Free At the Stroke of Midnight by Lanette Curington Page A

care of it."
    "No, Davy, there's too much to do," she protested, but he gently guided her to the
    chair and sat her down.
    He knelt in front of her and slid the long Cinderella skirts and petticoats above her
    knee. "Hey, we've done this enough times to know it helps."
    Olivia leaned back and closed her eyes, allowing his strong hands to work their
    magic on the taut muscles of her calf and thigh. Sometimes, Davy's patient ministrations
    helped when the strongest medication didn't, and his easy personality always calmed her.
    She sighed. "I'm sorry I'm such a klutz--"
    "Don't be silly," he said soothingly. "We'll have you fixed up in no time, just like
    always."
    9

Lanette Curington
    Olivia could have sat there all night and let him massage her leg, but the guests
    needed their attention. After a few minutes, she opened her eyes. "It feels much better
    now. Thank you."
    "No problem." Davy straightened her costume and stood. "Why don't you use one
    of the back rooms to rest a while?"
    She shook her head. "There's too much to do."
    "I'll fill the punch bowl and take it out with the food." He lifted the bowl from the
    table and set it on the serving cart. "If you need anything, let me know."
    "I will."
    She watched him empty jugs of punch from the refrigerator, then pull out trays of
    appetizers from the warming ovens. When he had the cart loaded, he flashed her a grin.
    "You know, I'm glad you ended up with the Cinderella costume. Margot could
    never carry it off."
    Olivia smoothed the tulle skirt. "Me, too."
    "Besides," he added with a chuckle, "she deserves to have to fight that wig."
    "Now, Davy, she's our friend," Olivia admonished lightly.
    He shrugged. "Okay, I won't say anything else...except with friends like Margot
    we don't need enemies."
    He left through the noisy door before she could scold him again.
    10

AT THE STROKE OF MIDNIGHT
    ~*~
    Alone, Olivia shifted her leg and noticed no difference in the level of pain. She
    knew Margot wasn't the best kind of friend, but they had been best friends for as long as
    she could remember. Growing up, they had lived less than a mile from one another on the
    same road. They had shared birthday parties, traded dolls, and faced the unknown terrors
    of kindergarten together. Davy had been there, too, but he was a boy. It was only later
    that Olivia considered him a better friend than Margot. Sometimes it was difficult to let
    go of the past.
    Olivia straightened her skirt again, carefully placing each fold just so. The
    committee had decided on classic disguises for themselves, and Margot had immediately
    claimed Marie Antoinette. They'd had to drag Davy to the costume shop in Memphis.
    She saw the ice white skirt had peeking out from the overwhelming array of
    colorful costumes, and she wanted it even before she had pulled it free and found out
    what character it was. The glittery, white, gossamer fabric bedazzled her, and she didn't
    have to look any further. This costume was meant to be hers.
    "Cinderella!" Margot had snatched the gown from her, nearly tearing the delicate
    material. "I was looking for that."
    Olivia's heart sank and the familiar throb began in her thigh. She must have turned
    her leg slightly when Margot took the dress. "I thought you were looking for Marie
    Antoinette."
    "Was I?" Margot laughed, a high-pitched sound that grated on Olivia's nerves, and
    a sign that Margot was in one of her contrary moods. "Well, I must have changed my
    mind!"
    Margot held the dress up in front of her and twirled before the full-length mirror.
    "Cinderella is blonde and so am I."
    "Only in cartoons," Olivia pointed out, but Margot wasn't listening.
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Lanette Curington
    Margot's pale complexion and light yellow hair washed out against the stark
    white. Olivia knew it would better suit her darker coloring. "Margot, I found the dress."
    "But, Liv, I had my heart set on Cinderella." Margot pouted, thrusting out her
    bottom lip.
    How many times had she given in to Margot's