by Ellie Hall
“You can’t or you won’t?” Haleigh asked.
She had a point.
Nadia flashed the screen of her phone toward Maggie, showing her the email from her cousin, offering her the job. The pay was triple what she was making as a princess. The catch, she had to work 30 days straight and then had a couple of weeks off.
“That’s probably the family rate.”
Nadia shrugged. “You’re family. One of the Kuznetsovas.”
But Maggie wasn’t. She didn’t use her given last name Prucell because of the connotations, but her mother’s maiden name, Byrne, and she didn’t take handouts or charity.
As if reading her mind, Maggie said, “You can think of Nadia as your fairy godmother. It’s very Cinderella-esque.”
Maggie didn’t want to think about Cinderella.
“I don’t think the palmetto bugs will miss you, but I will.” Haleigh gave her a hug.
“Then go with her,” Nadia said. “Explore Concordia.”
Haleigh shook her head. “I didn’t tell you yet, but I got a studio space in the new artisan building.”
Maggie lit up, excited for her friend.
“I sign the lease on Thursday. The light in there is amazing and—” As Haleigh went on to describe her good news, Maggie felt alone and untethered, just as she always did. Although she was originally from California, she didn’t know where she belonged in the world.
She hadn’t seen or spoken to her parents in months or had it almost been a year? Usually, texting them was better because they were so busy. In fact, for her last birthday, their assistant phoned to wish her well. They were often traveling so they couldn’t connect. Still, she felt the need to do so. She typed up a quick summary of the job opportunity, asking what they thought. Then she deleted it and told them where she was going. No sense in waiting around for a reply—it might take another year. Not that they cared.
Haleigh pulled out some of her latest designs and how she’d showcase them in the studio that was an old factory converted into an upscale mall for artists, craftspeople, and other creatives.
Maggie waited for a reply to the text she’d sent her mother and father. But one didn’t come. Later, she tried calling and left a message.
Still, no reply. No answer.
Not when she went back to her apartment.
Not when she ate dinner.
Not when the sun set.
The next morning, they still hadn’t responded.
She knocked on the door down the hall.
Nadia answered, looking as rested as ever, despite what she exclaimed was another late night with the football player—they’d done a scenic tour in a helicopter to the Florida Keys.
“I’ll take the job,” Maggie said when she got a word in.
A day later, she was packed up and headed for the airport. She knew she’d return to see Haleigh and the studio space, but not when. She pared down her belongings even more since the finishing school provided room and board to its employees.
As she gazed out the window at the plane that taxied toward the gate, a little thrill of excitement replaced the dismay, the feelings of failure, and the sadness that had crowded her mind and heart in the previous days. She was going on an adventure of her own and wouldn’t miss the palmetto bugs either.
“Mommy, mommy.” A little girl’s voice trickled into her thoughts. “It’s Cinderella. I saw her the other day.”
She turned and smiled, slipping into character one last time. “Shh. I’m on a secret trip to...” She thought quickly. “To visit the Princess of Concordia, but I can’t let my sisters know otherwise they’ll be jealous.”
“They’re so wicked,” the little girl whispered. “What will you do while you’re there?”
“I think I’d like to go dress shopping. Do you think I look better in blue or pink?”
“Definitely blue. I want to be just like you when I grow up.”
Maggie wanted to tell her that no, she didn’t, but hope crested inside. Maybe that was about to change.
Her flight was called and she waved goodbye to the little girl, but her words stuck with her. I want to be just like you when I grow up. Who was that? She was grown up and swiftly approaching thirty. She’d had a job a year for the last ten years. She was a woman who owned little more than what she had in her luggage. In the days since she’d fallen in the fountain, she had become an internet meme, a laughing stock. Maybe Concordia didn’t have YouTube. Wishful thinking.
She thought back to her days working at the theme park, and at the funny and meaningful things kids had said to her. But that little girl’s comment was like an arrow, piercing something inside her. Who was she? What did she want to do? How was she a role model?
Almost eight hours later, she still didn’t have an answer, but mountains loomed as the plane descended in Concordia. They were much like the ones she’d imagined when she needed to cool off on that hot Florida day not too long ago.
Before she had a chance to get her bearings and admire her surroundings, her phone beeped. She was late for the meeting at the school—on account of getting the time difference wrong.
She rushed from the airport to a train, briefly taking in how clean everything was with a prominence of golds and blues, from the compartment to the signage. As she hurried to find a taxi that would take her to the school, everyone was friendly, but proper as though they too had attended the finishing school.
The cab wound up a cobblestone driveway to a stone building that looked vaguely like a miniature version of the royal castle set in the mountainside, which also resembled Cinderella’s.
Maggie was tired, her hair was a mess, and her clothes were wrinkled, but the air was fresh, the scenery breathtaking, and for the first time in a long time, she felt like she could breathe a little easier. A strange sensation rippled through her. It was like she knew right down to her bones that she was exactly where she was supposed to be, which was odd since it all happened so unexpectedly and quickly.
A valet greeted her and led her into the school. She smoothed her hair and clothing. The interior of the building was fancy with polished wood, candelabras, and oil paintings. She didn’t quite feel like she fit in given her rough appearance after travel and definitely had never taught etiquette before, but she’d keep this job even if she had to play the role of someone who knew what they were doing.
Katerina, Nadia’s cousin, was in a meeting so instead of being interviewed, trained, or even getting a tour of the building and grounds, she had a few minutes to freshen up and then went to a room to wait for her first student.
A folder waited on the table and she discerned she’d be something of a life coach for a wayward football player. The photo of him looked slightly like a mugshot, but that could’ve been because it appeared as if he’d had a broken nose.
She skimmed the file, which included instructions for the meeting, a brief profile, and a few newspaper clippings.
Declan Woods was the celebrity type and appeared to enjoy time in front of the cameras—including his backside, which had made the news in a scandal dubbed moon-gate. She read he was there to clean up his act, in so many words. Immediately, she disliked him. Mostly because he reminded her of everything that she gave up to get away from people who loved the spotlight more than their own daughter.
Laughter echoed from the hall. She braced herself, getting to her feet, and promising herself she’d do whatever necessary to keep her new job. She wouldn’t shrink or let herself be ten years old all over again and in her parents’ shadow. She’d stand tall. She could do this. She’d do it for the little girl she’d met at the airport. To make her proud.
A man with blondish-red hair, and made entirely of muscle, entered the room with squirt guns blazing. He howled like a cowboy from the wild west as he blasted the room and everything in it with water, including Maggie. Where was he on those hot days in costume back in Florida?
Dowsed, Maggie’s first instinct was to shriek, but like Cinderella in character,
she forced herself to smile.
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Note to Readers
Collectively, I think we can all agree this past year has been difficult. For better or worse, I sometimes find it easier to focus on that rather than what I’m thankful for. Consider me a work in progress. However, I do count my blessings every day and there are many, including all of you reading this!
Suffice it to say, I was dealt a blow in the death of my mother in January and then my father in November. Both were unexpected. Neither was virus related. Thank God. To say my world has been turned upside down and inside out is an understatement. I’m clinging to my faith in their absence.
As can be expected, I’ve been thinking a lot about their legacies as individuals and as my parents. My mother was the funniest, silliest woman I’ve ever met. She used to say, “Laughter is the best medicine.” I agree. My father was my rock during my childhood and my best friend as an adult. He left me with many things, including the true meaning of unconditional love. He’ll forever and always be my hero.
So how does this relate to this book? It’s supposed to be a rom com, right? As we embark on a new year and as I move into a new phase of my life without my parents in my day to day activities, I want to honor their lessons in love and laughter. I want to share all the goodness they gave me, with you. I dedicate the Falling into Happily Ever After series to them.
While we can’t escape the difficulties and heartbreak we may face, we can escape into stories and books like this, romantic comedies. I hope you enjoy this story of love, laughter, and happily ever after.
If you do, please leave a review. Also, if you’d like little notes from me, info on book deals, and more please subscribe to my weekly email newsletter. Thank you!
♥Ellie
Also by Ellie Hall
♥All books are clean and wholesome, Christian faith-friendly and without mature content, but filled with swoony kisses and happily ever afters. Books are listed under series in recommended reading order. ♥
-select titles available in audiobook, paperback, and large print-
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The Only Us Sweet Billionaire Series
Only Christmas with a Billionaire Novella (Book .5)
Only a Date with a Billionaire (Book 1)
Only a Kiss with a Billionaire (Book 2)
Only a Night with a Billionaire (Book 3)
Only Forever with a Billionaire (Book 4)
Only Love with a Billionaire (Book 5)
The Only Us Sweet Billionaire series box set (books 2-5) + a bonus scene!
♥
Hawkins Family Clean/Sweet Small Town Romance Series
Second Chance in Hawk Ridge Hollow (Book 1)
Finding Forever in Hawk Ridge Hollow (Book 2)
Coming Home to Hawk Ridge (Book 3)
Falling in Love in Hawk Ridge Hollow (Book 4)
Christmas in Hawk Ridge Hollow (Book 5)
The Hawk Ridge Hollow Series Complete Collection Box Set (books 1-5)
♥
The Blue Bay Beach Reads Romance Series
Summer with a Marine (Book 1)
Summer with a Rock Star (Book 2)
Summer with a Billionaire (Book 3)
Summer with the Cowboy (Book 4)
Summer with the Carpenter (Book 5)
Summer with the Doctor (Book 6)
Books 1-3 Box Set
♥
Forever in Love and Laughter
To Swoon or Not to Swoon over the Billionaire
To Love or not to Love the Billionaire
To Crush On or Not to Crush On the Billionaire
To Date or Not to Date the Billionaire
Christmas Do Over with the Billionaire
♥
Ritchie Ranch Clean Cowboy Romance Series
Rustling the Cowboy’s Heart (Book 1)
Lassoing the Cowboy’s Heart (Book 2)
Trusting the Cowboy’s Heart (Book 3)
Kissing the Christmas Cowboy (Book 4)
Loving the Cowboy’s Heart (Book 5)
Wrangling the Cowboy’s Heart (Book 6)
Charming the Cowboy’s Heart (Book 7)
Saving the Cowboy’s Heart (Book 8)
♥
Falling into Happily Ever After Rom Com
An Unexpected Love Story
An Unlikely Love Story
An Accidental Love Story
An Impossible Love Story
An Unconventional Christmas Love Story
♥
Click here to see all of Ellie’s books or visit her website www.elliehallauthor.com for more.
♥
About the Author
Ellie Hall loves puppies, books, and the ocean. She writes sweet romance with lots of firsts and fizzy feels. Oh, and she loves tea in the morning and pizza for dinner. She believes in dreaming big, working hard, and lazy Sunday afternoons spent with her family and dog in gratitude for God’s grace.
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P.S.
P.S. If you have a moment, and enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a starred and written review so other readers can find it too. I enjoy reading your sweet comments. It means a lot to me.
Thank you!
Christmas is Coming!
Look for an Unconventional Christmas Romance, book 3, in the Falling into Happily Ever After series this holiday season.
Minnie flirts with her best friend and risks finding her name on Santa’s naughty list.
I used to think Christmas was the most wonderful time of the year, filled with magic, mistletoe, and family except I don’t have one...or that special person to spend cozy nights with in front of the twinkling tree while sipping hot cocoa. But I know exactly who’s on my wish list.
The problem is Tyler and I are besties and a relationship would ruin the dynamic in our friend group. Not to mention he flirts with half the women in the city, including the department store elves.
When a blizzard-sized misunderstanding with my boss leaves me looking greener than the Grinch, I’m desperate for damage control. Tyler swoops in to save the holiday using little more than a mitten, tinsel, and a candy cane. Don’t ask. He also offers to escort me to the Christmas company party.
In order to make our ruse believable, we go on a practice date then another... The whole thing is unconventional, especially when a guy named Kris Kringle accidentally marries us.
I’m not complaining because my secret crush is also my secret Santa, but do I have the guts to give him the biggest gift of all, the truth about how I feel?
This funny, flirty, and festive novella is a companion story to the Falling into Happily Ever After Sweet Rom Com series.
See more…
Acknowledgements
Oodles of gratitude to all of you who support writers, especially readers and reviewers. Thank you!