If The Shoe Fits (6 page)

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
smoothed 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?

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.”

She whispered under her breath, “I haven’t
said yes yet.”

He chuckled. “No, you haven’t. That could be
a bone of contention, now wouldn’t it?”

Trying to hide her smile, she turned to him
with raised eyebrows. “Or we could skip the marriage part
altogether. I could just decorate for you. Get this place spiffed
up, roam the halls—”

“And drive me crazy.” He laughed, but his
eyes darkened to a warm chocolate brown.

She sucked in a sharp breath. Her middle
tightened. He certainly knew how to get to her. All he had to do
was look at her like that and she was a goner. In the back of her
mind, she wondered how many other times he used that look and on
how many other women.

Moving a step nearer, he closed the small
space between them. He brushed back a lock of her hair, his
fingertips skimming her cheek. Her heart skipped a beat.

“Sweet Charlie,” he murmured, his warm breath
fanning her lips.

She shivered. “Alex,” she whispered. “I don’t
even know you.” She spoke her thoughts out loud.

“That part will change.”

“Now or later?”

“Later.”

“What if I don’t like you?”

A quick smile lit up his face. “What if I
don’t like you?” He tossed the question back at her.

“That’s impossible, everyone loves me,” she
said cheekily.

He chuckled. “Even the barracuda?”

She grimaced. “Okay, everybody but her, how’s
that?”

Right before her eyes, his smile faded and
his face sobered. He stepped back. “What about Dexter? Is he in
love with you? Are you in love with him?” The last came out between
gritted teeth.

Charlie swallowed hard. “Yes and no.” The
words stuck in her throat. A wave of remorse washed through her.
She never intended to mislead Dex. Somehow, she thought he’d feel
that way anyway.

Frowning, Alex gazed at her. “Yes for what
part and no for what part of the question?”

Taking a shaky breath, she answered, “Yes he
loves me, in his own way, and no I don’t love him.”

He let out a big sigh and the lines on his
face relaxed. “Well, that’s good to know.”

“What about you? Involved?”

“Hardly.”

“The women in the paper?”

“Dates.”

“And prospective brides.”

“Hardly,” he repeated, this time with a crisp
edge to the word.

She took a deep, shuttering breath. “Why
me?”

He hesitated. “You’re the only one I
wanted.”

The low timber of his voice and the darkening
of his eyes tugged at her middle. Her breath came in short, shallow
puffs. “I…I don’t know what to say.”

A smile twitched at the corner of his mouth.
“Yes would be the preferred choice.”

Chuckling, she shook her head. “You are
persistent.”

Just then she heard footsteps coming toward
them. “Oh, my, ain’t this something, honey?” Dolly drew near and
nudged her arm. “Edward’s been showing me around. He’s a teddy
bear.” She winked and made a low sound in her throat. “I can’t wait
to get started. You gotta see the kitchen. It’s to die for.”

Charlie looked at Alex. His long, lingering
gaze sent warmth through her. He whispered, “It’s to die for.”

“The house or you?” she asked under her
breath.

“Me, of course.”

She chuckled. Out of the corner of her eye,
she noticed Dolly motioning to Alex. Her friend slipped something
into the drawer of a small table nestled between two chairs. He
looked puzzled.

Dolly straightened. She smoothed her hands
over her pretty blue dress. She glanced from Charlie to Alex and
back to Charlie again. “I’m interrupting you two love-birds, ain’t
I?”

“Yes,” Alex said.

“No,” Charlie said.

“Tell you what, Mr. R., if it’s okay with
you, I’ll just whip up something quick for dinner while you and
Miss Charlie finish the details.”

Turning quickly to her friend, she said,
“Dolly!”

“No need to thank me, honey.” She winked
again and rushed out of the room.

“Shall we?” Alex asked, waving a hand to the
chairs flanking the small table.

Her heartbeat quickened.

Moving across the room, she felt a sharp
pang. His study brought back a rush of sweet memories of her
father’s drawing room. Rows and rows of leather-bound books on the
shelves, a large oak desk with his papers neatly stacked in the
center…

Sitting in the deep leather chair, Charlie
felt instantly at home. She tried to shake off the piercing ache of
need shooting through her, but she failed miserably.

She’d never had any longings for anything
remotely close to a long-term relationship, never mind a
marriage.

The more time she spent with Alex, the more
glimpses she had of what she could have: a husband, a marriage,
eventually children. And the more her heart tugged for what she
thought she never wanted.

Perched on the edge of the chair, she twisted
to him as he sat back in the matching chair on the other side of
the small, round chess table.

Arching an eyebrow, he nodded to her.

“Why me first?” She sounded childish to her
own ears.

“I already know what I want.”

His dark, hungry gaze made her shiver. There
was something about him that drew her to him and that made her toss
out all her tried and true rules when it came to men. “Me,” she
whispered huskily.

“Exactly.”

She knew what she wanted: King’s Department
Store to be saved, refurbished, expanded, to not just survive, but
thrive. Recalling her stepmother’s visit, she realized that to do
the barracuda’s bidding by marrying this man would also give
Charlie what she wanted. But at what price?

Then she thought of Dolly, her friend and
confidante. Deep down, she realized that her friend would forfeit
this dream job if Charlie turned Alex down. Dolly had given up
other opportunities in the past just to stay close to her. Didn’t
Dolly deserve a better life?

And she envisioned sales diving even lower
and her friends being laid off. How could she do that to them?

In a flash, Charlie saw her own future
stretch out in front of her. Long days at the office, struggling
for changes at King’s, battles with her stepmother each step of the
way, countless meetings to sway the right people in the right
places… It all seemed so bleak. So lonely.

Maybe all the fighting would still end with
the same bleak results. Permanent closure of the store. It felt
like another death to Charlie.

But if she accepted, then her stepmother
guaranteed high profits for King’s. That could only mean one thing
to Charlie: Update the old and expand into other markets.

As she contemplated her answer, she could
feel Alex’s strong, steady gaze on her face. She was certain he
read every mixed emotion that coursed through her body.

She peeked at him from under her lashes. A
stranger. From the little she knew, he was all business, proper and
stiff. Maybe if she got to know him, she’d be able to decide. Does
he have any fun, she wondered.

“What’s your favorite color?”

His eyes registered surprise, but the pat
answer seemed to roll off his tongue. “Anything you’re
wearing.”

She groaned. “That’s cheesy.”

“Cheesy?”

“And fake,” she added. She rose and slowly
wandered the room, trailing a hand over the back of the leather
couch. She halted in front of the unlit fireplace.

***

Alexander Royale gulped. Never in his life
had he been remotely called fake before. Was it getting warm in
here? “Turquoise.”

Frowning, she cocked her head to the side as
she stared at him. “Not green or blue? Turquoise?” she asked,
sounding intrigued.

He hadn’t opened up and revealed himself to
any woman before. The cost had been too high. He’d shielded his
heart for so long. Now he let out a shaky breath and prayed he was
doing the right thing.

“Close your eyes and imagine,” he said
softly. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “It’s quiet
except for the gentle lap of water hitting the beach. Your bare
toes curl in the warm, powdery white sand. A slight breeze caresses
your body, lifting your hair, teasing it. The sun kisses your skin,
stealing into every part of you, reaching out and heating all the
cold spots deep, deep in your middle. You breathe in. The tang of
salt hangs in the air and you can almost taste it on your lips.
Ever so slowly you open your eyes. Before you is the most beautiful
sight you’ve ever seen. Sun-sparkling water stretching for miles
and miles, the color of—”

“Turquoise,” they said it in unison.

He opened his eyes and couldn’t mistake the
dreamy look in hers.

She sighed. “Heavenly.”

No, you are
. “Yes, just like you’d
imagine heaven would offer.”

“Your island home.” It wasn’t a question.

He nodded. Had he exposed too much of
himself? A tinge of heat crawled up the back of his neck.

Gazing at her, he realized gone was the
guarded yet questioning stare. Her caramel-colored eyes seemed to
sparkle.

The awkward tension seeped out of the
atmosphere. Electricity crackled. His heart thudded in his chest.
He dropped his gaze to her mouth. Oh, how he wanted to taste her
lips.

She walked back to the chair and eased into
it, facing him.

“So, Alex,” she asked in a low, sexy voice,
“are you a betting man?”

“I wouldn’t be in the place I am today if I
weren’t.”

“Professionally or personally?”

“Both.” He liked the way her scent drifted to
him, soft and feminine yet all Charlie.

She giggled. His heart jumped. “How did I
know you were going to say that?”

Was she poking fun at him? He smiled, not
caring.

“Got any cards around here?”

He stilled for a moment. Then, trying to keep
a relaxed attitude, he waved to the small table between them. “In
there. Why?”

“We’ll let the cards decide our fate.”

“New Age stuff?” He couldn’t disguise the
mixture of surprise and disappointment.