The Glass Slipper Project (7 page)

A
lex woke up the next morning in a better mood than when he’d gone to bed. He enjoyed a hearty breakfast at a local restaurant called Martha’s. It was usually standing-room only in the morning, but he’d managed to get a seat. “Are the eggs the way you like them?” the owner asked. He was a heavy-set man with pale blue eyes and a blinking habit when he was nervous. He blinked fast now.

Alex grinned, putting the man at ease. “They’re perfect. I’ll be back.”

The owner smiled then hurried away.

“These are the best eggs I’ve ever eaten,” Tony said.

“You say that at every restaurant we go to.”

“My tastes are improving.”

“Or deteriorating.” Alex opened his calendar. “Next month I’ll start some minor repairs on the house. The work with the contractor won’t start until March.”

“Okay.”

“Also, at that time you’ll have two days free for about eight weeks.”

“A reprieve?” He bowed. “Oh, thank you master. And what will you be doing while I enjoy my freedom?”

“Attending this.” He handed him a paper.

Tony read it then frowned. “A course on antiquing?”

“Yes.”

“Do you really need this?”

“No, but I want to learn.”

“But what about the um…” He cleared his throat.

“What?”

“The women.”

He smiled. “Do you think I’ll prove a distraction?”

“It’s happened before.”

“Only once and that was a different scenario.”

“The poor teacher couldn’t get any of the female students to pay attention.”

“I’ll be better behaved this time.” He snapped his fingers. “Oh yes, that reminds me. I have a date.”

“Had you forgotten?”

He ignored him. “With Mariella.”

Tony gave a low whistle. “How did you manage that?”

He held out his wallet. “With this.”

“You paid her?”

Alex put his wallet back and scowled. “No. I have money.”

“You’ll have to be careful.”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t take her anywhere that’s more beautiful than she is. She won’t like the competition.”

“Try to be a little interested in what he has to say,” Isabella instructed as she fixed Mariella’s hair for her date. Mariella’s room resembled their mother’s, but unlike hers, it had an ornate bed, the scent of rosemary and mirrors positioned everywhere. No matter wherever one looked they would bump into their own reflection.

“I know how to handle men.”

“Alex is different.”

“Not that different. I notice the way he looks at me. I’ve seen that look many times before.”

Isabella stood back and folded her arms. “His looks can be misinterpreted.”

Mariella stood and checked her reflection. “You have nothing to worry about.” She held up a hand mirror and checked the back of her hair.

The doorbell rang.

“I’ll be down in a minute,” Mariella said.

Isabella left the room then sent her sister a look of warning. “Don’t keep him waiting too long.”

She smiled. “I’ll be worth the wait.”

Isabella shook her head then went downstairs into the sitting room expecting to see Gabby and Daniella entertaining their guest. Instead, she saw Daniella slouched in the couch, her legs stretched out in front of her with her arms folded and her face in a pout.

“Where is he?”

“Gabby took him into the solarium,” Daniella grumbled. “She made me stay here.” She stood and whispered, “It seems she’s started her campaign early.”

“Great. All we need is a tug of war.”

Daniella flashed a sly grin. “Is there anything I can do? I can be very distracting.”

“No, I’ll deal with it.”

Daniella fell back onto the couch. “Nobody ever asks me for help.”

Isabella left her sister to sulk, and went to the solarium. She heard their laughter before she saw them. They made an attractive couple framed in the picturesque window. It displayed the cool blue of the sky, the white of the snow on acres of land that stretched out to a cottage house in the distance. The house had a lot of property that was rarely used, she was sure the Carltons would find a use for it. She felt suddenly depressed, but quickly dismissed it. She took a step back to knock, but Alex turned and saw her before she could disappear behind the corner.

“Spying on the children?” he said amused. “Don’t worry, we’re behaving ourselves. We won’t play doctor until later.”

Isabella entered the room. “Mariella will be down soon.”

“Alex was telling me about all the plans he has for the house,” Gabby said. “His knowledge of it is amazing. It was built in the 1870s. He can identify the authentic framework and tell what changes our parents made to it. He has wonderful ideas.”

“I’m sure he does,” she said in a dry tone.

“I’m ready!” Mariella announced from the top of the stairs.

“You’d better go see her coming down,” Isabella said.

Alex furrowed his brows. “Why?”

“She won’t come down otherwise,” Gabby said.

Isabella sent her a look. “No, it’s just better that you don’t keep her waiting.”

He nodded, then turned to Gabby, his tone cordial. “It was nice talking to you. We should do it again.”

She slowly lowered then raised her long lashes. “Soon I hope.”

His tone deepened. “Yes, it will be very soon.”

“Good.”

They stared at each other.

“I said I’m ready!” Mariella called again.

Isabella bit her lip to keep from laughing when she saw a flash of annoyance cross his face. “Enjoy yourself, Lex,” she teased as he passed.

He stopped in front of her, towering like a maple tree but he didn’t offer her shade or comfort, his powerful physique and dark brown gaze made her insides do somersaults. “Don’t worry. I plan to,” he said then left.

Gabby rushed up to Isabella and grabbed her arm. “I think I know the way to his heart.”

“Oh?” she said without much interest.

“Aren’t you curious?”

“How you gain his attention is your business, not mine.”

Gabby ignored her. “It’s this house. He loves it. You should see the way his eyes come alive when he talks about it and his voice becomes softer. He really is a very handsome man.”

“He could murder us in our beds and the first thing anyone would say is ‘Yes, he chopped them up and fed them to the pigeons, but he’s such a handsome man.’”

“Don’t be disgusting. I only mentioned his looks because they seem to soften when he talks about the house and his family. Those are his two weak spots.”

“I see.”

Gabby shook her arm. “Aren’t you thrilled? I think I’ve figured out the way to make Mariella’s plan work.”

“I only hope you know what you’re doing.”

She kissed Isabella’s cheek. “Don’t worry. I do. He’s nicer than you think, Izzy. I know he hurt your feelings, but I doubt he meant it.” She rubbed her hands together in anticipation. “Soon Alex Carlton will be mine.”

Five hours later, Isabella sat in the living room trying to pretend that she was not waiting for Mariella’s return. When she heard a car drive up to the house she raced up the stairs not wanting to overhear any mushy goodbyes that might occur. She heard the front door open then close. By the time she went downstairs both Daniella and Gabby were peppering Mariella with questions in the sitting room.

“It was wonderful,” Mariella said taking a seat as though she were a queen granting her public an audience. “He’s a complete gentleman.”

Gabby smirked. “Which means he didn’t try to kiss you.”

Mariella ignored her. “He drove me around an extra two hours because he enjoyed my company so much.”

Isabella glanced at the clock. “I had wondered.”

“It was wonderful. We drove completely out of town and went on little dirt roads I didn’t even know were there. He told me about his travels and all that he plans to do with the house. Now I’d like to rest.” She slowly rose to her feet then drifted up the stairs.

Gabby turned to Isabella. “He spent an extra two hours with Mariella?”

“Amazing,” Daniella said.

Isabella agreed. “I know.”

Gabby shrugged. “We’ll see how far he takes me.”

Tony tossed his magazine aside when Alex returned to the apartment. “So how did it go?”

Alex fell on the couch and rested his head back. “How did what go?”

“Your date.”

He sat up. “Oh is that what it’s called? I thought masochistic pleasures might be more appropriate.”

Tony winced. “But you were with her a long time.”

“I know,” he said slowly. “A minor error in judgment.”

“Start with the good part.”

He sighed and stared at the blank TV.

“Alex?”

He nodded. “Yes, I heard you.”

“You mean there wasn’t a good part?”

“She is very beautiful.”

“Yes, we all know that.”

He looked thoughtful. “She would make a great wife.”

“Yes.”

“If I could figure out a way to zip her mouth shut and keep her from moving, she’d be perfect.”

Tony shook his head. “It couldn’t have been that bad.”

“Do you want to know the first thing she asked me?” He didn’t give him a chance to reply. “Where would our second home be? Would I mind if she had a career as a model. And that if I want kids I’d better start now because her skin is still supple.” He sighed. “At least I know what she’s like and what I’d be in for. I have a date with Gabby next. We’ll see how that goes.”

Tony nodded, but didn’t reply.

That Friday, Alex took Gabby out. He also took her out Saturday and Sunday. When he asked her out again the following Thursday, it became evident that he favored her. Soon they were going out every week. January turned into February. A dozen red roses arrived for Valentine’s Day. Mariella was surprisingly philosophical about his choice. “I don’t care who he marries as long as it’s one of us,” she said. “It’s obvious Gabby is his favorite. I don’t mind. He’s too young for me anyway.”

“By only six years,” Isabella said thinking of how much older she was than him.

“That’s plenty. A man isn’t ripe until he’s past his thirties.”

“He’s pretty mature.”

“For his age, I guess. He’s perfect for Gabby. And they’ve gone out every week for about three weeks now. Izzy, I think my plan has worked. I think we will have a summer wedding.”

As more weeks passed it became clear Mariella’s prediction might be correct. Alex preferred Gabby’s company to any other woman in town. February disappeared under March’s harsh assault, but no one paid attention to the weather. Everyone was excited by Gabby’s obvious conquest. One evening while Isabella was coming down the stairs, she saw Sophia and Daniella heading out, arm in arm. They were already acting like sisters.

“Where are you two going?” she asked them.

“Shopping,” Daniella said.

Sophia looked Isabella up and down. “Do you want to come?”

Isabella met the kind, but critical look with a smile. “No, thanks.”

“I’m paying.”

“That’s sweet, but I have things to do. Remember this week we have to move out into the cottage so Alex can start renovations. I’m glad he was able to clean it up for us.”

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about moving. Alex will hire someone. And you don’t have to worry about being polite about money. We’re going to be sisters soon.”

“You think?”

Both women nodded.

Isabella sent them a curious look. “Do you know something that I don’t?”

The two young women shared a look then Sophia said, “All I know is that Alex really likes Gabby. He told me so.” She opened the door and stepped outside. Daniella turned to Isabella with both fingers crossed and mouthed “It’s working” before following Sophia.

Isabella agreed. With her dear sister willingly in his clutches, she felt determined to find out more about him.

Although Isabella felt she should be glad Gabby and Alex got on so well, rumors about Alex’s generosity made her cautious. Aside from the fundraiser for the nursing home, he continued to spend his money freely about town. Soon word of how he’d donated funds to the local schools and library reached her. These were two places one had rarely seen him when he was younger. It would have been more appropriate if he’d given funds to the cinema or pool hall. His philanthropy also included the town hall, sheriff’s department and community center.

Isabella wondered if he’d suddenly been struck by conscience or if he was trying to buy the town’s favor. And if so, why? When she tried asking others, people were too in awe of him to say anything negative, but Isabella finally found someone as suspicious of his actions as she was: Mrs. Grace at the library.

“He just handed us a check,” she said, her tiny eyes bright with suspicion and her booming voice filling the quiet room. Aside from her degree in library science, she was completely unsuited for her job as a librarian, with a loud voice and coarse manners. She made Isabella instantly regret her decision to talk to her. Isabella lowered her voice hoping Mrs. Grace would take the hint and do the same.

“That was it?”

“I was curious,” she continued in a booming voice, making Isabella wince. “But I wasn’t going to say no.”

“He didn’t say why?”

She shook her head. “He just talked about the importance of the library and how it had been a refuge for him in his youth.”

A man in a tweed jacket turned around from his table. “Shh!”

Isabella flashed a sheepish grin, but Mrs. Grace took no notice. “I’m not going to disagree with anyone handing me that much money. If he said the library was a refuge to him, then it was.”

Isabella raised her brows. “He said that with a straight face?”

“He’s very good at appearing sincere.”

“So you doubt his intentions?”

She shrugged. “What I think of him is not important.”

“Shh!” the man repeated.

Mrs. Grace turned her beady eyes to him. “Would you mind being quiet? This is a library you know.”

The man looked at her, stunned, then slunk away and Isabella decided to do the same.

At Mrs. Lyons’s house, Isabella continued to ponder the librarian’s words. Alex wasn’t doing anything wrong. Generosity wasn’t a crime. Perhaps there wasn’t anything shady about his actions. Nicodemus forced her out of her thoughts by nudging her with his head and meowing when she missed a note. She decided to concentrate on her playing.