Page 59 of Isabella and the Slipper

Chase sat back in his chair and laughed. “You’re kidding me.”

Isabella grinned. “Scout’s honor.”

“You were never a Scout.”

“You’re right, but I swear like one.”

He laughed and wondered if it was possible to fall for a girl so quickly. He’d only known her for a little over a week, but her wit and charm were like a magnet. He wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss away all her pain. All the hurt from her stepmother. He sobered.

“I’d better get you back to the gallery before your stepmother notices you’re not there.”

She stood and began picking up the trash. “Good idea.”

Isabella convinced Chase to drop her off and let her finish with the website on her own. She didn’t want to get caught with him there.

After she walked inside, Leilani cornered her. “Ooh, girl, you’ve been holding out on me. Do tell all. Was that the actor Delilah’s been talking about?”

Isabella groaned and put her head in her hands. “Yes,” she mumbled into her fingers.

Leilani shook her shoulder. “He’s smokin’ hot! And he likes you, doesn’t he?”

That was complicated. She told Leilani the whole story. “He likes Five. Not me. He’d be disappointed if he found out I was actually Five.”

A skeptical look crossed Leilani’s face. “Are you sure?”

“He told me to my face that he has a crush on Five. Plus, Five asked him to the fall formal, and he said yes.”

“How are you going to pull that off?”

“It’s a masquerade. I could totally show up and he wouldn’t know, especially if I’m wearing Savannah’s wig. But Elenore’s got me working that night, so there goes that idea.”

Leilani waved that away. “Nonsense. You come here next Saturday. After the gala starts, I’ll cover for you. Elenore is always busy brownnosing the rich folks and drinking too much. She won’t even notice you’re gone.”

Could that work?

Isabella tried not to get her hopes up. “Maybe.”

“Girl, you had better go to the dance with that handsome young man, or someone else will scoop him up.”

Honestly, Isabella wasn’t sure why he wasn’t already involved with someone. He was uber-popular at school. At lunch, he sat at one of the cheerleading tables. He was inmovies, for heaven’s sake. She knew he had dated girls at school. She was baffled he wasn’t with anyone right now.

Isabella finished putting all of Delilah’s art on the sales floor. Just as she was pulling out her camera to take photos for the website, a text came through on her phone.

Are you too busy to chat?

She sat down in the office and responded,No, I can take a break. What’s up?

I just miss you.

His words almost made her want to cry. He missed talking to her, and yet he didn’t even realize he’d spent the afternoon with her. She blinked back her emotions.

Man, what was wrong with her? A silly crush and she goes all haywire. Why couldn’t she get her feelings under control?

I miss you, too.

I have an idea. Why don’t you sneak out tonight and see me?

Her heartbeat sped up just thinking about it.Funny.

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