Page 24 of A Midnight Kiss on Ever After Street
‘And like with all other men I’ve dated, they want something from me,’ I cut her off. ‘I thought he’d be different, but no. He doesn’t even believe in love. Why did he come down here looking for me? Not because he felt anything or because last night meant something to him, but because he liked what I said about the castle and thought I might help it sell. Just business, nothing more.’
‘Well, he can unwittingly help us out too. He wants something from you – your stories about the castle, and we want something from him – his missing Cinderella story. Look at this dress.’ Her fingers brush over the crystals covering the skirt. ‘This is a shining example of what The Cinderella Shop is meant to be. You made it because youknowpeople can find love while wearing one of our dresses – exactly like your mum did, once upon a time. And maybe, just maybe, you’ve found something special while wearing one of our dresses too.’
‘What felt special last night feels like a special kick in the teeth this morning.’
‘Oh come on, that was about way more than how you spoke about the castle, even if he hasn’t admitted it to himself yet. No one would bother hunting down the owner of a shoe just for that. He felt something, Sade, just like you did, even if you’re trying not to admit it. Now come on, we’ve got a lot of setting up to do and a window display to clear. As my mum would say – this is going to be a turning point for us!’
I’ve heard that phrase many times before and it usually gives me an ominous feeling, but this time, something’s sparkling in the air and hope stirs in me for the first time in months. Maybethisis why I was meant to meet Witt last night – because it really, really could turn things around for us.
7
‘I’m off, have fun!’
I look up from the overlocker machine where I’m finishing the seams of the Finnish catsuit with spidery tentacles hanging from the sides. ‘What do you mean, off?’
It’s quarter past nine and Scarlett’s got her bag of hairdressing gear over her shoulder as she heads towards the door, and I realise what she means. ‘Scarlett, don’t you dare! You told Witt to come back today. You can’t leave me to deal with him!’
‘Of course I can.’ She gives me an evil grin. ‘Now you’ve got a chance to get to know him without a mask on. Jog his memory a little, but not too much, because our Cinderella needs to stay missing for as long as possible. I have work with Jackson. Hairdressing clients back to back all day. Byeeee!’
‘Scarlett!’ I rush out onto the shop floor after her, but she’s already halfway down the street towards Rapunzel’s hair salon, and I groan out loud. It’s hard enough to sew in the back room while listening out for customers to come in, but the added stress of Witt returning makes the day seem overwhelming.
I was intending to keep my distance and let Scarlett deal with him. Iwantto see him again, but it’s all got so messy and I don’t know what to do. I thought I could hide out the back and let Scarlett show him the website she’s set up, as pointless as it is. Who on earth does she expect is going to get in touch?
My stomach is in knots for the rest of the day, and I struggle to focus on anything except the sound of the bell tinkling whenever the door opens. And it does nothing for my nerves when it’s a surprisingly busy day.
The Cinderella dress in the window catches people’s attention. Customers come in to browse, but end up leaving quickly as there’s not a lottobrowse. Ebony insists on minimalism so we don’t have many dresses on display because she thinks they make the shop look cluttered. We only have a small selection of dresses on mannequins and hung on rails. They can be tried on and then altered to be a perfect fit, as well as the option to order the custom bespoke dresses that are our speciality, even though orders have been fewer and farther between in recent months. Not many people these days are looking for custom-made dresses that cost hundreds of pounds, and Ebony insists on a minimum pricing strategy that outprices anyone on a normal salary. Special occasion dresses that are a once-in-a-lifetime purchase are one thing, but we have customers who want affordable dresses for regular occasions, especially at this time of year when the wedding season is nearly upon us and people want outfits they can wear more than once.
It’s the busiest day we’ve had for a long time, and I get the catsuit finished with a lot of stopping and starting, which is at least something off my never-ending don’t-want-to-do list, and through it all… he doesn’t come.
I’m on edge all day, half-dreading seeing him again, and half-excited, but as the clock ticks closer to closing time, there’s no sign of him, and endless possibilities flood my mind. What if he’s realised we’re using his story for publicity and wants no part of it? What if he somehow did realise it was me, and he’s so disappointed that he’s never coming back?
Despondency has settled over me like a cloud by the time I step outside and lock up for the night. That must be it. He must have realised the fairy-tale princess from Sunday night is a scruffy seamstress and was just too polite to say anyth—
‘Wait, wait, wait!’
I look up from turning the key in the lock to see Witt running down Ever After Street towards me, from the entrance on the main road, not from the direction of the castle.
He barrels to a halt, gasping for breath. ‘Sorry I’m late. I got caught up in what I was doing at the castle and lost track of time.’ He puts his hands on his knees and bends over, panting. ‘Please excuse me while I showcase how incredibly unfit I am. I took the long way round because I thought I’d get lost in the forest and never be seen again. And then I saw all the posters you and your sister have put up and stopped to stare at them in horror.’ His chest is still heaving when he stands upright. ‘Hello.’
I can’t help smiling. There’s a huge part of me that’sgladto see him. ‘Hello.’
He smiles at me too, and I feel it again, that connection. The ease is instant, just as it was at the ball the other night. ‘Yeah, um, Scarlett kind of took over on the poster front. I haven’t had a chance to get outside today; I haven’t seen them yet.’
‘Every shop, every noticeboard, every lamppost, everywhere you turn. You can’t get away from them. It’s awful.’
Scarlett designed the posters yesterday, but gave me only the quickest flash of them before running to the nearest print shop. It’s a picture of the dress, side by side with the photo of Witt she took in the shop yesterday, and an explanation below.
Did you attend the ball at the Ever After Street castle on Sunday night? Were you the mystery woman wearing this dress? Did you spend a magical evening dancing with this Prince Charming? Did you make a hasty exit as the clock struck midnight and lose a shoe on the way? If so, we want to hear fromyou.
It’s a real-life Cinderella story! A real fairy tale happening on this fairy-tale street! Our handsome prince is desperately searching for his lost love! We need to find the woman who still has the other shoe. Did you see the woman wearing this dress? Do you know who she is? Come and talk to us in The Cinderella Shop or get in touch on – searchforprincesscharming.co.uk.
There are even tear-off strips with the website address on the bottom. I feel a bit guilty because he’s obviously not happy about it, but I’m trying to tell myself that this is business. We have to do what’s best for the shop. It doesn’t matter whether he approves or not. ‘I don’t know how you expect to find her if we don’t get the word out. Scarlett’s good at social media and stuff. She’s only trying to help.’
‘Yeah, I know, I just… I don’t like photos of myself. I don’t want to be on show to anyone. And I don’t think the missing girl did either. Seeing these makes me want the ground to swallow me whole. I spend my life hiding away in musty old buildings, so to suddenly see my face plastered in every shop window…’ He shudders. ‘I just wanted to bring in the shoe and ask if you could identify it. It wasn’t meant to be bigger than that.’
‘People on Ever After Street support each other and get behind a common cause. I’ve had a few people in today to see if we’ve found her yet and asking to be kept updated. People are invested already. I’m sure Cinderella herself will turn up before long.’
He looks much more casual today. He’s got on smart trousers, but a white T-shirt with an open checked shirt over it, the sleeves rolled up and buttoned at his elbows again. He really does have ridiculously long arms, because there doesn’t seem to be a shirt in existence with sleeves that are the right length, but it only adds to how endearing he is.
