Page 18 of Secret Cinderella
Noble goal. Half his class who didn’t want to go work for a big company would want the opportunity to change the direction their world was headed. He put his untouched champagne flute on the bar beside him and got his bearings. His brothers were close but all talking to other half-siblings. Bart, Antonio, Gio, Aurelia, and Lorenzo were that branch of the family, but only some were married and other still single.
Despite all the people, there was only one who captured his imagination. And Charlotte still wasn’t here. He was sure she wasn’t nearby as he knew her smell. “Finish college next year and then figure out how to best use my mechanical degree.”
Bart asked, “Are you dating anyone?”
“No,” Jack answered fast as a red-head came over and introduced herself as Bart’s wife.
Rebecca seemed nice but Jack excused himself to roam the rooms.
The party had hundreds of people and he needed to find just one. Hopefully Charlotte hadn’t run on him without talking to him first. She had to be in this crowded house somewhere.
He made his way to the second floor where small balconies like Romeo and Juliet had in that play jetted out of the rooms, but also made scanning the first floor center ballroom easier to study the crowd with the goal to find Charlotte. Another man his height, but with way broader shoulders, offered his hand while he said, “Hi Jack. I’m John. I know there are a lot of us to remember.”
Technically his birth certificate also read John but he’d never gone by that, ever. He shook the other man’s hand. “Nice to meet you.”
He glanced around the balcony but Charlotte wasn’t here either.
John said, “You seem distracted.”
Heat rose in his face. His actions had never been noticed or commented on before so he said, “I’m looking for…”
“A girl?” John asked. “The one who arrived with your mother?”
He massaged the back of his head but tried not to ruin the style or tug at the clothes, as the bowtie of his black tuxedo clung to his neck. “Yeah.”
John pointed him back inside. “Look, let me give you a tip, if she’s worth finding, you will, but I’d start in the music room as that’s the last place I saw her.”
Charlotte was one in a million. Now he had to tell her that she was the only one for him. He turned to go back in and said, “Thanks.”
He wormed his way around the ballroom where people started dancing on the dance floor. He hightailed it out of there and headed into the next room, searching for Charlotte, but a blonde he’d known all his life bumped into him, and crushed her breasts into his forearm. “JackMorgan.”
The wrong Masters. He glanced around her to see who was in the next room while he greeted her out of politeness. “Linda. Where is Charlotte?”
She rolled her eyes but pressed her hand into his muscles like they were friends and that had never been the case. “Home. She isn’t coming to see you. You’d be better off with me anyhow.”
Wow. He’d never thought this situation would ever happen. Linda Masters had briefly been into his older brother Finn when he’d played football, but Finn had left for college and that was the end of Linda being around the family socially. And professionally, she’d barely tolerated him at work. No one in the next area was Charlotte. “No… I need Charlotte.”
Linda caressed his arm muscle and moaned in his ear like that was supposed to be sexy when she said, “Look, I can help you far better than her.”
No. She wanted his newly acquired money. It was all Linda spoke about at the superstore, and how she’d do anything for a man with cash. He tried to pry his arm out of her grip as he said, “I don’t need help from anyone.”
Her gaze narrowed behind him and then she said, “Yeah you do. I can’t believe it but Charlotte’s here, and she’s talking to Antonio.”
His entire body turned toward the direction Linda had been looking, but he didn’t see Charlotte. His heart raced. “Where?”
Her fingers curled into his like they were holding hands. “I’ll go with you.”
He took his hand away but stayed next to her to see if she gave anything away. “Linda… just point to where you saw them.”
She led him to a small, private balcony that had no people on it and closed the door. “We’re alone here.”
Jack had no time for games and needed to be clear. He pushed his fingers in his pocket to keep from touching her in any way and said, “I’m still not interested.”
She placed one hand on her hip and held his gaze as she blocked the exit. “Your loss, but I think you’re losing your shot with Charlotte too, if you ever had one.”
He moved to go around her and she opened the door, but kissed his cheek.
Linda did nothing for him other than confuse him as to why she was in the way.
