Cinderella Wore Tennis Shoes: A Novella (13 page)

The fairy tale was right, they were a perfect fit. “Hm, I think I’m starting to remember.”

“What do you remember?” Dan asked.

“Why I love you.”

Dan pulled her onto his lap. It was a tight fit, with the steering wheel in the way, but by turning toward the center of the cab, he managed. “You love me because I kiss good?”

“Well, that too, but mainly because you’re a mighty nice prince, when you forget about being a frog.”

Con’s face suddenly filled the semi’s window. Dan leaned awkwardly over and unrolled it. “What?”

“I brought Charlie’s bags out. I thought you might need them.”

“Toss them in, would you?”

Con literally tossed the bags in through the window. “There you go. I don’t expect to see either one of you back at the office for at least a couple weeks.”

“Maybe longer,” Dan said. “And, Con?”

“What?”

“Thanks. You saved me from making the biggest mistake in my life.”

Con grinned. “Anytime.”

Charlie squirmed on Dan’s lap. “About this marriage idea.”

“Yes, about marriage. Did you pack your shoes?” Dan asked Charlie.

“Yes, Cinderella has her tennis shoes.” And more important, she had the man she loved.

“Then let’s go,” he said.

She shimmied out of his lap. “What are the chances you’ll buy me a cat, even if I’m no longer going to be a spinster?”

“Honey, you can have whatever you like. Cats, dogs, maybe even a baby or two?”

Babies? The thought warmed Charlie. She could picture herself holding a little boy with Dan’s colorless eyes and valiant heart.

“I’d like to have your baby, but more than that, I’d like to have your love, because you’ve had mine since that first day when you rode to my rescue.” Before she moved into her seat, she kissed him just because she could.

She could kiss him. She could love him. Dan Martin was hers. The thought sent her heart soaring.

“And you had my heart as well,” Dan murmured. “Only I was too—”

“Dumb to realize it?” she helped.

“Confused. I was too confused.”

“And now?” she pressed.

“Now I know that fairy tales do come true. I love you.”

“So where to now?” she asked as she climbed into her own seat.

“It’s your magic carpet, Cinderella. Gloria will fly wherever you want to go.”

“See, there you go again,” she scolded as she snapped her seat belt in place. “You’re mixing your fairy tales. That’s
Aladdin
, not
Cinderella
.”

“Sweetheart, any fairy tale is appropriate for explaining how I feel when I’m with you.”

“Any? What about
Snow White
? She had those seven little men.”

“Okay, maybe not that one. I’m not sharing you with anyone.” He gunned the engine and began reversing Gloria onto the street.

Charlie stared at the man she loved—her Prince Charming. “You know, you’re right. There is something our love and every fairy tale ever written shares.”

“What’s that?” Dan asked as he shifted into first gear.

“Just like every fairy tale, I plan to have our story end with an everlasting love. You know, the kind that ends with a happily-ever-after on the last page.”

“Sweetheart, a happily-ever-after is exactly where we’re heading.”

It was the perfect ending, she reflected as Cinderella and her nonfrogish prince rode off into the sunset in Gloria.

A perfect happily-ever-after ending in their sights.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Award-winning author Holly Jacobs has sold over two million books worldwide. The first novel in her Everything But . . . series,
Everything But a Groom
, was named one of 2008’s best romances by
Booklist
, and her books have been honored with countless other accolades.

Holly has a wide range of interests, from her love for writing to gardening and even basket weaving. She has delivered more than sixty author workshops and keynote speeches across the country. She lives in Erie, Pennsylvania, with her family and her dogs. She frequently sets stories in and around her hometown.