Page 10 of Secret Cinderella
His voice went up an octave as he asked, “You have a date with a Morgan?”
Her face heated but she bobbed her head. “I had no idea who he was when I agreed.”
He came closer and she curled into his protective nearness. She heard the clip-clap of shoes and automatically straightened a toy. It wasn’t Nancy or Linda though, just a customer. Jack asked, “What are you going to do now?”
She picked up the phone and finally read the message… from Antonio. Her heart pattered at his simple words,I’ll call you after 5.
Charlotte put it away and sucked in her cheeks as a means of taking her time. She exhaled while facing the dinosaur toys. “I don’t know.”
Jack finished with the super heroes and the two of them headed to the pink aisle of girl dolls next as he said, “A Morgan isn’t going to want to run a superstore.”
Now that was a truth. Someone like a Morgan would never, ever want her life. Her shoulders slumped. “You’re right. He’s more what my stepmother wants for my stepsisters.”
Jack put the fairy princesses in line. “Do you want Linda or Mickey to have him then?”
Good question. She went to the iconic plastic blonde dolls wrapped in pink to ensure front placement of the bestsellers. “No.”
Jack continued to make sure his toys were all in order as he said, “He’s having a party and they intend to fight over any of the Morgan brothers.”
Huh? She narrowed her gaze. “How do you know?”
He blushed and Jack never blushed. “I know some people who were invited.”
Over the speaker she heard Mickey announcing a sale which wasn’t her normal but at least kept the message professional, unlike Linda. As the announcement ended, she imagined her stepsisters pushing each other out of the way for Antonio. The visual was in bright color. Charlotte shook her head. “That is crazy.”
Jack finalized his section and joined her. “You need to go, and see him first.”
An expensive estate in Sewlicky, where the Carnegies once lived? A party like that would have security and she didn’t want to end up in jail. She focused on the dolls. “I’m not invited.”
Jack stood close, leaning down toward her as if about to impart a major secret. “I saw the invitation Mickey had in her hands when she was delivering cake in the break room.”
Her gaze met his. “So?”
He kept his voice low and placed his hand on her side. “So, it said the Mastersfamily. Last I checked your last name is Masters.”
Technically her stepsisters weren’t as the adoption by her father had never been finalized. Her dad had died first. Her skin radiated anger at not being included but she pulled back and wished that emotion away. “I can’t just crash. Besides, I already have plans with Antonio, on my own.”
Jack brought her to the aisle where Linda and Nancy were talking near the front of the store. He then guided her backward. “If you don’t go, I guarantee Linda is going to tell Antonio the worst about you like she did in high school when you had a crush on Dillon.”
Charlotte remembered walking the halls and every other student pointing and laughing at her. Jack had showed her the blog post where Linda had photo-shopped Charlotte trying to kiss Dillon while Dillon had stared at Linda. That was the day her stepsister had gone on her “never-confide in her again” list. She heard footsteps and jumped in her sneakers to get back to work. “I hated my junior year because of that.”
Jack slipped his hands in his pockets. “So don’t let her do it again.”
Then and now Jack had ensured no one bullied her. She relaxed like he had her back again and motioned toward the next aisle that wasn’t such a mess; puzzles. They worked fast as she said, “You’re right. I’m going.”
Linda passed them by without a word since they were busy. He said, “Good, because it’s an upscale ball and you need more than one of your cheap Halloween masks from the sale bin at the back of the store.”
Her father had once donated the seasonal items to charity to make room for new but her stepmother kept them to try and sell again the next year. When she was in charge, she’d return to her father’s ways and ensure she ordered whatever the ‘it’ item of the year turned out to be. She pressed her lips together. “I don’t know what to wear.”
He took out his old phone and showed her a website. “Look, my mom uses this website called rent glamour. Rent something and have it delivered so you have an amazing gown without digging into your savings.”
After work, she could scroll through Antonio's phone and use a prepaid card to buy. She finished with the puzzles and hugged Jack. “This is why you’re my best friend.”
He hugged her, enveloping her in his safety net while he laughed. “I’m not going anywhere in your life, Charlotte.”
They left the toy section and headed toward the back to unpack more boxes that never seemed to end.
They passed Linda and Mickey talking about some text Linda had on her phone.
