The Fairy Tales Collection (12 page)

“Ella?  You okay?”

Ella Cinders jerked wildly and took a step
back as her best friend Rowan grabbed her arm.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she said quickly.  She was
staring at the closet in Belle’s bedroom, well technically it was Belle’s and Bennett’s
bedroom now, holding onto the stack of Belle’s shirts like it was a lifeline.

It was a large walk-in closet but even just
the thought of going in there had filled her with panic and brought on the
painful childhood memory of being locked in the dark.

“Here, give them to me,” Rowan said
abruptly.

“It’s fine, I’m just being a baby,” Ella
said.

“It’s no big deal, honey.”  Rowan plucked
the stack of shirts from her grip and walked into the closet.  She set them on
a shelf and returned to Ella, closing the door firmly behind her.  “Come
downstairs with me, Belle’s making us lunch.”

Ella nodded and followed Rowan down the
maze of hallways.

“God,” Rowan said, “I don’t know how she
doesn’t get lost in this place.  We’re going in the right direction, aren’t
we?”

Ella laughed and pointed to the hallway
that snaked to the left.  “That way leads to the stairs.”

Rowan grinned at her and hooked her arm
around Ella’s.  “I’m so happy for Belle.  Aren’t you?”

“Yes,” Ella said.  “She deserves this.”

Three weeks ago her best friend Belle had
started dating Bennett Saxby.  Bennett had just moved back to their small town
after being gone for eighteen years.  Ella knew better than anyone how much
Belle had missed him. 

Belle had only met him once as a child but
he had saved her life that day and she’d never forgotten him.  After his
return, things had started off a bit rocky between them but within a couple of
weeks Belle and Bennett had officially become a couple. 

They were at the kitchen now and Ella
plopped down into a chair as Belle stirred the pasta salad.  There were cold
cuts, cheese, and crackers on a large platter on the table and Ella helped
herself to some cheese as Belle grinned at her and Rowan.

“Thank you again for helping me move into Bennett’s,
you guys.  I owe you.”

“No problem,” Rowan said.  The slender
redhead sat in the chair next to Ella’s and ate her own piece of cheese.  “You
sure you’re ready to be living with someone, Belle-baby?”

Belle nodded.  “Yes.  I know it’s quick but
I love Bennett and hate staying at the trailer by myself.  Besides, with dad in
rehab, there’s really no need for me to even stay there.”

“How’s that going?”  Ella asked.

“Good.  Bennett and I went up yesterday to
visit him.  It’s the first time we’ve seen him since he left.  The center
cautions against family visiting the first two weeks so we waited until dad
asked us to come.  He’s twenty-five days sober.”

“That’s awesome,” Rowan said.

“It really is,” Belle said happily.  “I
know it’s been difficult for him.  He was honest with us about how much he was
struggling, but he still seems to be in a better place.  Once his sixty days
are done, he’s thinking of moving to a sober-living facility for a while.  He
says there will be too much temptation if he comes back home, at least at
first.”

“Where is Bennett anyway?”  Rowan asked.

“He’s over at Duncan’s.  Duncan bought a
new TV and Bennett was helping him hook up the surround sound,” Belle said.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, Belle,”
Rowan said, “but does Bennett even work?  I mean, he seems to have plenty of
money but what exactly does he do?”

Belle laughed.  “Well, he has family money
but he also is a bit of a genius when it comes to investing.  He’s increased
his family wealth substantially with some smart investment decisions.  It’s
allowed him to retire early, as he puts it.”

“I’ll say.  The guy’s twenty-seven and
retired already.  That’s like my damn dream,” Rowan said.  “Maybe I should get
him to teach me some investment shit.  I’m getting tired of working at
Gaston’s.”

She nudged Ella, “Maybe you should talk to
him about investing as well.  It could help you with your business.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Ella said distractedly.

“Ella?  What’s wrong?”  Belle said.

“You mentioned Duncan, that’s what’s
wrong,” Rowan said cheekily.  “You know she gets all hot and bothered just
hearing his name.”

“Cork it, Ro,” Ella said irritably.  “How
many times do I have to tell you I hate that guy before you’ll believe me?”

Rowan leaned forward and pinched her cheek
affectionately.  “At least a thousand more times, sweet Ella.  Actions speak
louder than words, you know.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”  Ella said.

“It means I can practically see your hooch
go into overdrive whenever Duncan Gillis is near.  I’m surprised you don’t
start dry-humping him whenever you’re near him.”

“Rowan!”  Ella said as Belle burst into
laughter.

“What?  It’s nothing to be ashamed of. 
Duncan Gillis is a good-looking guy,” Rowan said. 

“Yeah?  Then why aren’t you sleeping with
him?”  Ella said grumpily.

“Because I know you like him,” Rowan said. 
“Plus, he’s never shown any interest in me.  He likes the girls with the big
boobs and booties.”

“I don’t like him,” Ella said through
gritted teeth.  “He tormented me as a child and – “

“Yeah, because he liked you,” Rowan
interrupted.

“And,” Ella glared at her, “he saw me at
the worst possible moment of my life.”

“Honey, you were seven years old and you
had just been locked in a closet.  You’re claustrophobic, of course it was
going to upset you.”

“I wet my damn pants and he saw it!”  Ella
said.

“So what?  You were seven,” Rowan said with
a shrug.  “You remember last year when the fair came to town?  I told Jim I
didn’t want to go on that damn roller coaster but he insisted.  I peed my pants
I was so freaked out.”

“You did not,” Ella said.

“I totally did,” Rowan said.

Belle, laughing so hard her face was red,
said, “What did you do?”

“I made Jim take me home, I had a quick
shower and then I fucked his brains out,” Rowan said cheerfully.  “He didn’t
care that I had just wet my pants.”

“It isn’t just the whole ‘pants wetting’
thing,” Ella said heatedly.  “The guy’s a playboy and I’m so not interested in
becoming another one of his conquests.  How many notches do you think he has on
his headboard?”

“Probably as many as I do,” Rowan said with
a grin.

Belle laughed again as the front door
slammed and Bennett called, “Mirabelle?  I’m home.”

“We’re in the kitchen!”  She shouted.

He strolled into the room and planted a
soft kiss on Belle’s mouth before smiling at Ella and Rowan.  “Ladies.”

“Hey, big guy,” Rowan said.  “How’s it
going?”

“Good,” he replied.

“You’re finished earlier than I thought,”
Belle said.  “The girls and I are finished unpacking and I was going to work in
the library this afternoon.”

“It didn’t take long to hook up the system
and Duncan had a few errands to run.”  Bennett grabbed a handful of crackers. 

“Well, you’re just in time for lunch,”
Belle said as Ella stood. “Ella?  You’re leaving?”

Ella nodded.  “Yes.  I need to stop at the
post office.  My new business cards have arrived.  I want to drop off some of
them at Dr. Mitchell’s office before I have the weekly Friday night dinner
torture with my stepmother and stepsisters.”

“Ella’s starting her own massage therapy
business,” Belle said to Bennett.

“Nice,” Bennett said.  “Do you have a space
in town?”

She shook her head.  “No, I’m going to do
it out of my home or I can go to the person’s home.”

“Have massage table, will travel,” Rowan
said with a grin.  “It’s a brilliant idea, Ella.”

“You should book an appointment with
Ella.”  Belle nudged Bennett.  “All that gardening you do - it’s bound to
affect your back.”

“Uh, yeah, sure,” Bennett said with a
remarkable lack of enthusiasm.

Ella smiled briefly.  “Anyway, I’m going to
go.  Are we still on for coffee on Sunday morning?”

Belle and Rowan nodded and she smiled again
before grabbing her purse and leaving.

As soon as she was gone, Belle gave Bennett
a gentle poke.  “What was that about?”

“What?”  He asked.

“You could have shown a bit more excitement
about hiring Ella for a massage,” she said.  “I’ve had a few of her massages
and trust me, they’re amazing.  She finds tense muscles I didn’t even know I
had.”

“Sorry,” Bennett said, “but I’m really not
into having my best friend beat the crap out of me.  If he found out I touched
Ella, he’ll have my head on a pole.”

“Technically, Ella will be touching you,”
Rowan said, “so you should be safe from Duncan’s fists of fury.”

“Yeah, well, Duncan isn’t exactly
level-headed when it comes to Ella.”

“God, I wish those two would just hurry up
and fuck already,” Rowan said.  “It’s obvious they both are attracted as hell
to each other.  Why torture themselves?”

“Do you really think Duncan will cause
trouble with Ella’s new business?”  Belle said worriedly.  “I mean, it’s
somewhat adorable, in a caveman kind of way.  It’s cute that he goes around
telling any guy who goes near her that she belongs to him.  But if he starts
trying to beat up men who book her for a massage appointment, Ella really will
hate him.  She can’t keep working for her stepmother forever, not the way that
bitch treats her.  She’s damn good at massage therapy.  It’s her dream to have
her own business.”

“I’ll talk to him,” Bennett said.  “I can’t
guarantee it will help, but maybe if he knows how important this is to her,
he’ll cool it with the caveman behaviour.”

“Thank you, honey,” Belle said before
planting a kiss on his cheek.

* * *

“You’ve got two packages,” Karen said.

“Two?”  Ella stared in confusion at the
short, silver-haired woman who had run the post office for as long as she could
remember.

“Yep.”  Karen had her sign a form before
handing the large envelope and the brown-paper wrapped box to her. 

She took them with a nod of thanks and sat
down on the low wooden bench that flanked one wall of the post office.  She
tore off the paper and peeled back the tape before opening the box.  A smile
crossed her face as she pulled out the glittery, silver shoe with the narrow,
tapered heel.  She had forgotten that after too much wine and Rowan’s encouragement
that she had ordered these for the Centennial Celebration.  She touched the
fabric of the shoe before setting the box on the bench beside her.  The bell
jingled over the door but Ella didn’t look up at Karen’s low murmur of greeting. 
Her fingers trembling, she ripped open the top of the envelope.  She reached in
and pulled out one of the stacks of cards that were held together with a rubber
band.

She stared happily at the business cards
before taking the band off and fanning them out a little in her hand.  She had
ordered them online and she was ridiculously happy to be holding them.  It made
her business suddenly seem more real and a little thrill of excitement, mixed
with a tinge of anxiety, went through her.  She would take some to Dr.
Mitchell’s office and maybe a few other businesses in town.  Hell, she’d ask
Karen if she could leave some here.  She needed to do as much marketing as she
could.

“I like the shoes.”

Her eyes widened and she glanced up as
Duncan Gillis, his thick blond hair gleaming in the sunlight coming through the
wide front window, picked up the box of shoes and sat distractingly close to
her.  He studied the shoes as she scowled at him.

“What are you doing here?”

“Mailing a parcel?”  He raised one eyebrow
at her and she blushed furiously as Karen made a decidedly girlish giggle
before lifting the large paper-wrapped parcel off the counter and carrying it into
the back room.

“Great shoes,” he said again. 

“Thanks,” she replied briefly.

“Buy them for something special?”

She sighed and tried not to notice how the
blue of his shirt matched the blue of his eyes perfectly.  “The Centennial
Celebration.”

“So you’re going to that, are you?”  He
said.

“Everyone in town is going,” she replied.

“True.  Would you like to go with me?”

She gave him a blank look of surprise. 
“What?”

“Would you like to go to the Centennial
Celebration with me?”  Duncan said.  “You already know I’m a great dancer.”

He set the box of shoes on his right side
and slid closer until his hard thigh brushed against hers.  She tried to subtly
move away but she was at the end of the bench and unless she wanted to fall off
the end of it, she was trapped.