Read Online If The Shoe Fits by Laurie LeClair - Free Book Online Page A

wonders for you.”
    Dolly chimed in, “Now, we just gotta get a
little makeup on the three of you, and presto, the King sisters are
transformed right before everyone’s eyes. Imagine that.”
    The next half hour went by in a blur for
Charlie. Between her and Dolly, and lots of fun and laughter, they
skillfully applied the lightest of makeup on Francine and
Priscilla, bringing out the warmth of their eyes and the
who-would-have-ever guessed full lips and high cheekbones. Next,
the trio had worked their magic on Charlie, making her hardly
recognizable as the woman staring back at her when she finally
slipped into her white satin wedding dress.
    “Quit crying,” Charlie chided. “You’ll make
me cry.”
    It didn’t help. Dolly burst into tears. “Oh,
you are the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen. If only your momma
and daddy could see you now.”
    Charlie bit her lip and blinked back the
sting of tears at the mention of her parents. “He’d probably be
swiping his forehead with his handkerchief right now as he tallied
up the expenses for the wedding,” she said with a well of fondness
and a hint of a giggle in her voice.
    The others chuckled.
    “You ain’t kidding, honey. Your daddy was an
angel but the last few years he was alive, when it came to money,
he’d count every penny.” Dolly sniffed and then urged them to grab
their bouquets.
    Less than ten minutes later, Charlie made her
way down the grand staircase and through the large, elegant home.
“I have to go,” she whispered to the three women assisting her down
the garden stairs. She couldn’t get a glimpse of Alex yet; he was
at the altar farther in the garden, obscured by the lightly winding
trail.
    “No you don’t. It’s just nerves,” Dolly
chimed back.
    “That’s easy for you to say.”
    “Hah! I’m nervous for you. I could go, too,
but we don’t have the time.”
    “We’ll go for you,” Francine said, elbowing
Priscilla. “Isn’t that right?”
    “How do women wear these things?” Priscilla
asked, stumbling slightly.
    “High heels, honey?” Dolly asked.
    “No, thongs!” she said rather loudly.
    There was a chorus of laughter from the
nearby attendees.
    “Oh, drat, I guess they heard me.”
    Before Charlie could respond, her stepmother
appeared. “Stepmother.” Her voice caught in the back of her throat.
Instead of her usual black garb the barracuda had worn a dove gray
gown. Charlie steeled herself as the woman’s sharp eyes took in
every detail.
    “Hmmph!” she exclaimed at the sight of her
two daughters. “We will have our talk after the ceremony. It
wouldn’t be right to spoil this occasion, now would it?”
    The two sighs flew by Charlie as her sisters’
tension eased.
    “Now, Charlotte,” her stepmother began. But
she stopped herself and cleared her throat.
    Charlie looked closer, getting a rare glimpse
into the woman’s dark eyes. She swore she saw moisture gathering
there.
    “You’re a beautiful bride. Your father would
be so very proud of you today, Charlotte.” And with that, she
nodded slightly and turned to be escorted down the small lane.
    Shock rushed through Charlie. She couldn’t
ever recall her stepmother delivering a compliment without the
backlash of a snide remark. And, to top it all off, she’d known
exactly what to say about her father.
    “Well, I’ll be.” Dolly whistled. “You think
she’s getting soft in her old age?”
    A few minutes later, still feeling the recent
hugs and kisses of Dolly and her sisters, Charlie made her way down
the aisle. The wedding march played softly in the background as she
rounded the bend. In the back of her mind, she recognized the ooh’s
and ahh’s of the people she passed by; however, she held her breath
until the moment she spotted Alex.

Chapter 10
     
     
    Charlie missed a step at the sight of him.
Tall, dark-haired and handsome, he waited for her. His smile warmed
her heart. His gaze captured hers. Her breath stilled. The tug of
awareness