The Cinderella Cook-Off (The Feminine Mesquite Book 1)

by Sable Sylvan

  “I’m always going to be with you,” said Herbert. “And trust me, from now on, I’ll leave a note.”

  Alice couldn’t help but laugh.

  “I guess I can forgive you. After all, you did get me a donut,” said Alice. “Maybe I can skip having breakfast in bed and just have it with you downstairs.”

  “Sounds good to me,” said Herbert. He walked with Alice and picked up the tray with one hand, balancing it as they walked down the stairs and he lead her into the kitchen.

  When Alice saw the kitchen, she couldn’t help but put a hand over her mouth.

  “Herb, did you do this?” asked Alice, turning to look at Herbert. The grin on his face told her all she needed to know. She looked back at the kitchen.

  Every surface of the kitchen was covered with flowers. There were too many kinds for her to count. There were sprays of white daisies, dotted with yellow suns. There were bundles of white lilies and cut orchids. There were lacy peonies that looked like lingerie wrapped around stems. There were hydrangeas, big and made up of many smaller blossoms. There was one thing all these flowers had in common. They were white and frothy and reminded her of the snow that had fallen that New Year’s Eve in New York City where they had first met. Every surface was covered with silver foil covered vases full of the boughs of white blossoms, except for the dining room table. On the dining room table, there were white rose petals, so white that they looked like they had been cut out of paper. In the center of the table, there was something special.

  “Is that really─” Alice started asking.

  “The shoe?” said Herbert. “Yes, yes it is.”

  “But how do you have it?” asked Alice, picking up the ratty sneaker. “I thought it was on your desk back in Norway.”

  “It was,” said Herbert. “But, you see, there are these magic things called ‘airplanes,’ they’re really quite ace, you might want to look them up sometime.”

  “But that must’ve cost…” started Alice. “I don’t even know how much.”

  “Trust me. You don’t want to know. At least they sent the concierge with the tux,” said Herbert. “But hey, it’s not every day that a polar gets to propose to his fated mate.”

  Herbert gently took the shoe from Alice and got down on one knee. Alice put her hand over her mouth. There was no way this was really happening. It was truly like something out of a fairy tale.

  Herbert pulled a box out of the shoe. It had been hidden from Alice’s view before. It was small and wooden.

  Herbert popped open the box.

  Inside, there was a plain ring. It had a gold toned metallic band, with line marks, with gemstones set inside, so the tops of the gemstones were flush with the surface of the ring.

  “This ring has been in my family for generations,” said Herbert. “This is the ring I always knew I would use to propose to my fated mate. I know that rings from failed marriages and divorces are considered to be bad luck. Well, you have nothing to worry about with this ring. Since my family’s first recorded marriage, there has been not a single divorce, or case of adultery, or anything else you need to fear. Every couple has been happy, healthy, and fertile. I promise to continue the Scoville legacy with you and never to do the Quincy name shame. The gemstones have been re-set with stones from my family’s treasury. There’s amethyst, lapis lazuli, iolite, citrine, and finally, emerald. Together, they spell out your name. Alice. I had this made after our cook-off. That was when I knew you were my fated mate because I saw a fiery passion in you that rivaled my own. I had no idea you were the girl from the party before, the girl I had searched so hard for. Part of me felt guilty, worried that I was betraying the fated mate I thought I had lost forever. After all, you were the only woman who ever distracted me from the pain of losing that mysterious Rubenesque beauty. There had been nobody I felt a connection with since that first night I lost you…at least, until the first time I met you.”

  Herbert tenderly took her hand in his, and his paw marks were revealed as he held her hand over his palm gently and used his free hand to put the ring on her finger. It fit perfectly.

  “Alice Penny Quincy, will you forgive me for the wrong I have done you, and allow me to make it up to you the only way I can, by serving you as your husband for as long as we both shall live?” asked Herbert.

  “Oh, Herbert, of course, I will,” said Alice, pulling Herbert up. As she pulled Herbert up, Herbert moved his hands to Alice’s waist so he could lift her up to hug her and kiss her at the same time before putting her back down gently.

  Alice looked at the ring. The lines on the rings were not scratch marks. They almost looked like letters.

  “Herb, what do the lines mean?” asked Alice. “I can’t read them.”

  “The ring was commissioned by one of my ancestors sometime before the twentieth century,” explained Herbert. “The runes are Norse runes spelling something in Norwegian, so we don’t forget our roots.”

  “What do they say?” asked Alice.

  “Evig i mitt hjerte,” said Herbert. “Forever in my heart.”

  “You mean, from now on, I’ll always be in your heart?” asked Alice.

  “No, Allie,” said Herbert. “Allie, you were always in my heart. Fate brought us together, tore us apart, and put us back together again. I promise to never, ever lose you again.”

  “I guess it’s true what they say,” said Alice. “Every Cinderella finds her prince. I can’t believe I was lucky enough for you to find me.”

  “It’s not luck, baby,” said Herbert, pulling Alice close and putting his forehead against hers. “It’s skjebne…Fate.”

  Epilogue

  October

  The Quincy Sisters and the Scoville Brothers were face to face with each other again, but this time, they weren’t facing off over hot grills under a boiling hot sun. No, this time, they were in an ornate parlor room, which had a large table covered with food that was catered by the best steakhouses in the county. After all, this was a special occasion.

  So much had happened over the last two months. It had been a whirlwind of activity. After Herbert had proposed to Alice and Alice accepted, they worked on building a life together in Fallowedirt. The house that Alice’s parents had bequeathed to her was not big enough by Herbert’s standards, so he and Alice went looking for what Alice hoped would be a house, but what Herbert intended would be an estate. They found their dream home in the form of the dilapidated Charliehorse Manor, so named for its original owner’s chronic cramps. Of course, it needed a new name, and that’s why they were having their house warming party, which both the Quincy Sisters and the Scoville parties had flown back to Fallowedirt to attend. It was scheduled to coincide with the two-week fall breaks that the eight younger siblings had.

  Of course, there was another announcement that had to be made.

  Alice and Herbert hadn’t told their siblings about the engagement yet. In fact, they hadn’t told anyone. They didn’t think it right to spring the news on their siblings after all the hubbub that had happened over the last few weeks of their summer vacations. Things had cooled down just as the temperature had cooled down, and it was finally time for the heirs to reveal their secret. It was fall break, which lasted two weeks in October. The siblings had all flown in on a Friday afternoon and come out to the manor in a fleet of cars. They had flown in from all over the States and from Europe and were here not just to party, but to work. After all, the hot sauce company needed to start pulling in more money if it was to be a worthwhile venture, and Alice and Herbert needed all the help they could get. Of course, Alice and Herbert weren’t only focused on work. They also made time for each other.

  “A toast,” said Alice, holding up a glass of champagne. “To Herb, for finding this place─”

  “And a toast to Allie for letting me buy it,” said Herbert, holding Alice close by the waist. They clinked their glasses and drank the fizzy bubbly white wine. Alice would’ve preferred beer. After all, this was Texas, but Herbert had insisted on champagne.
Of course, they both agreed on having steaks at the event, filet mignon, rare.

  “So what’s the name?” asked Addison.

  “Yeah, what are you calling this place?” asked Sage, glancing over at Addison with a look not unlike the one Herbert had snuck when he first met Alice.

  “Well, because we’ve decided to work together, we’ve renamed the hot sauce company,” said Herbert. “We wanted something new, something hip, something modern.”

  “The new name for the company is, ‘The Feminine Mesquite,’ “ said Alice. “So we’re naming this house Mesquite Manor. What do you think?”

  “Honestly? Are you sure your grandpa didn’t leave you a dairy because it’s a little cheesy,” admitted Clove. This earned him a firm elbowing and a look from Abigail.

  “Well, ‘The Scoville-Quincy Hot Sauce Company’ is too much of a mouthful,” admitted Mason.

  “Excuse me?” said Savina, a hand on her hip. “Who do you think you are? It’d be ‘The Quincy-Scoville Hot Sauce Company.’ After all, ladies first.”

  “Well, that’d require that you acted like a lady,” said Mason coolly.

  “I can fight you like a man,” said Savina, getting up into Mason’s face…his finely chiseled, handsome, kissable face.

  “Ladies,” said Alice sternly.

  “Boys,” said Herbert. “This is exactly why we didn’t go with either of those names. Although, to be fair, ladies first. It would be ‘The Quincy-Scoville Hot Sauce Company.’ “

  “Oh, please,” said Alice. “Alphabetical order is the standard. Who wants to be standard? ‘The Scoville-Quincy Hot Sauce Company’ is what we’d have gone with.”

  “Those two,” said Savina, turning to look at her eldest sibling and her boyfriend. “I can’t believe that even when they’re together─”

  “They manage to find something to argue about?” finished Mason.

  “Well, I guess that is something we can agree on,” said Savina. Mason clinked glasses with her.

  “Anyways, even though Herb and I get along, we know the eight of you still have…well, let’s say bad blood,” said Alice.

  “Speak for yourself, my breeding is impeccable,” said Basil.

  “Uh-huh, says the Viking,” said Cayenne.

  “What was that?” asked Basil.

  “You heard me,” said Cayenne. There was nothing she liked better than making Basil do a double-take by bringing him down a peg.

  “See, exactly, we can’t go a minute without fighting,” said Herbert. “That’s why we’ve divided up the rooms ourselves.”

  “We thought about putting Quincy girls in one section, Scoville polars in another,” said Alice. “But, one-half of the manor has larger rooms than the other, and we know that you would find reasons to fight over that.”

  “That’s true,” admitted Basil.

  “We realized that placing you all next to one another will hopefully ease the tension,” said Herbert. “That’s why we’re doing co-ed rooming arrangements, as the Americans do.”

  “Excuse me?” said Mason. “You expect us to share rooms?”

  “Nobody said anything about sharing rooms,” said Alice. “When we had the manor renovated, we pretty much gutted it and put it back together again. Now, each pair of rooms has two bedrooms that are the same size. Each pair is organized into a suite. Each suite has a pair of private bathrooms, with one shared room you are free to use for whatever you wish. Turn them into studies, libraries, walk in closets, it’s up to each of you. Or rather, each pair of you.”

  “That’s right,” said Herbert. “You’re all going to need to learn to get together. So, Alice and I, we’re going to be as hands off as we can possibly be. Come to us if there is a conflict you really can’t solve between yourselves, but otherwise it’s time for everyone to get a grip. We want this hot sauce company to do well, and every cog in this machine must fit together, or else the entire operation will come to a grinding halt.”

  “So how are we being paired off?” asked Cayenne. “Are we drawing straws?”

  “We’re organizing you in pairs based on age,” said Alice. “The biggest rooms are going to the eldest. The youngest are getting the smallest rooms. That means it’s Abby and Clove, Addy and Sage, Kai and Basil, Savina and Mace. Your rooms have already been marked with your names, on plaques. You’re welcome.”

  “And don’t forget our offer,” said Herbert. “The email we sent you before was serious. Elijah and Morten had one thing in common. They picked their eldest grandchildren to be in charge of the trusts for the younger siblings. That means that whether or not you get your shares of the Scoville or Quincy fortunes depends on following our pretty reasonable demands. We are not about to play games with anyone. At the same time, we want to ensure that there are fortunes for you to inherit, and give you the skills to manage your shares well. That’s why we’ve come up with a plan. We’ll pay off your entire college and your student loan debts.”

  “If you work for the hot sauce company while you are in college,” said Alice. “Just over breaks, of course. Your studies must come first.”

  “There’s nobody we trust more with the future of this company than all of you,” said Herbert. “So don’t make us regret trusting you. After all, we are going to be a family.”

  “Yeah, once you…wait, what?” said Abigail. “Is there something you’re not telling us?”

  Alice couldn’t help but grin. “That’s right. There’s one more announcement we have to make.”

  Herbert pulled the ring out of his pocket and slipped it onto Alice’s finger before holding her hand out in his, ring exposed.

  “I proposed to Alice after you all went back to your respective colleges,” explained Herbert. “We thought it best to tell you the news in person.”

  “Holy heck, you got engaged and didn’t tell us?” said Cayenne.

  “I didn’t tell anyone,” said Alice. “And now that we’ve told you, we can tell our parents next.”

  “Don’t get it twisted. I’m not mad at you,” said Cayenne. “I’m impressed you could keep a secret for that long, especially one that big.”

  “When is the wedding?” asked Clove.

  “Next year, on our one year anniversary,” said Herbert. “It’ll be right before you all go back to college. Well, except for Abby and Clove, who will have graduated.”

  “Wow, so what’s next?” asked Abigail.

  “Uhm, you have to move into your rooms and make it your own, obviously,” said Alice. “Herb hired movers, so all of you girls’ stuff is in your rooms.”

  “Herb hired movers?” asked Addison, arms crossed. “What’s the game?”

  “No game,” promised Herbert. “Addison, I know that Alice and I got off to a rocky start. I can never take that back. All I can do is, for the rest of my life, try to prove to you, and to Abigail, and to Cayenne and Savina, that I love Alice with all my heart. She’s my fated mate. I’m a polar. You know what that means?”

  “No,” admitted Addison. “I don’t know much about shifters.”

  “Well, that’s okay, I don’t know much about spunky American girls, but I’m sure you’ll be patient with me,” said Herbert. “Because I’m a polar, I can be icy, cold, and sometimes, well, predatory. Alice isn’t my prey. She’s my fated mate, and the only thing I want to hunt down is a future where the two of us can live out our days with the eight of you, my brothers and my new sisters, in peace and harmony. Does that sound okay with you?”

  “I guess so,” said Addison.

  “Not so fast,” said Abigail. “I need to be absolutely sure that you will never, ever hurt my sister again, Scoville.”

  “I love your sister with all my heart,” said Herbert. “I can never ever take back what I did when I first met her. But I promise you, that if anyone ever comes close to making her feel that pain again, or anything close to it, they’ll have me and my whole polar clan to deal with. I’m not just some snot-nosed heir to a multi-billion dollar fortune. I’m from Viking stock. I’
m a frikkin’ bear shifter. That means─”

  “That means that no matter what, no matter where or when, if anything ever happens to your fated mate, you’ll hear the call, and answer it,” said Clove. “I don’t know the feeling yet, but at the same time, I do. It’s an integral part of the shifter identity. It’s something that drives our very core, and Abby…”

  At the mention of her name, Abigail looked to Clove. Had he just called her by her nickname for the first time? And why did she feel as if the man in front of her was much more than an ordinary man?

  “…I promise that the feelings my brother says he has, he actually has,” said Clove. “Inside him is the same fiery passion that drives me. That’s why I know it’s real.”

  “I guess I’m gonna have to believe you, then,” Abigail said, to both Clove and Herbert. “But if you ever, ever hurt my sister again─”

  “Trust me, he’ll have more than Hell to pay, he’ll have to answer to me,” said Clove. “We Scovilles take our fated mates seriously. That’s more than a promise. That’s who we are.”

  “Is it?” challenged Abigail, hand on her hip.

  “I guess you’ll just have to find out,” said Clove, looking over the spunky BBW. They didn’t have women like this where he was from and he found himself liking her fire.

  Herbert looked at Alice while Clove and Abigail had their banter. Alice couldn’t hide her smile, and neither could Herbert. They knew exactly what was going to happen, but did Abigail and Clove? There was no way to know for sure. All anyone could guarantee was that the next few months would be a rollercoaster ride as everyone learned how to handle…The Feminine Mesquite.

  Sneak Peek: “Beauty And The BBQ”

  My dear readers,

  A special sneak peek of the second book in this series, “Beauty And The BBQ”, is coming up next. “Beauty And The BBQ” and the rest of the books from “The Feminine Mesquite” series are already available on Amazon!