If The Shoe Fits by Laurie LeClair

Department
Store to be saved, refurbished, expanded, to not just survive, but
thrive. Recalling her stepmother’s visit, she realized that to do
the barracuda’s bidding by marrying this man would also give
Charlie what she wanted. But at what price?
    Then she thought of Dolly, her friend and
confidante. Deep down, she realized that her friend would forfeit
this dream job if Charlie turned Alex down. Dolly had given up
other opportunities in the past just to stay close to her. Didn’t
Dolly deserve a better life?
    And she envisioned sales diving even lower
and her friends being laid off. How could she do that to them?
    In a flash, Charlie saw her own future
stretch out in front of her. Long days at the office, struggling
for changes at King’s, battles with her stepmother each step of the
way, countless meetings to sway the right people in the right
places… It all seemed so bleak. So lonely.
    Maybe all the fighting would still end with
the same bleak results. Permanent closure of the store. It felt
like another death to Charlie.
    But if she accepted, then her stepmother
guaranteed high profits for King’s. That could only mean one thing
to Charlie: Update the old and expand into other markets.
    As she contemplated her answer, she could
feel Alex’s strong, steady gaze on her face. She was certain he
read every mixed emotion that coursed through her body.
    She peeked at him from under her lashes. A
stranger. From the little she knew, he was all business, proper and
stiff. Maybe if she got to know him, she’d be able to decide. Does
he have any fun, she wondered.
    “What’s your favorite color?”
    His eyes registered surprise, but the pat
answer seemed to roll off his tongue. “Anything you’re
wearing.”
    She groaned. “That’s cheesy.”
    “Cheesy?”
    “And fake,” she added. She rose and slowly
wandered the room, trailing a hand over the back of the leather
couch. She halted in front of the unlit fireplace.
     
    ***
     
    Alexander Royale gulped. Never in his life
had he been remotely called fake before. Was it getting warm in
here? “Turquoise.”
    Frowning, she cocked her head to the side as
she stared at him. “Not green or blue? Turquoise?” she asked,
sounding intrigued.
    He hadn’t opened up and revealed himself to
any woman before. The cost had been too high. He’d shielded his
heart for so long. Now he let out a shaky breath and prayed he was
doing the right thing.
    “Close your eyes and imagine,” he said
softly. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “It’s quiet
except for the gentle lap of water hitting the beach. Your bare
toes curl in the warm, powdery white sand. A slight breeze caresses
your body, lifting your hair, teasing it. The sun kisses your skin,
stealing into every part of you, reaching out and heating all the
cold spots deep, deep in your middle. You breathe in. The tang of
salt hangs in the air and you can almost taste it on your lips.
Ever so slowly you open your eyes. Before you is the most beautiful
sight you’ve ever seen. Sun-sparkling water stretching for miles
and miles, the color of—”
    “Turquoise,” they said it in unison.
    He opened his eyes and couldn’t mistake the
dreamy look in hers.
    She sighed. “Heavenly.”
    No, you are . “Yes, just like you’d
imagine heaven would offer.”
    “Your island home.” It wasn’t a question.
    He nodded. Had he exposed too much of
himself? A tinge of heat crawled up the back of his neck.
    Gazing at her, he realized gone was the
guarded yet questioning stare. Her caramel-colored eyes seemed to
sparkle.
    The awkward tension seeped out of the
atmosphere. Electricity crackled. His heart thudded in his chest.
He dropped his gaze to her mouth. Oh, how he wanted to taste her
lips.
    She walked back to the chair and eased into
it, facing him.
    “So, Alex,” she asked in a low, sexy voice,
“are you a betting man?”
    “I wouldn’t be in the place I am today if I
weren’t.”
    “Professionally or