If the Shoe Fits Read online

  “Definitely.” Megan hopped off her bed and slid her cell phone into her back pocket.

  Elle opened her bedroom door and took Remington and Darcy out of their crates, glad she’d thought to take them for a long walk earlier that afternoon. She met up with Megan and Louie in the hallway, and they walked downstairs together.

  “Awww!” the women exclaimed in unison as they walked into the parlor.

  Remington’s tail began to wag in full loop-de-loops as he made his way around the room, greeting everyone. Darcy trotted along behind him. Louie, a mellow dude if Elle had ever met one, promptly curled up on the rug in the center of the room, drawing a round of laughter from their guests.

  “Well, aren’t you precious?” Eboni said, stroking Darcy under her chin.

  “That’s Darcy,” Elle told her. “She’s a four-year-old pug and such a sweet girl. I really don’t have a bad thing to say about her. She’s easy-going and gets along with pretty much everyone, two and four-legged.” She gave them as much information as she could about all three dogs.

  Miriam walked to the middle of the room and sat down next to Louie. “Hey there.”

  He raised his head, tail thumping happily against the rug. Remington, not one to be outdone, raced over and leaped into Miriam’s lap, popping up to lick her face.

  “Oh, well, hello,” she said with a laugh.

  “He’s enthusiastic,” Elle agreed. “I have to say, I’ve gotten really fond of him. He and Darcy have both been staying in my room, so I can personally vouch for them as excellent roommates.”

  “Is that so?” Miriam said to the little dog, who was still bouncing around in her lap. “I like your enthusiasm. Tell me more about his runaway tendencies?” She looked up at Elle.

  “I’d left my bedroom door open, and he and Darcy both got out. They went out through an open door in the kitchen. She stayed in the garden. He was gone for thirty-six hours and found over five miles away. It may be that he’ll settle down once he’s got a family of his own, or he might be a wanderer at heart. He was picked up as a stray about six months ago.”

  “Poor little guy.” Miriam rubbed him, and Remy lay on the rug in front of her, gazing up at her as his tail swished happily. “It must be hard, not having a place you belong.”

  “Yeah.” Elle swallowed over the tightness in her throat. She knew that feeling well.

  “Well, I’m pretty meticulous about keeping my doors shut.” She leaned down so that Remy could kiss her face.

  They spent another thirty minutes together, and all four women interacted one-on-one with each of the dogs. Elle could tell that Remy was Miriam’s favorite, and Darcy was Eboni’s, but she wasn’t overly confident about an adoption pending for either of them. In the end, the women left to take a bottle of wine to the gazebo and promised to let Elle know about the dogs later.

  “That went really well, don’t you think?” Megan said as they took the dogs back upstairs.

  “It seemed to.”

  “I think you might get your first adoption out of this one.”

  “I hope so.” Elle glanced down at Darcy and Remy.

  “Louie sure wasn’t doing his best to charm anyone today,” Megan said with a smirk.

  “His laidback style will be just what someone’s looking for, though.”

  “Oh, I meant to tell you, Monica Jackson called earlier today.”

  “Really?” Elle hadn’t talked to their contact at Modern Home and Gardens since right after they’d agreed to their three-month contract with Theo.

  Megan nodded. “She wanted to remind us about the photo shoot they’ll be doing here next month for our big spread. She suggested we plan a special event for the occasion, and that got me thinking. What if we held some sort of charity fundraiser for the shelter? We could host a bunch of people in the ballroom, dinner and dancing, sell tickets, have a raffle, raise a bunch of money, and create some awesome photo ops while we’re at it.”

  “I love that idea,” Elle said, immediately taken with the vision Megan had put in her head. “Have you run it past Ruby yet?”

  “Run what by me yet?” Ruby asked from Elle’s bedroom door.

  So they all curled up on Elle’s bed and talked, and by dinnertime, they had a solid plan in place for their Fairy Tails Ball. There was only one thing they needed: Theo’s blessing.

  “A charity ball?” Theo rubbed at his brow and tried not to fall victim to the pleading look in Elle’s eyes.

  “To raise money for the shelter. We’ll sell tickets and have a raffle, maybe a silent auction. Hopefully we can convince some local businesses to contribute items.”

  “What about cost?”

  “We have some room in our stipend, money we haven’t spent on supplies for the program. If you approve the event, we’ll put that money toward it, plus ticket fees to cover the difference.”

  He didn’t want to host an event here. He hosted enough damn events in England, and they always ended up being more of a hassle than they were worth. But his time here with Elle was running out, and he wanted to do whatever he could to make her happy in the meantime, so he found that he couldn’t deny her this moment. “Okay.”

  Her eyes lit, and she bounced on her toes like an excited child. “Really?”

  He nodded. “I’ll cover the cost of the event so you can donate all your earnings to the shelter.”

  Her eyes widened. “Oh, Theo, you don’t have to—”

  “I know that. I want to. I can certainly afford it, especially since I’ll soon be free of the expense of this place.”

  And just like that, the light in her eyes snuffed like he’d smothered the flame of hope there with his bare hands.

  “It’s inevitable, Elle. I’ve told you that from the beginning.” He felt like he’d just swallowed a rock, his stomach heavy and painful, and he didn’t like the sensation.

  “I know. I just…I keep hoping you’ll change your mind.” She shook her head. “I’ve been foolish, I guess.”

  “No, you haven’t. I probably shouldn’t have agreed to let you stay in the first place. I’ve gotten all your hopes up without meaning to.” He turned away, shoving his hands into his pockets.

  She rested a hand on his shoulder. “We know it’s coming, and we’re already preparing for our next venture. This event will be a fun way to wrap up our time here, so thank you.”

  “I hope so.”

  “I know so. And I don’t regret our relationship either. It’s been…it’s really special to me.”

  “To me as well.” He turned back to her, taking her hands in his. “Maybe we can keep in touch after I leave, try to see each other long distance.”

  Elle made a sound like she’d just stepped on something sharp. “Whoa…yeah. Really?”

  He couldn’t quite believe he’d said it either, and as he watched hope bloom again in her eyes, he wondered if he’d made a horrible mistake. Long distance relationships never really worked, did they? They’d probably only be prolonging the inevitable by trying to keep their relationship alive across the Atlantic. And yet, the thought of letting her go…

  She squeezed his hands. “Let’s just…let’s just keep our options open for now. I mean, my life has taken a lot of unexpected turns, too many to ever rule out one more. Nothing is outside the realm of possibility, right?”

  “Right.”

  She leaned in to rest her forehead against his. “Whatever happens, I like the idea of not having to say goodbye as soon as our contract is over.”

  “Yeah.” His heart beat like he’d just finished a long run. “Me too.”

  Elle made her usual early morning trek to the castle after spending the night in the guest house, slipping in through the side door before anyone was up and about. She went for an early jog with Remington, then showered and got ready for her day. At breakfast, Miriam and Eboni asked if they could take Darcy and Remington for a walk around the grounds.

  Elle tried desperately not to get her hopes up as she watched them walk out the front d
oor. To distract herself, she went upstairs and called her dad. It had become a weekly ritual, and one she enjoyed. The women and dogs were waiting in the foyer when she came back downstairs.

  “We want to adopt Remington and Darcy,” Miriam said in a rush as she approached them, breaking into a wide smile as Eboni nodded in agreement.

  Elle’s heart lurched into her throat. “Really? Both of them?”

  “We’ve given it a lot of thought,” Eboni said. “And when we saw them again this morning, we knew these are the dogs for us. They’re such good friends already, and so are we, so they’ll still get to visit with each other when we hang out.”

  “It’s perfect,” Miriam echoed, still smiling broadly.

  “That is perfect.” Elle pressed a hand to her chest, surprised to feel tears pricking against her eyelids. This was the moment she’d been waiting for. Her first adoption, and it was a double. If all went well, both of her babies would be going home at the end of the weekend. “I can’t believe it.”

  Two hours later, after the paperwork had been signed, Elle walked Darcy and Remy down the hall to their new owners’ room to spend the rest of the weekend with Miriam and Eboni. As she walked back to her room empty-handed, she felt…empty-hearted as well. It had been so long since she’d had her bedroom to herself, no scuffling sounds from inside the crates or the brush of fur against her legs as she climbed out of bed.

  She sat, staring at her hands, fighting back tears. Darcy and Remy had found wonderful homes. This was great news. The fact that they’d still get to visit each other after their adoptions was a cherry on top of the cake that she never could have anticipated. And yet…

  She swiped a hand across her eyes and rushed downstairs, not realizing where she was headed until she was knocking on the door to Theo’s office.

  “Who is it?” his deep voice called from inside.

  “Me,” she said softly.

  The door opened almost immediately, and Theo tugged her inside, closing the door behind her. “What’s up?”

  She hardly ever came to his office and certainly not in the middle of the workday. Now that she was here, she felt a bit foolish, but she’d just needed to see him. “I just adopted out Darcy and Remington.”

  “Both of them?”

  She nodded. “Their new moms are friends, so they’ll still get to see each other sometimes.”

  “That’s wonderful.” Theo’s blue eyes crinkled as he smiled. “Why don’t you look happier about it?”

  “I am. I really am.” She swiped at fresh tears. “I’m just going to miss them, that’s all.”

  “Well, sure. They’ve stayed with you for the last month and a half. I imagine you’ve bonded quite a bit with them. This is the first time you’ve ever fostered a dog, right?”

  “Yeah. I didn’t realize it would be this emotional.”

  “I’m sure it’s hard for anyone to part with an animal they’ve loved and cared for, and you, Elle, are not one to keep your emotions buried very deep.”

  “No, I guess I’m not.” And if it was this hard to let go of Darcy and Remington, she’d better watch herself where Theo was concerned, because she already knew her feelings for him ran deeper than they should, and he wasn’t hers to keep either.

  16

  “This is the first time I’ve ever left the country.”

  Theo glanced at Elle where she sat beside him on the Langdon jet. “Is that so?”

  She nodded, darting a quick smile at him before returning her gaze to the window. “I’ve only flown a handful of times in my life, and never over an ocean.”

  “I guess that means I need to show you around London while we’re here, doesn’t it?” He took her hand in his, giving it a squeeze.

  “Oh, that’s a definite yes.”

  Bringing her to the family estate might not have been the best idea, but it had felt right at the time, and it still did. He wanted her there, and not only because she’d given him the courage to take a stand for the cause he believed in. He also wanted the excuse to spend the entire weekend with her, to show her around and even introduce her to his family.

  He didn’t want to let her go in a few weeks, and he wasn’t sure what the hell that meant. Sometimes, he felt completely clueless. He’d been unprepared to become the earl at twenty-eight. He sure as hell hadn’t expected Elle and her friends to come in and turn his world upside down, or to have a relationship with her.

  Was it so crazy to try to keep seeing her after Rosemont Castle was gone? Maybe. Probably. He’d always thought of relationships from a logical standpoint. Was she good for his image? Did they get along well enough to share a home and raise a family? Would they each get an equal benefit from the relationship?

  Everything with Elle was different. Being with her was like getting swept away by a tidal wave of emotion as deep as it was powerful.

  “I brought something I wanted to go over with you,” she said, turning in her seat to face him.

  “Yeah?”

  She reached into her bag and pulled out her laptop. “Numbers.”

  He kept his expression neutral despite the urge to frown, because he had a sudden inkling he wasn’t going to like what she was about to show him. “Numbers?”

  “Ruby put together a spreadsheet showing the numbers from our first two months in business.” She propped her laptop on the tray table in front of her seat, angling it toward him. “We exceeded our projections.”

  “That’s great, Elle. You guys have done a phenomenal job.”

  “I have another spreadsheet, showing our updated projections over the next six months if we were to stay in business. We would propose to rent the farmhouse and stables to bring in even more revenue. We’ve also considered hosting events, like weddings and parties. Honestly, Theo, by the end of the year, the castle will be earning you money instead of draining it.”

  He stared long and hard at the numbers on the screen. She was right. If he allowed them to move forward with the plan outlined here, the castle could become a profitable asset. But if he didn’t sell, it meant Elle would be tied to her job in Virginia after he returned to London next month. Then again, it’s not like he’d ever asked—or even considered asking—her to move to London with him. Where had that thought even come from? He scraped a hand across his brow.

  “This is what you really want?” he asked.

  She nodded. “It is. More than anything.”

  “The decision isn’t mine alone to make, you know,” he told her.

  “Technically, it is.”

  “True, but I have obligations to the family that I have to uphold. Their opinions matter to me, Elle. I want to get off on the right foot with my new duties.”

  “I know you do.” She squeezed his hand. “I just wanted you to see our numbers and have this information before you go into the board meeting tomorrow. That’s all.”

  “I appreciate it.” He took her hand in his, staring past her at the fluffy white clouds dotting the sky outside the window. Below them, the Atlantic Ocean stretched in an endless expanse of navy blue. “Selling has been more difficult than I anticipated, so I’ll give this fair consideration. I didn’t see any point to keeping the castle once none of the Langdons were living in it, but you’ve given me a valid reason to reconsider.”

  “I’m glad.” Her eyes gleamed as bright as the ocean below them.

  “I’ll see what I can do.”

  “Thank you.” Her lips crashed into his for a blistering kiss.

  Six hours later, they touched down on his home soil. The London skyline glowed in the distance against the darkening sky.

  “Wow,” Elle breathed beside him.

  “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

  “I’ve always wanted to come here. Thanks so much for bringing me with you.”

  “I should have time to show you around tomorrow before we head out to the family estate.”

  “I don’t mind playing tourist by myself if you’re busy.”

  “But it’s more fun
with company,” he said, leaning over to kiss her. “Besides, I’m not sure I’ve ever officially ‘played tourist’ here before. It could be fun.”

  She grinned, resting her head on his shoulder. “We’ll have so much fun.”

  Elle walked through the doorway of Theo’s flat, pulling her compact rolling suitcase behind her. When he’d talked about his place here in London, he’d always emphasized how much he preferred the size of it to Rosemont Castle, so she’d imagined it to be small, maybe not as tiny as her apartment in Orlando, but this…was not small.

  Of course, she should have expected it, given his status, but still.

  “This is an amazing space, Theo.” It had a classic feel with lots of ornate fixtures and intricately carved wooden furniture—Langdon pieces, no doubt—but there was also a modern vibe to the place, evident in the sleek, black-paneled bar along the far wall, that said this was a younger man’s bachelor pad.

  “You like it?”

  “I love it.” She walked to the window, staring out at the balcony and narrow street below, gleaming under the yellowish light of the streetlamps on each corner. “Are we going out together later?”

  “If you like. Or we can stay in. I had the fridge fully stocked. There’s food in there we just need to warm up.”

  “Staying in does have its advantages.” She wrapped her arms around him as he came to stand beside her at the window. “It’s going to be nice to have you all to myself tonight, without having to run back to the castle before the guests wake in the morning.”

  “You were due for a break. You’ve been working hard.”

  “I have, but you won’t hear me complain about it. I love that place as much as you love to hate it.”

  “I don’t hate it. I don’t feel anything at all for it, really.”

  “What do you feel passionate about, Theo?” She tipped her face up to search his eyes.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, you seem to keep an emotional distance from everything in your life. You look at things from a business perspective, even things in your personal life. Why is that?”