their faces.
“Uh, we, uh,” Alex began.
“Now the two of you are spying on me from the window?”
“Mr. Womack buzzed us to let us know Harold's driver was waiting for you,” Alex admitted. “I still can't believe Harold had
the nerve to think flowers would change your mind.”
Kate shook her head disgustedly.
She headed for her bedroom.
Alex and Eve followed right along behind her.
Eve said, “Is Harold really that clueless?”
“Believe me, Harold really is that clueless,” Kate said. “He thinks all he has to do is send his driver over with a box of
roses and everything will be back to normal again.”
“Did he at least call you today to apologize?” Alex asked.
“Of course not,” Kate said. “You know personal phone calls during the day aren't on Harold's
shed-ual.
“ She mimicked Harold's exact pronunciation of the word.
“Right. I forgot.”
“I'm sure he assumes because I called first thing to cancel his driver, that I'd changed my mind about going to Queens, too.
Morgan didn't say that, but he let me know he was instructed to take me and my friends anywhere we wanted to go tonight. A
bonus from Harold, I guess, for my shaping up and being a good girl. I sent Morgan on his way. Just as I had no interest in
accepting the roses.”
“I agree you shouldn't have accepted the roses,” Alex said, “but you should have let Morgan take you to Queens. Harold at
least owes you that much for putting up with him for more than eight months.”
“Harold doesn't owe me anything,” Kate said, “and that goes double for me.”
She began pulling clothing from her closet in a frenzy. It was already after five. She still had to take a quick shower and
get dressed by six. Then, thanks to her own stubbornness, she'd have to hail a taxi for the trip to Queens.
“So, Cinderella?” Alex said, as she and Eve peered through Kate's open bedroom door. “What kind of gown are you choosing for
the ball tonight?”
“Kate's going to a ball?” Eve's eyes grew wide. “But I thought Kate was going to meet Tony at his family's restaurant tonight.”
Kate stood looking down at the dresses she had strewn across the bed. “I don't know why I'm so nervous about what to wear.
The grandmother is blind, for God's sake.”
“Yeah, but Tony isn't,” Alex said, with a grin.
“Don't start with that again, Alex,” Kate warned. “I'm doing the guy a favor. That's all.”
Eve looked from one of them to the other. “The grandmother is going to be at the ball, too?”
“Eve,” Alex said. “I was using a metaphor. Cinderella. The Prince. The ball. Get it?”
Eve blinked. “Metaphors always confuse me.”
Alex looked at Eve and sighed. “Are you sure you aren't related to Jessica Simpson?”
Eve looked at Alex for a moment. “Oh. That's another metaphor. Right?”
Alex rolled her eyes, walked across the room, and stood beside Kate, who was still surveying the clothing littering her bed.
“Forget dresses,” Alex said. “You aren't going to some uptown affair, Kate. You're going to a family-owned restaurant in Queens.
You need to dress casual. Jeans, a cute shirt, summer sandals. That's the ticket. You can guarantee Tony is a jeans kind of
guy when he's out of uniform.”
Kate chewed at her bottom lip. “I don't know about jeans, Alex. I don't want to overdress, but I don't want to look like some
waif off the street, either.”
Alex walked over to her closet, selected a pair of jeans, an emerald green silk shirt that really was one of Kate's favorites,
and hooked the hangers over the top of the closet door.
Kate still wasn't convinced. “You're sure about the jeans?”
“Positive,” Alex assured her. “Add a cute pair of sandals, and you're good to go.”
“I really don't know why I'm so nervous,” Kate said again. And against her better judgment, she added, “I don't guess I could
talk the two of you into coming to Queens with me?”
“Not me,” Alex said.
“Uh, we, uh,” Alex began.
“Now the two of you are spying on me from the window?”
“Mr. Womack buzzed us to let us know Harold's driver was waiting for you,” Alex admitted. “I still can't believe Harold had
the nerve to think flowers would change your mind.”
Kate shook her head disgustedly.
She headed for her bedroom.
Alex and Eve followed right along behind her.
Eve said, “Is Harold really that clueless?”
“Believe me, Harold really is that clueless,” Kate said. “He thinks all he has to do is send his driver over with a box of
roses and everything will be back to normal again.”
“Did he at least call you today to apologize?” Alex asked.
“Of course not,” Kate said. “You know personal phone calls during the day aren't on Harold's
shed-ual.
“ She mimicked Harold's exact pronunciation of the word.
“Right. I forgot.”
“I'm sure he assumes because I called first thing to cancel his driver, that I'd changed my mind about going to Queens, too.
Morgan didn't say that, but he let me know he was instructed to take me and my friends anywhere we wanted to go tonight. A
bonus from Harold, I guess, for my shaping up and being a good girl. I sent Morgan on his way. Just as I had no interest in
accepting the roses.”
“I agree you shouldn't have accepted the roses,” Alex said, “but you should have let Morgan take you to Queens. Harold at
least owes you that much for putting up with him for more than eight months.”
“Harold doesn't owe me anything,” Kate said, “and that goes double for me.”
She began pulling clothing from her closet in a frenzy. It was already after five. She still had to take a quick shower and
get dressed by six. Then, thanks to her own stubbornness, she'd have to hail a taxi for the trip to Queens.
“So, Cinderella?” Alex said, as she and Eve peered through Kate's open bedroom door. “What kind of gown are you choosing for
the ball tonight?”
“Kate's going to a ball?” Eve's eyes grew wide. “But I thought Kate was going to meet Tony at his family's restaurant tonight.”
Kate stood looking down at the dresses she had strewn across the bed. “I don't know why I'm so nervous about what to wear.
The grandmother is blind, for God's sake.”
“Yeah, but Tony isn't,” Alex said, with a grin.
“Don't start with that again, Alex,” Kate warned. “I'm doing the guy a favor. That's all.”
Eve looked from one of them to the other. “The grandmother is going to be at the ball, too?”
“Eve,” Alex said. “I was using a metaphor. Cinderella. The Prince. The ball. Get it?”
Eve blinked. “Metaphors always confuse me.”
Alex looked at Eve and sighed. “Are you sure you aren't related to Jessica Simpson?”
Eve looked at Alex for a moment. “Oh. That's another metaphor. Right?”
Alex rolled her eyes, walked across the room, and stood beside Kate, who was still surveying the clothing littering her bed.
“Forget dresses,” Alex said. “You aren't going to some uptown affair, Kate. You're going to a family-owned restaurant in Queens.
You need to dress casual. Jeans, a cute shirt, summer sandals. That's the ticket. You can guarantee Tony is a jeans kind of
guy when he's out of uniform.”
Kate chewed at her bottom lip. “I don't know about jeans, Alex. I don't want to overdress, but I don't want to look like some
waif off the street, either.”
Alex walked over to her closet, selected a pair of jeans, an emerald green silk shirt that really was one of Kate's favorites,
and hooked the hangers over the top of the closet door.
Kate still wasn't convinced. “You're sure about the jeans?”
“Positive,” Alex assured her. “Add a cute pair of sandals, and you're good to go.”
“I really don't know why I'm so nervous,” Kate said again. And against her better judgment, she added, “I don't guess I could
talk the two of you into coming to Queens with me?”
“Not me,” Alex said.
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