“I wouldn’t count on it,” Cyn murmured under her breath, much to Parker’s amusement.
“Disrespecting you?” Brows furrowed, Walt glanced over at Cyn. “Explain yourself.”
“Dad, there’s nothing to explain or to get upset about.”
“I disagree. Did you know—” Franny’s eyes welled with tears, “—she gave the girls a month to move out?”
A month too long as far as Parker was concerned. Cyn was being far too nice. When Walt turned back to look at Cyn in disbelief, Parker could tell he was the only one who thought that. “Is this true, Cynthia?”
“Yes.”
“See…” Fanny’s smug pleasure made her crocodile tears from earlier ring false.
“Why don’t you tell him why, Franny? Or did the girls even bother to explain it to you?”
“Staci and I have nothing to hide,” said Drew in a snotty little tone.
“Do you really want to get into this right now?” Everything in Cyn’s stance indicated she was ready to do battle. “Huh, do you?”
www.samhainpublishing.com 97
Lena Matthews
Walt glanced over at Parker, and then nodded his head sharply. “No, we’ll discuss this at home at a later date.”
Not to be put off, Franny added an extra dig. “Another thing you might want to add to your list of ‘later’ conversations is why the shop was closed when we arrived.”
“Closed?”
“Yes, locked tight. They,” Franny pointed to Cyn and Parker as if they were some sort of criminals, “were in the backroom doing God knows what.”
Could this get any worse? Walt’s gaze collided with Parker’s, but Parker didn’t flinch. He met the surprised man’s gaze head on, refusing to cower or feel embarrassed for spending time alone with his woman.
“Oh, please,” Cyn muttered, crossing her arms over her breasts. “He is my man.
Hello.”
He was her man. Parker couldn’t hold back his grin. Take that, bitches.
“And this is your place of work,” Franny shot back.
“What makes you think I wasn’t showing him around?”
“I’m sure he’s been around, all right.” Drew sniffed as if her shit didn’t stink. “Lord knows you have.”
“Watch yourself, Drew.” Walt warned as he turned back around to face the other women. His voice had gone ice cold, and his posture stiff as a board. “What they were doing back there is none of our business. Nor is it anything that hasn’t been done in this store before.”
“Eww, Dad.” Cyn grimaced. “I could have gone the rest of my life without knowing that.”
“I assure you, honey, the feeling is mutual,” he said with a wink.
Parker’s esteem for the man was growing by leaps and bounds. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind where Cyn got her sense of humor or fortitude from.
“But, Walt—”
98
www.samhainpublishing.com
Head over Heels
“I said later, Francine.” Walt’s tone brooked no further argument and the older woman seemed deflated for a moment. Parker didn’t miss the snide look she shot Cyn however. He had a feeling this incident wasn’t over as far as Francine was concerned.
“Now for your surprise, Cyn.”
Walt had turned his attention back to the large box he’d carried in. Gently lifting the lid, he revealed a swath of tissue paper. Parker noted a sheen in the older man’s eyes, as if he were on the verge of tears.
“Cyn, baby, come on over here. I have something very special I want you to see.”
Cyn joined her father at the counter and snuggled into his embrace when Walt wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
“When you told me about this ball—”
“Ball, what ball?” Franny exclaimed.
“Cyn’s been invited to a fancy charity masquerade party.” The pride in Walt’s voice was more than evident.
“Is it for the whole family?”
Parker blanched at the thought of having Franny and her daughters at the event, although he’d almost invited the bitter woman. Thankfully Cyn had stopped him, but it had been a close call.
Walt frowned at Franny’s interruption and she actually looked a bit worried. “No, of course not. This is a special occasion, just for my girl.”
Everyone in the room could hear the love emanating from his words. But Parker could tell it didn’t help to endear Cyn to the other three women. In fact, Parker could practically hear their teeth grinding.
“And for such a wonderful night, you need a wonderful dress.” Walt spread open the tissue paper to reveal the dress.
“Is that Mom’s…?” Cyn’s voice broke and she was unable to finish her question.
“Yes.” Walt’s own voice sounded a bit thick with emotion and he cleared his throat before continuing. “I figure if you were going to a ball with a prince, you should have a dress fit for a princess.”
www.samhainpublishing.com 99
Lena Matthews
Chapter Ten
“You’re going to die when you see my dress.” Cyn excitedly ushered Miller into her apartment. “My father found it in the attic and pulled it out for me.”
Words alone couldn’t express the high she was on. Not only was she going to a ball with her personal Prince Charming, she would be wearing her mother’s Cotillion dress.
The ivory gown was similar to the princess dresses she’d read about in stories when she was younger. As a child she used to sit and stare for hours at her mother’s photo albums. The one that held her attention and captured her imagination though, was the one with pictures of her mother wearing the pretty white dress at the formal dance.
Cyn had never had a Cotillion of her own. Her mother passed before she turned fifteen and the dreams she had were laid to rest alongside her mother. But now, she’d have a chance to be a princess, just as her mother was.
“Is this your month or what?”
“Definitely.” Cyn was blessed in so many different ways. “The gruesome twosome are now officially my father’s problem not mine. I’m dating the man of my dreams and I have a private plane waiting on me as we speak to whisk me away to a ball where said man is waiting for me. Could my life be more of a fairy tale?”
“It really couldn’t,” Miller agreed happily. “Speaking
