Cinderella's Shoes by Shonna Slayton

Author:Shonna Slayton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: young adult;romance;YA;Cinderella;Shonna Slayton;Cinderella's Dress;fantasy;fairy tale
Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC
Published: 2015-08-31T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Two

Dinner was tense, no matter how many silly jokes Mr. De Luca told. Nessa and Lidka sat as far away from each other as possible, and neither spoke unless directly asked a question.

“Lidka, your favorite,” Mr. De Luca said, holding up a forkful of risotto like a toast to her. She smiled but didn’t engage.

After dessert, both girls immediately went their separate ways. Kate started to follow, but Johnny held her back. “Let them cool off,” he said. “Besides, you need to walk me halfway to the guesthouse.”

They held hands and wandered through the rose garden, taking the long way. “Thank you for tonight,” Kate said. “It was quite romantic.”

“Quite,” Johnny said, squeezing her hand. “Although I may have shot myself in the foot, as far as dates go.”

“What? Why?” Because we fought?

“How am I going to top a picnic overlooking an Italian meadow while we gaze at the moon and eat cheese?”

Kate laughed. “I dare you to top it.”

“Oh, you don’t think I can? All right, Kate Allen. You’re on. I’ll start working on it now. So you best turn yourself around right here and go back to the villa. I’ve got some thinking to do.” He spun her and gave her a little push.

She turned back. “You might want to work on a better ending,” she said, frowning. “This one is lacking.”

“Oh, you mean something like this?” He kissed her forehead.

She nodded.

“Or something like this?” He kissed her cheek.

“Better.”

“Okay. I’ll work on it, then,” he said, backing away. “Good night, Kate.”

“Hey!”

Johnny laughed. He stepped forward and cupped her face with his hand, kissing her properly this time, until she could feel it down in her toes. “Good night.”

Kate wandered back through the roses and ended up at the patio. She wasn’t ready to go inside yet, so she sat down in one of the lounge chairs to watch the stars and do some thinking of her own.

“Have a good evening?” Lidka asked out of the dark. She was lying on a lounge in the darkest corner of the patio, as if she were waiting for Kate.

Kate leaned forward. “You startled me. Yes, it was a special evening.” Kate lay back.

“I am glad, but do not let the boy distract you too much.”

“What do you mean?”

“You came here for a purpose. Do not get distracted. Let me help. Have you not figured it out yet?”

“You’re talking in riddles. Normally you are quite plainspoken. Just tell me.”

“Your babcia married a Burgosov. Do I need to put clues together for you?”

Kate’s mind whirled. Grandpa was a Burgosov? A Keeper married a descendant of the stepsisters? Holy Toledo. That’s the piece of the puzzle she was missing. Aunt Elsie said her mother gave her the Keeper role because Babcia was being too friendly with some of the Burgosov clan. She never said Grandpa Feliks was the one she was talking about. She sat up straight and swung her feet to the solid ground.

Lidka grinned. “I see understanding. There are more secrets to this family.

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