Read Online Cinderella Busted (The Cinderella Romances #1) by Petie McCarty - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Petie McCarty
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mistaken identity thing is nothing. Tell him in a couple days when he’s really and truly crazy about you. It probably happens to him all the time.”
“I don’t know. I get the sneaky suspicion this may be a very big deal to him.”
“Nah, but your other issue is guaranteed to be a big deal. Maybe you could ease off those primly strict standards of yours and go ahead and sleep with Rhett, if you really like him and enjoy being with him. We don’t want the guy to give up when you set the bar at love.”
Lily turned to frown at her friend, glad the traffic had stopped dead. “I don’t want my first time to be a quick roll in the hay. It has to mean something.”
Tammy flinched and Lily felt a stab of guilt.
“I didn’t mean that the way—”
“I know you didn’t. But maybe you’re making too big a deal about it.”
Lily stared bleakly.
“No, hear me out. You’re making your virginity the Holy Grail of your life—something so perfect, no man will be able to earn the right to partake of it.”
“That’s not true.”
“Honey, it is,” Tammy soothed. “You’re driven about this issue like you’re driven about everything else in your life.”
“You say that like it’s bad to have goals to strive for.”
“Strive for, yes, but not at the sake of all else. Not at the sake of any light and love in your life.”
Lily stared straight ahead at the black SUV in front of them.
“First, it was your grades. You had to be number one, so you made valedictorian. Hank told me how he’d worried about you in high school. He said you passed on any and all social activities so you could study, and any spare time you had, you spent in the nursery no matter how hard he tried to get you to go out.”
Lily felt sucker-punched. “Dad told you that?”
Tammy nodded.
“He needed me.”
“Yes,” she agreed, “but not at the sake of all else. Then you repeated the whole scene in college. Hank said he’d rather you had graduated with a C average and had some fun and made a few friends instead of graduating first in your class.”
“Magna cum laude,” Lily whispered.
Tammy gave her the I-rest-my-case stare.
“Why didn’t Dad say something to me ?”
“He did!” Tammy wailed. “He sent you away to school instead of letting you go to Florida Atlantic University—close by, like you wanted. He thought by going away you’d be forced to make friends.”
Lily winced. “We fought over that, and we never fought about anything.”
“Hank was desperate for you to have some dating experience. Why do think he started that intern program and only brought in guys?”
“No,” she whispered, “he didn’t!”
Tammy nodded grimly. “Handpicked by Hank to attract your interest.”
“Did the interns know?” Lily demanded, aghast.
“Oh good Lord, no!”
Lily blew out a sigh of relief and then chuckled. “Only my dad. A few of them were cute.”
“But you kept them all at arm’s length.”
Lily watched the SUV in front of her change lanes and make a U-turn. “I wish Dad had talked to me.”
“I do, too.” Tammy pressed on like a steamroller. “Then when you graduated you tried to turn the nursery on its ear. I was here by then to see that. You were so driven to make changes to the nursery.”
“I just wanted to improve Bloom & Grow to make it—”
“—the best,” Tammy finished for her. “You were driven to make the nursery the biggest and the best when Hank only wanted it to be—”
“—different and special,” Lily interjected sadly. “I did figure that out soon enough.”
“And Hank was thrilled. He’d be thrilled to see what you’ve done with the nursery today, but he wouldn’t be thrilled to see what you’ve done with your love life.”
Lily frowned at her friend. “What do you mean? What have I done with my love life?”
Tammy threw up her hands. “Absolutely nothing! Hank wanted you to date. To take a chance at love, not sit at the nursery and wait for love to
“I don’t know. I get the sneaky suspicion this may be a very big deal to him.”
“Nah, but your other issue is guaranteed to be a big deal. Maybe you could ease off those primly strict standards of yours and go ahead and sleep with Rhett, if you really like him and enjoy being with him. We don’t want the guy to give up when you set the bar at love.”
Lily turned to frown at her friend, glad the traffic had stopped dead. “I don’t want my first time to be a quick roll in the hay. It has to mean something.”
Tammy flinched and Lily felt a stab of guilt.
“I didn’t mean that the way—”
“I know you didn’t. But maybe you’re making too big a deal about it.”
Lily stared bleakly.
“No, hear me out. You’re making your virginity the Holy Grail of your life—something so perfect, no man will be able to earn the right to partake of it.”
“That’s not true.”
“Honey, it is,” Tammy soothed. “You’re driven about this issue like you’re driven about everything else in your life.”
“You say that like it’s bad to have goals to strive for.”
“Strive for, yes, but not at the sake of all else. Not at the sake of any light and love in your life.”
Lily stared straight ahead at the black SUV in front of them.
“First, it was your grades. You had to be number one, so you made valedictorian. Hank told me how he’d worried about you in high school. He said you passed on any and all social activities so you could study, and any spare time you had, you spent in the nursery no matter how hard he tried to get you to go out.”
Lily felt sucker-punched. “Dad told you that?”
Tammy nodded.
“He needed me.”
“Yes,” she agreed, “but not at the sake of all else. Then you repeated the whole scene in college. Hank said he’d rather you had graduated with a C average and had some fun and made a few friends instead of graduating first in your class.”
“Magna cum laude,” Lily whispered.
Tammy gave her the I-rest-my-case stare.
“Why didn’t Dad say something to me ?”
“He did!” Tammy wailed. “He sent you away to school instead of letting you go to Florida Atlantic University—close by, like you wanted. He thought by going away you’d be forced to make friends.”
Lily winced. “We fought over that, and we never fought about anything.”
“Hank was desperate for you to have some dating experience. Why do think he started that intern program and only brought in guys?”
“No,” she whispered, “he didn’t!”
Tammy nodded grimly. “Handpicked by Hank to attract your interest.”
“Did the interns know?” Lily demanded, aghast.
“Oh good Lord, no!”
Lily blew out a sigh of relief and then chuckled. “Only my dad. A few of them were cute.”
“But you kept them all at arm’s length.”
Lily watched the SUV in front of her change lanes and make a U-turn. “I wish Dad had talked to me.”
“I do, too.” Tammy pressed on like a steamroller. “Then when you graduated you tried to turn the nursery on its ear. I was here by then to see that. You were so driven to make changes to the nursery.”
“I just wanted to improve Bloom & Grow to make it—”
“—the best,” Tammy finished for her. “You were driven to make the nursery the biggest and the best when Hank only wanted it to be—”
“—different and special,” Lily interjected sadly. “I did figure that out soon enough.”
“And Hank was thrilled. He’d be thrilled to see what you’ve done with the nursery today, but he wouldn’t be thrilled to see what you’ve done with your love life.”
Lily frowned at her friend. “What do you mean? What have I done with my love life?”
Tammy threw up her hands. “Absolutely nothing! Hank wanted you to date. To take a chance at love, not sit at the nursery and wait for love to
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