupped her elbow as he pulled away.

  “Steady?” he asked softly.

  She nodded, completely incapable of speech or even breathing for that matter.

  How embarrassing.

  “I hope my kiss did that,” he said, his voice whisper-smooth.

  Her chagrin evaporated. She smiled and willed air into her lungs.

  “I wanted to stake my claim before I took you inside and was forced to introduce you to anyone.” His eyes twinkled again. “I remember how you affected me the first time I laid eyes
on you, and I don’t want anyone inside getting any ideas.”

  Shoot me now, and I’ll die happy.

  Her heart bucked wildly behind her ribs, and she wanted to ask, how did I affect you? But no words would come with her heart performing wild-mustang pirouettes and making it hard to breathe again. So she kept silent, desperate to look poised and elegant for this sensual man. She settled for what she hoped was a dignified smile.

  He smiled back. “All right, let’s head inside. Remember, you’re with me.”

  Prince Charming refused to let go of her hand, and Lily trembled with pure unadulterated joy for the first time in her life.

  “Who the hell is that?” Delia Armstead hissed into Garrett’s ear and dug her fingernails into his arm.

  She nodded toward the front door, and he followed her gaze. Rhett Buchanan guided a breath-taking blonde down the three steps into Delia’s massive great room, and Garrett quickly stifled the smile guaranteed to drive Delia’s claws in deeper. Small wonder his boss had trouble concentrating this afternoon.

  Of course, Rhett would argue if Garrett voiced that thought aloud. The man had a mind like steel trap, and you never had to tell him something twice. Rhett Buchanan was the smartest man Garrett had ever known, and he long ago decided Rhett possessed a photographic memory.

  But not today.

  Garrett had been repeating himself ever since Rhett got back from the nursery, and Rhett’s mind had wandered off twice in their conference call with the Rome office that afternoon. Now Garrett knew why, or rather he could see why.

  Delia’s father, Chester Armstead, had cornered their special guest Grant Horning on the far side of the room, and Rhett was slowly working his way that direction, stopping to snag a couple glasses of wine off a passing tray carried by one of the half-dozen waiters Delia had hired for the night.