The hag glared at her, then shifted her narrowed stare
to JT. “I have guests to take care of, baby brother. This is your mess to clean
up. Come here, darling Mina.” She reached for the cat with hands that looked
pampered and manicured. “We have people to entertain.” The hag’s face softened as she cuddled the
winged cat. “You are going to be a hit in your costume.”
Without another word, the hag turned her back and
marched down the hall.
JT’s heavy sigh brought Ellie’s attention back to her
rescuer. He shook his head, turning to her with a lopsided smile. His
mesmerizing eyes looked a bit sad. “Sorry about that. Tracye is having a hard
time letting Mandy go.”
She clapped a hand against her chest, sad for him. “I’m
so sorry. Was she your—“
JT chuckled. “She’s not dead or anything. Just out of
Tracye’s control. Darn girl had the nerve to grow up and get her own brain.” He
flipped his cape over his shoulder, took her hand, and headed down the same
hall where the hag had disappeared.
Turning the corner, she stopped, awed. A winding
staircase straight out of Gone with the
Wind appeared before them. She
glanced at him as he paused and looked back at her.
She pulled some words from her head. “Wow, it’s
beautiful.” Okay, so not the most articulate thing to say.
He nodded and looked up toward the high ceilings. “When
I saw it, I knew this was the house for me. And the sellers wanted to unload
it, so I got it for a steal. Tracye’s still mad about it. It’s big, and not
really all that practical, but it’s home.” He laughed, tugging on her hand.
“Come on, we need to get to the shoes before they go on display.”
Watching his cape billow behind him, Ellie followed. His
long fingers surrounded hers, warming her chilled hand. She lightly touched the
smooth railing as they climbed the magnificent flight of steps. This was why
she had wanted to be here at this party. She’d spent her whole childhood
dreaming of what the big house on the hill looked like inside. Now he was
leading her to a closet full of shoes in her dream home.
“Wait. The shoes are going on display? Why? If they’re
collector items, maybe I shouldn’t –“
“No, no. Mandy has dedicated her life to the Peace Corps
now and wants the shoes to be auctioned off. She’s asked that the money go to
kids in Appalachia for shoes, clothes, books.”
He winked at her. “You know, the necessities of life.”
A man that thought shoes and books were necessities of
life. Her heart melted.
He stopped in front of a door and opened it. Stepping to
the side, he invited her into the largest collection of shoes she had ever seen
outside of Neiman Marcus.
As she stood in awe, JT brushed past her and walked
along the shoes all lined up like beautiful chorus girls waiting to perform.
“What about these?” He turned, holding a pair of shining
red stilettos. The light caught them, and they sparkled like rubies.
Her heart leapt in her chest. “Yes.” She thought she
said it out loud but couldn’t be certain.
He knelt in front of a winged back chair, waiting for
her.
She tucked her rain-soaked party dress beneath her and
sat. He took a silk handkerchief from
his pocket and wiped off the bottom of her tights. His warm hand supported one
ankle, then the other as he slipped ruby heels onto her feet.
Oh, she was home.
Gazing up at her, he smiled. “There’s no place like home.”
She gasped. Had he read her mind?
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