If the Shoe Fits Read online

  “It has been,” she agreed. “Although I’m so worried about him.”

  “Tell you what. If we don’t find him before then, we’ll go for another walk after our movie and look for him again.”

  She nodded. “I’d like that.”

  “And then, I was rather hoping you’d spend the night at the guest house with me.” Lust curled in his gut at the thought of having Elle in his bed again.

  “I’d like that too.” She leaned in and kissed him.

  They re-entered the castle through its rear doors and snuck into the theater without bumping into anyone else on the way. Not that they needed to sneak around—not exactly—but dates were generally more romantic when only two people were involved.

  “What movie did you have in mind?” he asked as he punched the button to turn on the projector overhead.

  “Do you like classics?” She bent in front of the movie library, running her fingertips over their plastic cases.

  “Like Psycho?” he asked, grinning as she turned to give him a dirty look.

  “Something a little less likely to give me nightmares.”

  “The Godfather?” he offered, enjoying the look of frustration in her eyes. He was totally messing with her; she just hadn’t realized it yet.

  “Not exactly what I had in mind.”

  “Jaws?”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “What about Casablanca?”

  He nodded. “That works.”

  “Have you seen it?” she asked as she slid it from the shelf and handed it to him.

  “I have. My grandfather was quite the movie buff. I’m told my grandmother was too.” He paused, remembering how Colin had told him Elle reminded him of Rose.

  “I would have liked to have known them,” she said softly.

  “And I know they would have liked to know you too. I have a feeling you would have gotten on famously.” He slid the Blu-ray into the player and walked to the covered tray on the table before them. “Hungry?”

  “Starving. What’s for dinner?”

  “Pizza, of course,” he told her. “What else can you eat while watching a movie?”

  “Pizza movie night.” She grinned as he lifted the cover from the tray. “And that’s no Domino’s pizza. Have I mentioned how much I love Beatrice?”

  “She’s amazing, all right.” He handed Elle a plate, and they each loaded up with several slices of Beatrice’s specialty—steak, peppers, onions, and mushrooms all melted into some secret blend of cheeses that was so delicious his mouth was already watering. “Beer?” he asked as he walked to the bar against the far wall.

  Once he and Elle had pizza and beer in hand, they settled side by side into the reclining theater chairs as the opening credits for Casablanca played.

  “Theo,” she said, glancing over between bites of pizza. “Are you thinking about the last time we were in this room together?”

  When he’d gotten her off in this very chair and they’d agreed to take their relationship to his bed? His cock hardened at the memory. “I am now.”

  “Good.” She smiled wickedly. “Because I am too.”

  She was learning.

  Elle fumbled for her cell phone on the table beside the bed, silencing the soft hum of her alarm before it woke Theo. She’d planned ahead so there’d be no frantic rush this morning, had even brought a bag with her to the guest house so she could walk up to the castle in fresh clothes.

  Theo’s arm slid around her waist. “Leaving so soon?” His voice was low and gritty with sleep.

  “I need to look for Remington again before I get ready for work,” she said, rolling to face him. “He’s been gone twenty-four hours now.” Something heavy settled in her stomach at the thought.

  “I’ll help you look.” Theo’s cheeks were dusted in dark stubble, his eyes droopy with sleep.

  She reached out to brush a finger over his scratchy chin as a smile tugged at her lips. He’d helped her look for Remy last night too, before and after their movie date. “I’d love the company, but don’t feel obliged if you have more important things to do.”

  “I don’t.” He leaned in to press a kiss against her lips.

  And so, they got dressed and headed outside together. Dew coated the grass, making it shimmer beneath the rising sun. They walked the perimeter of the castle grounds, calling for Remington as they went.

  “I’m starting to get a really bad feeling about this.” Elle pressed a palm against her forehead. What if Remy was lost somewhere deep in the forest? What if they never found him?

  “Hopefully he’ll turn up today,” Theo said. “I’ll check in with you later and see if there’s been any news.”

  “Thanks for your help.” She leaned against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. “I had a really great time last night.”

  “Me too.” He dipped his head to kiss her. “Let’s do it again sometime soon.”

  “I’d like that.” She looked up at him, and something warm and light fluttered in her chest. “I’ll see you around then.”

  With a nod, he followed her in the castle’s side door, headed toward his office while she ducked into the back stairwell to run upstairs for a quick shower. She passed Megan in the hallway.

  “How was last night?” she asked, her brown eyes sparkling.

  “Great,” Elle answered, feeling her cheeks warm.

  “Excellent,” Megan said with a wide smile. “Darcy’s already been walked and fed. She and Shiloh are chilling in my room together.”

  “Thanks so much.”

  “No problem. We’re having lunch in Ruby’s room so we can go over some business stuff. She insisted,” Megan added with a good-natured eye roll.

  “Okay.”

  “See ya downstairs.” With a wave, Megan headed toward the stairs.

  Elle went into her room. She showered and dressed in a pastel-striped shift dress before calling the shelter to check in about Remington. They didn’t have any news to share either, and Elle wasn’t sure whether she was imagining the hint of accusation in Priya’s voice as they spoke because she already felt so damn guilty for losing him.

  After the call, she helped Megan and Ruby clean up from breakfast and then went to greet the Ballisters, who were checking in today.

  “We’re so excited to be here,” Margie Ballister told her as Elle led the couple to their room. “We were looking at the adoptable pets on your website, and we’d love to meet Remington. He reminds me of a dog I had when I was a little girl.”

  Elle smiled past the sour feeling in her stomach at Margie’s enthusiasm. “I’m so sorry to tell you this, but Remington’s actually…missing at the moment.”

  Margie’s eyes widened. “Missing?”

  “He got out of the castle through an open door yesterday.”

  “And you haven’t found him yet?” Margie’s voice rose, and she pressed a hand to her chest. “Oh, how awful.”

  “I know,” Elle said miserably. “We’ve been looking for him constantly, and the shelter is putting out bulletins too. We’re hoping he comes wandering home any minute now.”

  “Well, my goodness, I hope so too.”

  Elle nodded. “I’ll leave you two to get settled in. Just let me know if you need anything or if you’d like to meet one of our other dogs in the meantime.”

  She left Margie and Luke in their room and went downstairs, feeling worse than ever about Remington. He might have gotten adopted today if he were here. She spent the rest of the morning burying herself in work to keep her mind off things, and she must have been successful because the next thing she knew, Ruby was tapping on her shoulder, a covered tray balanced on the edge of the table beside her.

  “Lunchtime already?”

  “It is, and I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.” Ruby led the way upstairs, with Megan joining them on the way. “I’ve got a potential business opportunity to discuss with you guys.”

  “Oh yeah?” Elle followed her into her room, her gaze automatically drifting to the i
ncredible view of the castle grounds. Ruby’s cat, Simon, strutted over to say hello.

  Ruby nodded as she set down the tray and removed the cover. There were three sandwiches beneath it, a small bowl of fruit salad, cookies, and three bottles of water.

  “I want Beatrice and Mary to feed me for the rest of my life,” Megan said with a happy sigh as she began fixing herself a plate.

  “Hold that thought.” Ruby tapped her laptop to life. A photo popped up of a large yellow house with white columns spanning its front porch. “I’ve been looking for investment properties, places we could take the Fairy Tails program when and if Theo gives us the boot, and this one just popped up.”

  “It’s beautiful,” Megan said, lifting her sandwich to take a big bite. “So romantic looking.”

  “Well, it’s a foreclosure. It was being used as a bed and breakfast, so everything would already be set up for us inside. It’s being sold ‘as is,’ but supposedly the property’s in decent shape. It might be our only chance to get a property this size with only thirty grand to put down on it.”

  “Where is it?” Elle asked.

  “It’s in Florida, outside Lakeland.”

  In the alligator-infested, tourist-infested interior of the state near their hometown of Orlando. “Oh.” Elle couldn’t keep the disappointment out of her voice.

  “It’s no Rosemont Castle, but I think we should seriously consider this,” Ruby said, beginning to tab through a slideshow of the home’s interior.

  “I agree,” Megan said with a nod. “Thirty grand isn’t going to get us very far with properties suitable to a bed and breakfast unless we consider foreclosures.”

  “I was hoping you’d say that,” Ruby said as she continued tabbing through photos of the property. “I thought I would go see it when I fly home next week.”

  Elle forced herself to smile and nod her approval. This was good. It was better than going back to her job as a theme park princess, and the girls were right—Theo had been very clear about his intent to sell, whether they succeeded with their new program or not. She also felt guilty that Ruby was flying home for a few days next week to visit her family. Megan would be doing the same week after next.

  Elle hadn’t booked a trip home yet.

  She’d been getting along with her dad and sisters so much better since she’d gotten here, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to mess with that dynamic. Besides, if they only stayed in Virginia for three months, she’d be seeing them in person soon enough anyway.

  After lunch, she gave today’s guests a tour of the castle and took Shiloh and Darcy on a long walk, calling for Remy the whole way. As she rounded the pond headed back toward the castle, her cell phone began to ring. She recognized the number for the animal shelter, and ugh, she hoped they were calling with news instead of asking if she had any.

  She connected the call. “Hello?”

  “It’s Priya from the Towering Pines Animal Shelter. We’ve found Remington.”

  14

  Elle clutched Remington’s leash as she climbed the castle’s front steps three hours later. Priya had given her a thinly-veiled warning to keep a closer eye on him from now on. Apparently, he’d been picked up by a truck driver almost five miles away, trotting down the middle of the road like he had somewhere important to be in a neighboring town.

  Now that she knew how far he’d gone, Elle felt even luckier to have gotten him back. She also thought she might have an idea how Remy wound up at the shelter in the first place. He seemed happy here at the castle, which meant he might just be a wanderer at heart.

  Elle certainly understood that instinct, understood it better than most.

  Megan came running down the hall to greet them. “I’m so glad he’s back.”

  Remington wagged his tail, bounding toward Megan, seemingly unaffected by his thirty-six hours on the lam. She crouched to greet him, and he leaped into her arms.

  “I’m going to have to be so much more careful with him now,” Elle said.

  “We all will be. We should be extra careful with all of them. It could spell the end of the program if it happened a second time,” Megan said with a decisive nod. “And while I’m not optimistic we’ll be in business much longer, I’d like to end on a high note, not as the irresponsible people who lost a shelter dog.”

  “Agreed.” Elle’s fingers tightened reflexively on the leash. Behind Megan, she caught sight of the Ballisters. “Oh, Margie!” She raised her voice to carry across the lobby.

  Margie turned to look in her direction, and a wide smile spread across her face as she caught sight of Remington. “You found him,” she said as she walked over.

  “We did. He had quite the adventure yesterday.”

  “Oh?” Margie raised her eyes to Elle’s inquisitively.

  “He was picked up across town and brought back to the shelter, none the worse for wear, luckily.”

  “Well, that’s good news.” Margie bent to rub behind his ears, and Remington bounced around her, licking her face, hands, anything he could reach in his excitement. “I was so worried about him.”

  “So were we,” Elle told her. “I need to get him settled first, but if you’d like to visit with him later today, I can set that up for you guys.”

  “Oh, well…” Margie gave her an apologetic look. “Actually, Luke and I were talking about this earlier, and we kind of feel like we dodged a bullet with him now that we know he’s a runner. He’s obviously a great dog and so adorable, but we’re in and out of our house all day long with our kids and can’t be worried about him sneaking off on us.”

  “I totally understand,” Elle told her with a smile. She excused herself and took Remington upstairs. She went into her bedroom—being extra careful to shut the door behind her—then sat on the floor, took Remy in her arms, and cried.

  Just a little bit.

  Then she picked herself up and went on with her day. And the next day. Things were really picking up at their inn inside Rosemont Castle. The following weekend, they were booked solid. With Theo’s blessing, they hired extra help for Beatrice and Mary in the kitchen, which really helped when Ruby visited her family in Florida. Megan flew down for her visit a few days after Ruby got back. Their trips kept Elle busier than usual, but she loved every moment.

  She and Theo fell into a sort of routine with their relationship, with lots of stolen moments around the castle during the daytime. Two or three nights a week, they’d go on a date, and she would sleep over in the guest house.

  Five weeks after opening their business, they adopted out their first Fairy Tails animal: McLovin the cat. Ruby quickly replaced him with two new recruits from the shelter. Shiloh the lab mix followed a few days later, finding a home with an energetic young couple visiting from North Carolina.

  As excited as Elle was that they’d finally had their first successful adoptions, she wanted so badly for Darcy and Remington to have the same luck. They were such wonderful dogs and deserved their own families to love and spoil them, although she was certainly enjoying loving them in the meantime.

  “Dinner tonight?”

  Theo’s hushed voice interrupted her thoughts, drawing Elle away from the computer screen she’d been staring blankly at for who knew how long.

  “I’d love to,” she answered, turning her head toward the doorway.

  He stood there in black slacks and a gray button-down shirt, one hand at his throat as he loosened his tie. “I asked Beatrice to send a tray for two to the guest house. I thought maybe we could stay in tonight.” The look in his eye made her press her thighs together in anticipation.

  She raised an eyebrow. “Awfully presumptuous of you, requesting the tray before you’d asked me.”

  “What can I say? I’m an optimist where you’re concerned.”

  “And for good reason.” She stood and walked to him, pressing a quick kiss to his lips. “It sounds perfect. Just tell me what time to be there.”

  “Seven?”

  She nodded. “I’ll see if Megan ca
n keep the dogs for me tonight.”

  “Okay.” He gave her another kiss and left, headed toward the front of the castle.

  Elle pressed her fingers against her lips, preserving the warmth of his kiss. She hadn’t expected this when she’d come to Rosemont Castle. Honestly, she’d never spent a lot of time thinking about men and relationships and all that. It hadn’t been a priority for her, something to think about in the future once she’d gotten herself all sorted out. Finding her path in life seemed more important than finding a man.

  And now, here, she’d found both…and was poised to lose them almost as soon as she’d found them. She and her friends only had a month left at Rosemont Castle. The date loomed ever larger, like one of those countdown clocks engraved in her mind. Leaving was going to be so hard on so many levels, both personal and professional.

  But she couldn’t let it get her down. Her life had already taken too many unexpected twists and turns to try to predict what was coming. She’d kept as much emotional distance from Theo as she could, but she knew she was going to get hurt when they parted ways. She also knew she was resilient enough to survive it when the time came.

  She finished work and headed upstairs to tend to the dogs, bumping into Megan in the hallway outside their bedrooms. “Do you mind keeping an eye on Darcy and Remington for me tonight?”

  Megan grinned wickedly. “Not if it means you’re shacking up with the eligible earl again tonight.”

  “It does.” Elle felt her cheeks warm. “Thanks.”

  “No thanks necessary. You’d do the same for me.” Megan waved a hand behind her as she disappeared into her room. She didn’t have a new foster dog yet, but Elle had watched Shiloh for her several times while she was out with Sean.

  Elle headed into her room to change into running gear. If she was going to leave her foster dogs with Megan tonight, at least she would leave them well-exercised and ready for a good night’s sleep. First, she took Remington for a long jog around the castle grounds, then doubled back to get Darcy, and the three of them took a leisurely stroll down to the gazebo and back.