Free The Cinderella Seduction: A Suddenly Cinderella Novel (Entangled Indulgence) by Hope Tarr Page A

think him a fool.
    Mona pursed her lips. “Well, we keep retirement hours, so we usually don’t get up in the mornings until around nine. We have our coffee, read the paper, and fiddle on Facebook and e-mail. If it’s a nice day, I’ll pack us a lunch and we’ll take the folding chairs and head to the beach for a few hours. We both just love living on the water, as you can probably tell.” She stretched out a wiry arm in evidence.
    Nick glanced back to Stefanie, busy biting the lipstick from her lower lip. Addressing Mrs. G, he quizzed, “You carry your own chairs from home and back? But I thought the plan called for providing rental-free beach chairs and umbrellas to residents and their guests?” He stared past her to Stefanie.
    “We haven’t quite finished construction on the cabana,” she admitted, shoulders drooping.
    “And the snack bar?” he asked purposefully.
    “Actually, that was reimagined as a food truck—mine.” Her wistful look told him that much, at least, was sincere. “The menu would be— will be—Greek street food—gyros, krokets, tyropitas—all made with heart healthy recipes and ingredients. The idea was— is —to start by having it on weekends and then expanding into weekdays, assuming the interest is here.”
    “It all sounds wonderful, honey, it really does,” Mona broke in. “And once the festival hall is finished, you can maybe set up a food cart inside, too.” Her gaze flickered to Nick. “This year again we drove back to Baltimore for the annual Greek Festival and Parade. The kids and grandkids met us on the steps of our church, Saint Nicholas.”
    “That sounds nice,” Nick said, wondering where she was leading.
    “Oh, it was,” she agreed. “We had a ball.” Smile dimming, she added, “Only my Constantine’s eyesight isn’t what it used to be, so we left earlier than we would have liked to get back before dark. Next year we hope to be able to invite the family out here to celebrate at the new festival hall.”
    Everyone’s gazes veered back to the crater. So far only the foundation had been laid.
    An awkward silence descended. Mona broke it, swinging her gaze around to Nick. “Do you want to hear the rest of my typical day?”
    Watching Stefanie out of the corner of his eye, Nick shook his head. “Thank you but that will not be necessary. We have diverted you from your walk long enough.”
    Mona hesitated. “All right then, I’ll be on my way. Toodles.”
    They stood side by side watching Mona wind her way up the path at an impressive pace. “Would you uh…like to see the taverna next?” Stefanie asked in a pained voice.
    “Is it unfinished, too?” he asked, surmising the answer. She looked so downtrodden that despite the attempted setup, Nick found it hard not to feel for her.
    Turning away to look out toward the beach, she admitted, “Actually it is un-started.”
    Although a generously built woman, she suddenly looked achingly small and fragile, swathed in her borrowed construction hat and boots standing amidst the ruins of her family’s failing legacy. The impulse to reach out to her, to take her hand as she had earlier taken his, nearly overwhelmed him—nearly, but not quite. As her pathetically transparent attempt to deceive him had demonstrated, her allegiance was all to her father. That was as it should be. But Nick too had a father and a family legacy to uphold as well as his pledge—his word of honor—to the mother superior that he would build a new orphanage.
    And then there was that other vow he’d made, this one to himself, to put his player days behind him and be the father Mara deserved. He didn’t intend to weaken, even if his hostess did have the lush, buxom body of an Aphrodite and the most soul-stirring eyes he’d ever stared into.
    Forcing his hands to remain at his sides, Nick shook his head. “I have seen enough. Let us start back and face this fierce traffic of which you speak. Mara will be missing me.”
    …
    Stefanie