Read If The Shoe Fits for Free Online Page B

gather, that store means the
world to her. I think it would destroy her if she knew what I was
about to do with it.”
    “You could always call it off.”
    His chest tightened. “Not likely, Edward.
After all this time, I finally found a woman I’m willing to marry.
So much is at risk here. If I keep my word about King’s, I hurt
Charlie but honor my grandparents’ wishes by marrying and later
producing the heir they desperately crave.”
    “Tough choice.”
    “The business or Charlie.”
    “No, sir, the way I see it is, it’s your
grandparents or Miss Charlie.”
     
    ***
     
    “There now, honey,” Dolly soothed, patting
her on the shoulder. “It ain’t that bad.”
    Charlie raised her head from her hands and
moaned. “You didn’t ever throw up when someone asked you to marry
him, did you?”
    Dolly chuckled. “No, can’t say I ever did
that.” She winked, saying, “But I’ve done some pretty silly stuff
in my day, I’ll have you know. My, the stories I could tell…” Her
voice trailed off.
    “I just bet you could.” She sighed
heavily.
    “Maybe you got seasick, ever think of that?”
She wrinkled her nose. “Or even sick from all that rich food, you
know. That fancy stuff never set right with you.”
    “I wish I could blame it on something else.”
Charlie groaned. “I can’t believe I did that. Of all the things in
the world to do in front of him, that was the last.”
    Suddenly, Dolly clapped her hands and
whooped, startling Charlie.
    Frowning, she looked at her friend. “What?
Did I say something funny?”
    “You like him, that’s all,” she said, holding
her hands together and grinning broadly.
    Warmth spread to her cheeks. “Why do you say
that?” She heard the brittle tone in her own voice and cringed at
the similarity to her stepmother’s demeanor.
    “‘Cause you wouldn’t care a fig if it were
anyone else you puked in front of. Not that Dexter, I’ll have you
know.”
    Her middle cramped again. She raised her
hands to her cheeks. “Dexter?” she barely whispered. “I keep
forgetting about him.”
    “See, if you ever had any real feelings for
the science boy wonder, which we both know you don’t and never
will, you’d have thought of him first thing.”
    She acknowledged the truth. Their commitment
to the store she longed to save created a strong bond and a shared
goal. But Dex thought and felt differently. She didn’t want to hurt
her friend.
    Another realization hit her. “But Alexander
Royale? He’s so unreachable, his world, lifestyle,” she threw up
her hands, “everything. Why me?”
    “Don’t you say those kinds of things. He
coulda had one of them society wives all along. Did he? Nope. Know
why? He’s sick to death of them kind, that’s why. Probably been
offered up on platters to him all his life. He’s got sense, that
one. Why settle for plain when you can have an original,
Charlie?”
    Charlie chuckled, shaking her head. “You have
such a way with words, my friend. An original, you say?”
    Nudging her, Dolly said, “Dag straight, you
are. Ain’t no two like you, I’ll have you know.” The kettle whistle
blew. “I’ll have you some tea in a jiffy. With lots of honey, just
like you like it.”
    A tinge of a smile tugged at her lips. Tea
with lots of honey had been her cure-all while growing up. Tea,
honey, and Dolly.
    “Hey, you know what I was just thinking of?”
Dolly’s muffled words came from the depths of the kitchenette.
    “Oh, no, you’ve been thinking again.” This
time she smiled fully.
    Dolly rounded the corner and stuck out her
tongue at Charlie. “Smart aleck.”
    Taking a deep, cleansing breath, she
shrugged. “Couldn’t help it.”
    Teacups rattled as the maid set the tray on
the coffee table. Scooping one up, Charlie sipped the sweet,
soothing liquid.
    Sitting down beside her friend, Dolly poked
Charlie with an elbow. “The thinking part, remember? Why you and I
will get to live together after all. You his wife and me