The Glass Slipper Project Read Online Free PDF Page A

memories. She swallowed and stepped away. “Well…” she said lamely.
    Mariella rested her hands on her hips. “What is going on?”
    Isabella maintained a light tone to combat her sister’s sharp one. “Mariella. You remember Mrs. Carlton, right?”
    She sent the older woman a cursory glance. “Am I supposed to?”
    Her tone wavered. “Yes. Mrs. Carlton used to work for Mom as a seamstress, remember?” She nodded at Alex not wanting to meet his eyes again. “And Alex used to run errands and sometimes Sophia would stay with Daniella.” She turned to her youngest sister. “You two would play together. Of course you were too young to remember.” In an attempt to fill the sudden silence, Isabella said, “And this is Alex’s friend, Tony.”
    Tony smiled. The sisters nodded then dismissed him.
    “I don’t believe it,” Gabby said. “It
is
them.” She pointed a finger at Alex. “You stole my bicycle.”
    Alex rested against the wall looking bored. “I borrowed it.”
    “You’re supposed to return things you borrow.”
    A faint smile touched his mouth. “I could buy you a new one.”
    “Good.”
    Mariella looked at them stunned. “But it can’t be. They were poor.”
    Isabella hit her sister’s arm hard.
    She coughed and smiled. “It’s a delight to see you again. Once more, I apologize about the back door. I thought you were the movers.”
    “We didn’t want too many things in the house just yet,” Velma said. “Not until…” Her voice faded away.
    “Yes,” Isabella said, smoothing over the awkward silence. “Thank you. That was very considerate.” When Mariella sniffed, Isabella pinched her. “Don’t worry, we’ll be out of your way soon enough.”
    “No need to rush,” Alex said. He said the words, but Isabella didn’t believe him. She turned and looked directly into his eyes.
    “Where will you be staying?” she asked.
    “I’m renting a room in town. I’ll be busy over the next couple of weeks.”
    “Doing what?” Daniella asked.
    “In two weeks I’m holding a fundraiser for the local nursing home. It will be an upscale event.” His gaze fell on each of them then stopped at Isabella. “I hope to see you all there.”
    “What do you mean we can’t go?” Mariella asked the next day as the three sisters looked over the invitation. “He gave us four tickets.”
    “Will you please be sensible?” Isabella said with a tired sigh.
    “I haven’t attended a party like this in years. It’s over two hundred dollars a plate and being held at the Montpelier Mansion. It’s my chance to be discovered.”
    “And I’d like to go,” Gabby added. “It’s been such a long time since we’ve gone to something like this. Oh, imagine all the food they’ll have.”
    Mariella winked. “And the men.”
    Daniella nodded. “It will be so much fun.”
    Mariella lifted the invitation. “There is no reason why we shouldn’t go. We have the tickets.”
    Isabella shook her head. “But we don’t have dresses.”
    “We could charge them.”
    “We have enough debt as it is.”
    “You could think of something,” Gabby said. “You always think of something.”
    Isabella bit her lip then slowly said, “I could make you —”
    “That’s it,” Mariella cut in. “Whatever you say, I think it’s a perfect idea. You could make our dresses. You’re an excellent seamstress. I don’t know where or how you learned to sew, but you’re good at it. Simple-chic will work. It will be like getting our dresses made in the old days.”
    “But I didn’t say —”
    “Oh, Izzy, you’re the best.”
    They all kissed her on the cheek, then left planning for the big event.
    Isabella sat at the kitchen table, burying her head in her hands. Outside the leafless trees clapped their branches together in an unheard breeze. She listened to the creak of footsteps above her. It was in quiet moments such as these that the house seemed to speak. In the tranquil hours as sunlight melted into the inky