If The Shoe Fits by Laurie LeClair Page B

let her win.
    She sighed at the heart-tugging memories as
the doors silently closed and she rode up in the gold-mirrored
compartment. Charlie closed her eyes and rubbed the back of her
neck as more thoughts crowded her mind. She had to save this store
for her father. He poured his heart and soul into every last
detail, always putting the customer first on his list.
    He’d often said, “Never forget, Charlie,
people deserve to be treated with the utmost care. We at King’s are
here to serve them. It’s a privilege. They work hard for their
money and nothing but the best is good enough for them. Everyone’s
included, from the man who digs ditches for a living to the richest
woman in the world. We treat everyone with respect, kindness, and
compassion.”
    As the bell dinged and the doors whispered
open, Charlie blinked back tears.
    Her father knew what he’d been talking about.
For a man who’d begun life with nothing, watching his parents toil
away picking up garbage and cleaning houses, he’d never forgotten
what it had been like to have others look down on him. Never had he
done it to anyone else. Nor would Charlie.
    Distracted, she made her way into King’s
corporate offices and headed to hers. She thought she heard voices
from the opposite direction. Her stepmother’s office? She shook her
head, knowing her stepmother never worked on Sundays. The sound
came again. Two distinct voices.
    Charlie stilled. Slowly, she turned on her
heel. With ever-increasing dread, she made her way past the vacant
receptionist desk, the closed doors lining the way, and down the
long, plush carpeted hallway. The double doors beyond her
stepmother’s assistant’s desk stood open.
    A tall male figure, with his back to her,
came into view. Broad shouldered, dark hair, and rich deep voice,
he evoked a deep tug of recognition. She nearly tripped.
    What was he doing here with her stepmother?
Her middle dipped.
    Her stepmother, standing behind her desk,
wore her customary black suit and pinched-lipped expression.
“Really?” “Yes, really, Mrs. King.”
    “I won’t stand for this.”
    “You’re the one trying to renege. More
money?”
    “Additional fees.”
    Entering the room, Charlie remained
unnoticed. She gulped.
    “I’ll tell the press. First, I’ll tell
Charlie.”
    “She won’t believe you,” he baited.
    “Believe what, Alex?” she asked, trying to
keep the hurt from her voice. She failed miserably.
    He turned quickly to her. For a moment, she
glimpsed the shock in his eyes and the color drain from his face.
But he recovered quickly. Soon he flashed a hesitant smile and
jammed his hands in his pockets. “Charlie, what are you doing
here?”
    “Charlotte King,” her stepmother admonished,
“how dare you sneak up on people. I’ll have you know this is a
private conversation.”
    For once, she didn’t counter with a funny
comeback. Staring directly at her husband, she asked the questions
tumbling through her mind. “Alex, what’s going on? Why would you be
talking to my stepmother, of all people, on the day after our
wedding? And what exactly won’t I believe?”
    She watched him closely. He swallowed hard.
Something clouded his eyes. “I can’t tell you.”
    His softly delivered answer only fueled her
curiosity more. Frowning, she turned to the woman stepping from
behind the large desk, straightening her suit jacket. Dread pooled
in Charlie’s middle. “Stepmother, what in the world is going
on?”
    Her stepmother raised a hand to smooth her
always perfect hair into place. “Well, if you must know, I’ll tell
you—”
    “No,” Alex cut in.
    The older woman sighed heavily. “More’s the
pity about the additional fees.” She shrugged a shoulder. “She’s
going to find out sooner or later.” Turning her full attention back
to Charlie, she said, “I’m leaving King’s.”
    Charlie jerked her head back. Never had she
imagined her stepmother would resort to this. “Quitting?” Her mind
raced with