Ten minutes later, Adam walked Alice to The Glass Slipper, feeling very pleased with himself.
Phase Two of Mission Alice had gone very well. Very well, indeed.
***
Shortly before closing a week later, Alice was puttering around in the back, trying to make room amongst all of Brittany’s junk for the new shipment that was due to arrive. Her phone buzzed with an incoming text.
Are you still on for my concert tonight?xx
Alice’s eyes flew to the calendar hanging next to the door and she blew out a breath of frustration. It was Sunday, but was today really the day of Lexie’s concert? How had she lost track of time? A month ago Lexie, her sixteen-year-old next-door neighbor, had invited the entire block to her choir concert. Alice, who’d babysat Lexie when she was younger, had agreed on the spot. Then she’d completely forgotten about it.
Of course, she sent back, glancing at the clock. I may have to bring my roommate. Do you mind?xx
The more the merrier! See you soon!xx
Alice made her way into the shop and sank onto her stool while she dialed Lewis. “Did you remember that today was Lexie’s concert?” she demanded when he answered.
“Of course.” He sounded surprised. “Seven o’clock. It’s on my calendar. I even brought extra clothes from home so I could leave from here.”
“Can’t you wear what you have on?”
She could hear his impatient huff even across cell phone waves. “These are work clothes, Alice. Not choir concert clothes. You weren’t planning on wearing what you have on, were you?”
Alice looked around to see if he was in the room. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” she demanded. She’d grabbed the first and only clean skirt she’d found and run out of the house without giving it another thought.
Lewis scoffed at her. “I’ll be over in a second,” he said before the line was dead.
Alice closed her phone and shook her head. Between Adam’s obsession with feeding her and Lewis’s urge to dress her, she hardly needed to make a decision for herself.
“What’s up?” Whitney plopped beside her. She was still ridiculously chipper.
“How do you feel about going to a high school choir concert tonight?”
Whitney promptly toppled off her stool.
“I know it’s short notice,” Alice hastened to explain, and leaned down to help Whitney up. “But I’ll be late as it is, and I won’t have time to drop you off, and I feel guilty making you take a–”
Laughing, Whitney allowed herself to be pulled to her feet. “Stop it,” she said. “I’d love to go.”
“See?” Lewis’s amused voice came from the front of the store. “Isn’t this much better?”
Both of the girls turned to him, and Alice took one look at the dress in his hands and groaned. “That’s a little formal, don’t you think?”
Lewis raised his eyebrows at her. “You can never be too formal, Alice. Trust me.”
Alice shook her head. “I don’t think you have anything in your entire inventory that would work.”
Crooking a finger at her, Lewis said, “Then come and see what I have in the back. I bought it with you in mind.”
Whitney laughed and pushed her toward her friend. “Go on,” she said. “I’ll watch things here until you get back.”
Three minutes before they had to leave, Alice ran barefoot back to her own shop, clad in a dress that was neither too formal nor too casual. It was, much to her disgust, just right. Although, she’d never admit as much to Lewis. His head was big enough already.
Whitney was waiting for her at the gate, ready to close it for the day. “Thanks,” Alice gasped, and ducked under it. When she straightened up again, she walked right into something tall, dark, and… fuzzy.
Fuzzy?
She bounced back, and Adam’s hands reached out to her elbows to steady her. “Hey,” he said. He’d only said one word, but it sounded funny even to Alice’s surprised ears.
She ran her hand through her hair and unconsciously pulled her ponytail holder out. Adam’s eyes followed the strands of her hair as they settled several inches below her shoulders. “What are you doing here?” she asked, rubbing her scalp and wincing. She never could remember not to tie her hair so tight.
“What?”
Alice’s hands drifted to her sides. “Here. What are you doing in my shop this late?”
Adam cleared his throat and pulled on his collar a few times. “I was walking past when Whitney called me in,” he said, his eyes still riveted to her hair. “She asked me what I was doing tonight, and when I told her I was going back to the hotel to work, she invited me to come… where, again?” he asked, wrenching his attention away from Alice.
“A choir concert. It’ll be fun,” Whitney said, grinning.
One edge of Adam’s mouth quirked up. “Fun. Of course.” He glanced at Alice and cleared his throat again. “Are you–”
Alice caught the time on his watch as he lifted his hand to run it through his hair. “Come on,” she said, grabbing Whitney’s arm and propelling her toward the exit. “We have exactly seven minutes to get there. Do you know where we’re going?” she shot over her shoulder in Adam’s direction.
“I’ll follow you.”
Alice smiled to herself as she thrust her feet into a pair of heels and ran out the door. “Try to keep up,” she called. “I’m in a hurry.”
Six and a half minutes later, she screeched to a halt in the school’s parking lot and grinned at the expression on Adam’s face as he pulled in next to her. “What are you trying to do, kill me?” he demanded, slamming his door shut. “Do you have any idea how fast you were going?”
Alice just laughed and waited while Lewis sauntered over to them. “Where’s Whitney?” he asked, glancing around. “Didn’t she come with you?”
“She’s still in the car.” Alice smiled innocently at him.
“Probably trying to stuff her heart back into her chest,” Adam muttered, and when Whitney emerged a second later, pale and wide-eyed, he shot Alice a triumphant look.
“Quit being such a baby,” she scolded, and grinned. “I was in a hurry. And we still are. Come on, people. We have a concert to attend.”
Adam was still shaking his head when they slid into their seats with a whopping three seconds to spare. Alice patted him on the back sympathetically. His body inched toward her, and she snatched her hand away like she’d been caught doing something immoral. He just raised his eyebrows at her and turned his attention back to the young singers lined up in front of the auditorium.
The faint traces of a self-satisfied smile lingered on his face for a long time.
***
“So, what did you think?”
A very excited Lexie stood before them, clasping her hands in front of her. “The tenors were off pitch in that third song. I knew it.”
Alice put her arms around her and hugged tightly. “I didn’t notice the tenors,” she said truthfully. She didn’t think it would be appropriate to tell a sixteen-year-old that she’d been distracted by the tall, stunning man that had been sitting next to her. “I thought you sounded divine. Didn’t she, Lewis?”
Lewis had been strangely quiet throughout the concert, and Alice was starting to think that he’d caught a cold. “It was lovely,” he said, smiling at Lexie encouragingly. “It’s the best high school choir concert I’ve ever been to.”
Lexie’s eyes narrowed. “How many have you gone to?”
“One.” He somehow kept his face straight, and after scrutinizing him for a long moment, Lexie turned back to Alice.
“What are you doing after this?” Alice asked in an attempt to get the attention away from Lewis, even though he didn’t look repentant.
Lexie shrugged. “I don’t know. My parents won’t let me go out with my friends because I have school tomorrow, so I guess I’ll have to go home and go to bed.” She made a face. “It would be so much more fun if they’d stop yakking at me about good colleges. I hate it when
they get all Harvard this and Yale that.”
Adam made a muffled noise behind Alice, and she reached behind her to pinch his arm. He immediately shut up and rubbed the spot she’d twisted.
“Why don’t you come over to my place?” Alice asked. “My friend here went to Princeton. He could give you pointers about getting in at an Ivy League school.”
“That’s great!” Lexie’s eyes shone. “I’ll be over as soon as I can drag the ‘rents out of here!” Alice watched as her young friend practically bounced her way over to the other side of the room, where her father was speaking earnestly to a long-suffering counselor.
Adam didn’t say anything until they were outside. His steps slowed to let Lewis and Whitney go ahead of them. “You realize that I’m going to have to come to your house now,” he said. “Are you sure that’s allowed?”
Alice glanced up at him. His hands were in his pockets and he’d undone the top button of his dress shirt. He looked more relaxed than she’d seen him since their very first meeting. “I know that,” she told him. “Isn’t that what friends do? Hang out at each other’s houses?”
“Well, yeah,” Adam said slowly. “But we really only became friends a little while ago. I didn’t want you to think that I was pushing you to do anything you didn’t want.”
“So you don’t want my address?” Alice had a hunch that he already knew where she lived, but if he wanted to keep that under his hat, she wasn’t going to call him on it. She cocked her head to the side so she could see him better. “Are you sure this is about me being pushed? After all, I was the one that told Lexie you’d be there without actually checking with you first.”
“True.” Adam seemed to think about this for a second. When he looked down at her he was grinning. “It’s okay. I’d love to impart my vast knowledge of colleges into her impressionable young mind. It’ll make me feel like I’ve done something useful for society.”
His eyes creased when he smiled down at her, and Alice was still wondering if he was doing some sort of covert flirtation when they finally reached Lewis and Whitney at her car. “It took you two long enough,” Lewis grumbled good-naturedly. “We’ve had to resort to counting fireflies.”
Whitney rolled her eyes. “It’s too early in the year for fireflies,” she reminded him. “And we didn’t mind at all.” She looked around at all the gown-clad choir members milling around with their families. “This all seems like so long ago.”
Alice knew exactly how she felt. It seemed like an eon since she’d been carefree. The wind blew a strand of her hair across her face, and she pushed it irritably behind her ear. “It seems that I’m having an impromptu party at my place,” she told Lewis with a sigh. “You’re welcome to come if you want.”
“I’m always good for a party, Alice.” He grinned down at her. “But I think I’ll take Whitney with me, if you don’t mind. She’s still a little green around the gills.”
Whitney looked fine from where Alice was standing, and she raised her eyebrows at Lewis. “She does, huh?”
“She does.” Lewis opened his passenger door for Whitney, who looked like she didn’t know what to do.
“It’s okay,” Alice assured her, hiding a yawn behind her hand. “He doesn’t bite.”
“Just because I haven’t bitten you doesn’t mean I wouldn’t want to do it to someone else,” Lewis retorted. “Try not to fall asleep on your way home.”
Alice tried to follow the speed limit for the few miles between the school and her house, and to her relief Adam looked relatively normal when he emerged from his car in her driveway. “I’m glad to see you don’t always careen through the streets of Brothers like a madwoman,” he commented, following her up the front steps. “Wow. Is this whole house yours?”
“No.” She flashed him a tight smile and opened the door. “Just the top floor. The bottom belongs to my dad.”
By the time Lexie arrived, Alice and Lewis were in the kitchen arguing about food. “I still don’t see why you feel the need to make us dessert,” Lewis argued even as Alice slid a pan of brownies into the oven. “By the time they’re done it’ll be time for Lexie to leave.”
“Maybe,” she admitted, handing Lexie the mixing spoon, “but every girl loves a little chocolate, and Lexie’s parents think it’ll give her spots. My sole job in this neighborhood is to provide contraband, slightly addictive substances to those who can’t get them on their own.”
“So you’re like a supplier.” Adam’s tone was amused.
Alice looked down her nose at him–a hard feat, since he was almost as tall as she was when he was seated. “I am,” she told him loftily. “I supply people with fashionable shoes and legal stimulants. I’m an addict’s dream come true.”
Adam’s eyes flashed with something she didn’t recognize. “That’s one way to put it.”
Lexie spluttered, getting chocolate all over her chin. “Don’t mind him,” Alice said, handing her a washcloth. “He doesn’t understand about women, chocolate and shoes.”
Lexie glanced at Adam and giggled. Alice could see why. He’d taken off his shoes at the front door, and rolled up his shirtsleeves to his elbows neatly. This was a little surprising. His hair was slightly ruffled as well. Perhaps the hair-goo wore off with time, Alice thought. She’d have to ask Lewis about that.
“That was a lovely concert, Lexie.” Whitney’s quiet voice made them all nod. “I used to want to be a high school choir director, but…”
“But what? You have to sing better than mine does. All she can do is croak with the basses.” Lexie licked the last of the batter off her spoon and placed it carefully in the sink. “Thanks, Miss Riverton. I needed that.”
“When do you want to hear about Ivy League schools?” Adam asked.
Shrugging, Lexie sat across from Whitney. “Never. The one who wants me to go to Harvard is my dad. If I could convince him to go to college in my place he would… as long as it’s prestigious enough. I don’t want to go to an Ivy.”
“Where do you want to go?” Adam asked. It seemed to Alice like he’d had this conversation before, just with different people. And had been on the other end of it.
“I want to stay here and go to Michigan State. So, Miss Walker, can you sing?”
Alice was having a hard time keeping up with Lexie’s conversational skills. She’d just spoken to three people within the span of thirty seconds. Maybe she should go into debate.
Whitney, looking distinctly uncomfortable, averted her eyes. “I used to sing, a long time ago,” she told the refrigerator. “But Mimi told me I wasn’t good enough to do anything with it, so…”
“Well, I don’t know who Mimi is or why they gave her such a stupid name, but you can’t be that bad.” Lexie fixed her gaze on Whitney. “Come on, let’s hear you.”
“Hey, now,” Lewis protested. “If she doesn’t want to sing she doesn’t have to.”
Alice’s eyes narrowed. Lewis never let anyone off that easily.
“Well, if she wants to be a choir director she has to be able to carry a tune,” Lexie told him.
Whitney twisted her hands on top of the table. “I don’t know,” she said. “I don’t think I can sing while you’re all staring at me.”
Three pairs of eyes shifted away from her immediately. “Then go out in the hallway.” Lexie nodded helpfully. “Don’t worry about us at all.”
Whitney’s eyes darted around until they landed on Lewis, who was scowling at Lexie. Her shoulders squared and she slowly got to her feet. “Just don’t expect too much. I haven’t sung for anyone in years.” She took a deep breath and walked slowly out of the kitchen.
A brief moment later, three jaws dropped simultaneously as a clear, high soprano rang into the kitchen. Whitney was, Alice noted even amidst her astonishment, singing a song from Snow White. It was one of the most beautiful sounds Alice had ever heard. It was also, she thought after a quick glance at Lewis, strangely fitting.
When she stopped singing, no one knew quite what to do. “Wow
,” Lexie called. “You should totally get an agent.”
Whitney emerged from around the corner, her cheeks flushed with a mixture of embarrassment and hope. “I wasn’t horrible?”
Alice cleared her throat. “I don’t know how Mimi convinced you that you weren’t any good,” she said quietly. “You sound like… like…”
“An angel.” Lewis’s eyes were wide, and he was looking at Whitney like he’d never really seen her properly before. “Will you marry me?”
Whitney blushed even more and laughed nervously. “I’ve always wondered what would have happened if I’d been allowed to study music ed in college.”
Alice pulled the brownies out of the oven. She was thinking that all she’d have to do was change Lewis’s last name to Bingley and he could have stepped out of the pages of an Austen novel.
Lexie had announced she had to leave. “You should so be a choir teacher,” she told Whitney. “Mine is retiring next year. Maybe you could apply at my school.”
“I’ll walk you home,” Whitney said, neatly avoiding Lexie’s hint. “Girls shouldn’t be out this late at night by themselves.”
Lexie looked dubious but agreed anyway. “You shouldn’t be out, either,” she pointed out. “Who’s going to protect you from the big, bad garbage can in my front yard?”
“I will.” Lewis, still looking dazed, grabbed his jacket and handed it to Whitney. “They don’t call me the trash killer for nothing.” He glanced at Alice before disappearing out the door. The look said, quite plainly–help.
***
Adam was in love.
Not with Alice, he told himself firmly as he sank into the couch in her family room–with her house. At least, her portion of it.
He thought about asking her about her father, but every time he brought it up, she got all tight-lipped and her eyes snapped.
Maybe not right now. He was too comfortable, and Alice looked too tired to go into something that could very well turn out to be unpleasant. But that didn’t mean he’d forget about it.
“You have an amazing collection of books,” he said in an effort to fill the silence. “Where did you get all of them?”
Alice in Glass Slippers Page 12