"You need to open the envelope, baby. You can't make a decision without looking at your contract."
"You know the Cinderella fairy tale? I feel like opening the envelope is like trying on the shoe and finding it doesn't fit. If the shoe doesn't fit, I will always work on the farm, I will always struggle to pay the bills, and when will I ever see my prince charming?" he says.
"Baby, you have to try the shoe. It will fit."
"You promise?"
"I do, happily ever after."
25
ASH
A Year Later.
“Your carriage awaits,”Victoria says.
A peak outside the window of my cottage tells me she’s right. The shiny black car with blackout windows that Xander sent for me is parked outside, next to The Duchess.
I laugh at the dichotomy. Both serve the purpose of transporting people, but while The Duchess is my work horse, and my mostly reliable companion who’s been with me through thick and thin, the shiny new car is taking me to the love of my life.
I send The Duchess an apologetic shrug because, for tonight, the black car is my favorite.
“How do I look?”
Victoria does a full circle around me, her assessing eyes looking for anything out of place.
When the invite to the Blackwood Publishing annual ball came through, and I found out the theme was Enchanted Forest, I panicked.
What was I going to wear? It’s not like I can stand at the back of the room like last time, not when I’m dating the CEO of the company and will need to announce the new winner of the Blackwood Publishing Award on-stage.
Luckily, Victoria was around for my moment of panic and offered to help…by making me a new suit. Yeah, that was a surprise because I didn’t know she could sew a button, let alone make actual clothing.
Within a few days, the old library became a workshop as she tirelessly designed and created a dark-green silk suit with hand-embroidered flowers on the lapels and the cuffs of the sleeves.
“I still can’t believe you did all this,” I say, looking at the tall mirror she brought from the house.
“Me either,” she laughed. “But it wasn’t as hard as I expected, and I had so much fun doing it.”
She looks like she wants to tell me something else, but when I go to ask, raises her hand.
“I almost forgot. The girls made something for you.”
She goes to the bag she brought from the house, with her sewing kit in case she needed to do any last-minute fixing, and takes something out.
I’m looking at the mirror, admiring the intricate embroidery, when Victoria places on my head the most beautiful flower garland I’ve ever seen. I’m so shocked, I can’t even speak.
“They said you can’t go to the enchanted forest without flowers on your head,” Victoria says. “I know I’m their mother and will always think they’re talented, but on this occasion, they surpassed even my wildest expectations. They’ve been hiding in their room for weeks, watching tutorial videos on the iPad, and this is what they came up with.”
“It’s beautiful,” I say, looking at the hand-sewn flowers and green leaves, weaving around a fabric covered ring that goes all the way around my head like a crown.
“They also made this boutonniere for Xander. They said if he’s taking you to the ball, he should match you.”
I nod. “I like how they think. My sisters will achieve great things.”
Victoria chuckles. “Okay, he’s waited far too long, off you go.”
“You mean the car has waited,” I say.
