Page 28 of Ella and the Enchanted Bookshop

“I’ve been looking all over for you!” she exclaimed with a laugh. There was no way she was ignorant to the moment she had just interrupted, so I had no doubt that the glee in her eyes now was absolutely genuine. “I really need to take Jaelyne to the bathroom. We’ve been waiting for you to get back.”

Asher looked the way I felt, his brows drawing down as he stared at her. But my stepmother only continued to smile at me, unperturbed.

“Can’t Harper take her?” I asked, too annoyed to pretend to hide my frustration.

“Harper’s off with friends. Now come on. You’ve had enough play time. Let the rest of us have a break.”

Turning back to Asher, I sighed, and he gave me a small smile. “Take care of Tomcat for me,” he said in a quiet voice. “And yourself. Take care of yourself as well.”

I stared at him for a long moment before darting back to him and throwing my arms around his middle. “And you stay safe!” I whispered, afraid if I spoke any louder, I would cry.

At first, I wondered if he might be mad at me for going with my stepmother. But then his arms wrapped around me in return and squeezed gently for an impossibly blissful moment. Then he let go. And without anywhere else to run, I followed my stepmother back to my horse.

“Don’t expect to get paid for tonight!” she whispered sharply as we went.

I didn’t bother answering her. I might not be getting paid, but tonight had been worth every cent.

By the time I got home that night, however, Casey had done everything she could to make the remainder of my evening miserable. Little verbal jabs here and there. Leaving me to back up the entire booth and trailer by myself. And in spite of my promise to myself not to let the miserable woman affect me, tears began to run down my face the moment my door was shut.

As always, Casey had managed to ruin what might have been the most beautiful moment of my twenty-three years. And now Asher was leaving, and I didn’t know when I’d see him again.

And, I knew deep down, it was my own durn fault. I could have told Casey to get lost. And instead, I’d returned with her to care for the horse she’d chosen to ignore.

Tears falling shamelessly down my cheeks, I pulled Margaret’s book off the shelf and opened it. Sure enough, there were two new spreads.

The first was a scene of beauty and joy. The prince had returned, and he had talked with the girl once again, this time at a well near her home. It made me smile through my tears as I looked at the unmitigated joy on their faces.

But the second scene stopped me cold.

As the girl waved goodbye to the prince while he rode away, her stepmother was hiding around the corner of the barn. And that didn’t bode well for me at all.

13

Packages on the Doorstep

Ipassed the next few weeks in a constant state of restlessness. Without school, I did have more time on my hands. Unfortunately, Casey ensured that I didn’t get to enjoy much of it. She accepted even more horses for boarding, citing my canceled school hours as a good excuse to do so. And not only was I supposed to do my regular chores, but I was also assigned inventory. “You’re getting the extra hours you asked for,” Casey said when I objected. “I don’t see the problem.”

The problem was that I’d asked for more money–not more work.

And to make things worse, taking inventory revealed yet another problem.

A week and a half after the parade, Casey tossed the schedule onto the counter. “Let’s go over our rider schedule,” she said, fingering her iced latte. “I’ve got a trip coming up in a few days.”

“Another one?” I asked. And this time, I was unable to keep the incredulity from my voice.

“And what is that supposed to mean?” Casey put her hands on her hips.

I rubbed my face. “Casey, this is the fourth conference in three months.” Still unable to believe her, I shook my head. “How much did it cost?”

But Casey was still staring at me as though I’d sprouted a pumpkin for a head. “Excuse me?”

“Casey,” I said, struggling to control my voice. “Have you looked at our finances lately?”

“Of course. Why?”

“Because our profits are shrinking!” I cried. “Despite taking in new riders and new horses every week!” I threw my hands in the air. “What do you even gain out of these trips anyway? In what ways are they benefiting our business? Because from what I can see–”

“What you can’t see is the big picture!” Casey snapped. “I’m making business contacts and connections–”