If The Shoe Fits by Judi Fennell Read Free Book Online Page B

was not for her. She was going somewhere. And with someone. Preferably Mr. Tall and
Gorgeous with the car.
    Drew waved to Nicky Napoli and ditched her. As
if that was such a loss. The last thing Staci cared about
was being abandoned for some pumped-up, undershirt-wearing,
beer-swilling, ‘roided-out deadbeat.
    Seeing her stepsister’s ponytail disappear
into the kitchen, Staci headed that way, trying desperately not to
touch any of the locals. She shrank against a booth as wayward
hands dripping with syrup attached to a three-year-old danced past
her. She skirted around a mountain of a man overflowing one of the
tiny chairs, his lips smacking as he licked each of his fingers.
Staci covered her mouth to keep her own breakfast down. Once past
that obstacle, she saw Mrs. Angelelli step back to allow her to
pass, a tiny smirk on the woman’s face.
    As if Staci cared that the
distaste was a two-way street. As soon as she found out what Bella
knew, she was out of here.
     
    ***
     
    Bella popped out from the kitchen and caught
sight of Staci. She sucked in her breath. Both stepsisters seeking
her out in two days? Something was up in the heavens— not that she hadn’t figured that out about two seconds into that kiss
with Reese—
    She would not think about that.
Especially not around Staci. If the girl got even a whiff of
Bella’s interest in a guy, it’d be all over. Staci’s mission in
life seemed to be to make her life miserable and she’d stolen more
than one boyfriend. True, it’d been in high school when what Staci
had been willing to do went a lot farther with boys than
hand-holding on the front porch, but Bella wasn’t about to test the
theory when it came to Reese.
    Of course, the fact that she shouldn’t be
interested in Reese should play a part, too. She still wasn’t sure
how she felt about being second best.
    But a contract was a contract. She could worry
about her injured ego once Sophia was safely away from Madeleine.
“What are you doing here, Staci?”
    “ Some guy outside said he had a
meeting with the caterer.”
    Some guy? Staci must have passed Reese
and now she wanted info. Bella slid past her to deliver another
plate of food and plastered a smile on her face. Staci would never
know that she gritted her teeth behind it. “Yes, well, we’re
discussing Casteleoni’s doing a charity event.” The word “charity”
was sure to derail Staci’s interest. Her stepsister didn’t have an
unselfish bone in her body.
    But Reese’s attraction must have been too
great (as Bella could confirm) because Staci wasn’t giving up. “Oh,
what event is that? Maybe Mother has tickets for it.” The question
rolled off her tongue, sugar-sweet, like molasses in
July.
    Bella gave in; Staci was like a dog with a
bone when she wanted something. “It’s an auction for Community
General. His name is Reese and he’s—”
    “ Reese? Ohmygod. It’s him !”
Staci lost her smug look on the first gasp. “I knew he
looked familiar.” She actually laid a hand on Bella’s arm. That was
a first. “You do know who he is, right? Reese Charmant?” Her
eyes widened, the heavy mascara giving her a heroin-chic look that
was anything but chic.
    Yes, Bella knew who he was—or rather, she knew
who the owner of Promotional Sports was and his connections to the
industry. It was one of the reasons she’d wanted to win the
catering job; if she could hook up with him, she’d get enough
business to fund the custody battle.
    But she also knew from experience that Staci
was going to tell her whether she wanted to know or not. Her
stepsister loved lording anything she could over her—and wouldn’t she just love to spill her own knowledge of Reese?
How he tasted, how he smelled, how he could overwhelm her with a
sigh, and make her tremble with a kiss.
    Probably not a good idea. Staci would only use
it to her advantage and Bella’s dis advantage somewhere along
the line, and feeling those things about him was