Page 35 of Secret Cinderella
Tears slipped down her cheeks. Her face was hot and she couldn’t look at any of them as she said, “My stepmother was not a good manager but my father told me before he died that he intended to leave me the store.”
Peter’s voice was like a teacher in a cartoon where she couldn’t quite make everything out but it sounded like he said, “I see. The Morgans have a policy of not fighting with each other.”
And then her dreams were dashed. In marrying Jack, her father’s store died. Her heart was stuck in a blender and set to bleed. She jumped out of her chair before she lost total control and embarrassed herself and Jack. “I have to go.”
“Charlotte, wait,” Jack said.
She couldn’t stop the sting in her eyes or how she’d let this all happen when she called behind her, “I’ll be back. I promise.”
Without another word she rushed into the bathroom and grabbed tissues.
The lights above her head at the mirror reflected the trail of her tears. She wiped her face with a tissue from the box and struggled to get a grip.
Jack had tried to help. He’d been on her side and that counted, but his family came first.
His mother always insisted that the family mattered above all else. Then his half-brother had basically said that family doesn’t fight with family.
If only that was true with all families.
Hers hadn’t felt that way.
Her stepmother always kept her in fear that she was about to be kicked to the curb if she didn’t do everything correctly.
One of the bathroom stalls opened. Charlotte cleared her nose and tossed the tissue, hoping to be done crying when she met the dark-haired woman from this morning at breakfast. The one with the stores if she remembered, but she asked the brunette with wide brown eyes, “Are you Aurelia?”
“Si.” Aurelia washed up, peering at Charlotte from behind her brown bangs, then she hooked their arms together. “Let’s get you a flute of champagne.”
They walked out of the restroom together as if they were friends.
Her heart thundered as she needed to talk business, but Aurelia smiled and flagged down the wait staff. Charlotte shook her head. “I don’t need…”
“Sure you do.” Aurelia glanced at Charlotte's engagement ring, then slipped a flute of champagne in her hand and took one for herself. “You’re engaged. The ring is beautiful.”
She gazed at it again and Charlotte did the same. Jack had promised to help if he could. “Jack picked it out this morning.”
“He clearly loves you.” Aurelia sipped her champagne.
Charlotte couldn’t destroy his happiness because of her own dreams to turn the store around. That wouldn’t be very loving or caring. She ignored the jitter that grew inside her as she said, “And I love him, but I wanted to talk to you… about my father’s store.”
Aurelia broke into a fast-pitched talk and her smile clearly indicated she was excited while she said, “It’s going to be so much fun transforming it into an upscale store for women. I’m hoping you can come on board and help make the whole thing seamless. We can even ensure the good employees all stay with us if you help me helm this.”
Her stomach turned. This wasn’t good. If she pushed Jack to help her keep the store the same, then he could sour his relations with his newfound family. And she couldn’t do that to him. Her shoulders fell. “My father wanted the place to be an "everything" store.”
Aurelia tipped her head like she was explaining the obvious as she said, “The everything stores are being assaulted with online shopping. My stores offer an experience of refinement and culture. We even have a nursery and play area where children can be left for an hour so the mother can shop.”
Insisting on her way meant she’d put Jack in a horrible situation. She couldn’t hurt his relationship with his family. They would ensure he had everything he ever needed in life. She’d just bring him down. Charlotte refused to be his burden. She met his half-sister’s gaze and said, “I’ve never been to one of your stores.”
Aurelia waved off the comment like they were on the same team. “We’ll make that part of the training. You and the staff you deem good enough to transition will all be shipped to New York for a week to see for yourself.”
No one losing a job would be great. Talia would blossom in Aurelia’s kind of store. Maybe Charlotte could even barter to get them raises and better benefits than her stepmother offered.
She’d just have to forget her father’s dreams and not freak out. Her future was bright too—so long as she just forgot everything she’d wanted before. Charlotte lowered her glass to put it down, but there was no nearby surface. “You've given me a lot to think about. Look, I have to go.”
Aurelia continued to bounce like she was excited as she said, “We can discuss details later. I’m happy to have you on the team, Charlotte.”
“Right. Okay.” She turned on her heels.
Charlotte found a bar counter to leave the champagne and then hightailed it out of the party. She wasn’t in the mood to be festive. She needed to breathe and then she’d find Jack. She had to protect her heart and just focus on the future. Problem was she didn’t know how to do that and her body began to tremble.
