Free The Glass Slipper Project by Dara Girard

the door then it swung open and Isabella’s three sisters appeared. “I did it!” Mariella said. “Everything is working out perfectly.” She halted when she saw Velma. “Oh.”
    Velma slowly stood. “I was just going. I’m sure you girls have plenty to talk about. Good night.”
    Once she was out of hearing, the sisters rushed into the room, shut the door and sat on the bed. “It’s begun,” Mariella said.
    Isabella sighed. “What?”
    “Our plan,” Gabby said. “Did you forget?”
    “I’m trying to, but you keep reminding me.”
    “It’s a good plan.”
    “And it’s working,” Mariella said. “I’ve got a date with him.”
    Isabella nodded impressed. “Fast work.”
    “I think I should have gone out with him first,” Gabby said.
    Mariella ignored her. “Soon it will be like before. You should have ridden with us in the limo. It was stuffed with drinks and party treats.”
    “It’s a shame the drive was so short,” Gabby said.
    Daniella piped up. “It also had heated seats and tinted windows.”
    Mariella looked pained at her sister’s ignorance. “Limos always have tinted windows.”
    Isabella shook her head. “I’m still not sure about this. We really don’t know anything about him.”
    Mariella rolled her eyes. “We know enough. It’s a brilliant plan. You’re just upset because it’s not yours. But it will work. Nothing will go wrong.”

Chapter 7
    A lex woke up the next morning in a better mood than when he’d gone to bed. He enjoyed a hearty breakfast at a local restaurant called Martha’s. It was usually standing-room only in the morning, but he’d managed to get a seat. “Are the eggs the way you like them?” the owner asked. He was a heavy-set man with pale blue eyes and a blinking habit when he was nervous. He blinked fast now.
    Alex grinned, putting the man at ease. “They’re perfect. I’ll be back.”
    The owner smiled then hurried away.
    “These are the best eggs I’ve ever eaten,” Tony said.
    “You say that at every restaurant we go to.”
    “My tastes are improving.”
    “Or deteriorating.” Alex opened his calendar. “Next month I’ll start some minor repairs on the house. The work with the contractor won’t start until March.”
    “Okay.”
    “Also, at that time you’ll have two days free for about eight weeks.”
    “A reprieve?” He bowed. “Oh, thank you master. And what will you be doing while I enjoy my freedom?”
    “Attending this.” He handed him a paper.
    Tony read it then frowned. “A course on antiquing?”
    “Yes.”
    “Do you really need this?”
    “No, but I want to learn.”
    “But what about the um…” He cleared his throat.
    “What?”
    “The women.”
    He smiled. “Do you think I’ll prove a distraction?”
    “It’s happened before.”
    “Only once and that was a different scenario.”
    “The poor teacher couldn’t get any of the female students to pay attention.”
    “I’ll be better behaved this time.” He snapped his fingers. “Oh yes, that reminds me. I have a date.”
    “Had you forgotten?”
    He ignored him. “With Mariella.”
    Tony gave a low whistle. “How did you manage that?”
    He held out his wallet. “With this.”
    “You paid her?”
    Alex put his wallet back and scowled. “No. I have money.”
    “You’ll have to be careful.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Don’t take her anywhere that’s more beautiful than she is. She won’t like the competition.”
    “Try to be a little interested in what he has to say,” Isabella instructed as she fixed Mariella’s hair for her date. Mariella’s room resembled their mother’s, but unlike hers, it had an ornate bed, the scent of rosemary and mirrors positioned everywhere. No matter wherever one looked they would bump into their own reflection.
    “I know how to handle men.”
    “Alex is different.”
    “Not that different. I notice the way he looks at me. I’ve seen that look many times before.”
    Isabella stood back and folded her