My Sister's Shoes (Little Black Box, Book 1) (9 page)

* * * *

Zach chose a quaint café a few blocks from his apartment. On the way, he talked the usual chatter. All about him. And it was boring dribble that made her ears burn. Trying to find a redeeming quality about him was proving difficult, and she didn’t understand why.

When they were seated at a corner table in Café Amore, the red and white checkered tablecloth and smells of tomato sauce wafted in her direction. Her stomach rumbled with hunger, but she stuck to ordering a salad. She didn’t like to eat a lot of food in front of a date.
If this can be called a date.
On the wall to her left was a picture of Little Italy in its heyday, and it sent Allie scrambling for some alone time.

Once inside the one-stall bathroom, she sat on the toilet and took a deep, cleansing breath.
You can do this. Focus!
But Angelo was in her head and she couldn’t get him out.
Damn him!
Allie stood up and took a gander at her reflection in the mirror. For the first time in a long while, she looked deeper. With Angelo’s words still hanging in the air, Allie really considered his observations. She began to question everything about herself. Was she a phony who masked her pain under a martyr act? Angelo had her figured out, and she offered him anger in return. She hung her head when she realized she was very much like Adrienne in some ways. Allie took a deep breath and slowly let out months of pent-up hostility.

With a determined stride in her step, Allie walked out of the bathroom with a new attitude. She stopped her waiter. “Excuse me. Did you put my order in yet?”

“Yes, miss, is there a problem?”

“No—actually, yes. Can I change my salad to pizza?”

The waiter leaned in and whispered, “Good choice. We do have the best pizza. Deep dish or thin crust?”

“Deep dish. Extra cheese.”

“Ooh. Right away, miss.” He winked.

Back at the table, Zach had been thumbing through his iPhone. She sat down and patiently waited for him to acknowledge her.
It must be important.
Allie looked around and fiddled with her napkin. There were exactly sixteen patrons in the café. Two older women sitting across from them stared at her and whispered to one another, obviously in the midst of some good gossip. She sipped her water and was gently placing the glass on the table when Zach looked up.

“And he’s back,” she said.

“Huh?”

Her eyes traveled to his phone. “Your work, I assume?”

“Oh. Yes. I’m sorry that was rude, just some final arrangements that needed some tweaking.”

“Oh.”
Did he just use the word tweaking?
Mr. Zach Brady, with his Greek-god good looks and drab personality was becoming more and more unappealing as the minutes ticked by. Or was it because Angelo was becoming more attractive?

The waiter arrived with her pizza. Zach pointed to the hot, cheesy delight. “We didn’t order that.”

“The young lady changed her order, sir.” The waiter winked at Allie.

She giggled. “Yes, I did. I decided I was starved.”

He offered an appreciative expression. “Then dig in,” he suggested.

Zach’s phone buzzed and once again he was occupied with what she thought to be work. “Excuse me, Allison. I need to deal with this. I’ll be right back.”

Waiting on Zach to return, Allie enjoyed her extra-cheese pizza. She noticed the two older ladies from earlier looking her way. She didn’t know them, but she’d swear they wanted to talk to her.
Maybe they know me from Longwood?
Since she was turning over a new leaf, she decided to start up a conversation.

“Ladies, I see you eyeing my pizza. All I can say is order it. You won’t be sorry.” They both smiled at her and exchanged a look. One woman spoke up. She wore a lovely green suit that matched the color of her eyes. When she smiled, her crow’s feet spread so far out that they reached her temples. The lipstick residue on her teeth had Allie running her tongue over her own.

“It does look delicious, dear. You don’t know who we are, but we know the young man you are lunching with.” She looked around as if checking for Zach’s whereabouts. Putting her hand to the side of her mouth to keep her words private, she whispered, “Has he asked you for money, dear? Because we hear his father will not fund his latest project. Word has it that he is getting some ‘lady friends’ to sponsor. Don’t invest, dearie. His projects are foul and never see the light of day.”

Her friend added, “You better believe it. It’s true.”

Allie crinkled her brow.
Could it be? He looks like such a nice guy.
Recalling Angelo’s words, the voice in her head came through loud and clear.
“There you go again, judging a book by its cover.”
The ladies went back to their conversation, one saying to the other, “I hear he’s after that Chadwick woman now. She’s new money too.”

When Zach returned to their table, she studied him. The once perfect, unbelievably attractive and successful Zach Brady was leaving an aftertaste of disgust in her mouth. And Allie couldn’t choke down one more bite of her delicious pizza because of it.

* * * *

Although lunch only lasted another thirty minutes, it might have been an eternity. Allie’s mind was consumed with the information offered by the kind strangers. And Zach was preoccupied and seemed agitated. “So? How do you go about producing a Broadway show?”

He raised an eyebrow and stopped sipping his coffee. Clearing his throat, he pushed his chair away from the table and crossed his legs. “It’s nice to know someone like you is interested.”

What’s that supposed to mean—someone like me? And look at the way you’re sitting, so feminine. Angelo would never sit that way. Stop it, Allie. “Oh, yes. I find it very interesting.”

“Well, I don’t want to bore you with the details, but basically I get sponsors to invest in the show. And if it’s a hit, like an investment, they get their capital back and a nice healthy profit to boot.”

“Hmm. Can anybody get in on this?”

Zach leaned forward and patted her hand. “Allison. It takes a very large amount of money to invest in my show.”

“Oh. I’m sorry. I’m not saying I want to invest in it. I was just curious. Besides, one hundred thousand dollars probably won’t help you one bit.”

She watched Zach choke on his coffee. “One hundred thousand? How did you come into so much money?”

“Believe it or not? An eccentric uncle just croaked, and I’m due to get a check.”

“When? I mean, if it’s soon, maybe I can let you in on it.”

“Would you?”

He stared at her for a few seconds.
Please say no. Prove you’re an okay guy.
He smirked at her. “Yes. I think I would.”

Allie fell back into her chair and offered him a half-smile.
You would, wouldn’t you? You piece of shit.

* * * *

Allie waited in Zach’s apartment just outside his office door. He talked on the phone while she strained her neck to hear what he was saying. Barnabus watched her, one side of his mouth curled up in a snarl.
Little Hitler dog!
She tucked her hair behind her ear and listened intently. “Okay, sweetheart. I’ll see what I can do. But the funds are available? Yes. That’s great. Let me check my schedule, and I’ll call you right back. Me too,” she heard him say.

Quickly moving out of earshot, Allie pretended to be busy checking her cell phone when Zach entered the living room. “Allison, thank you for waiting. Here’s your check. I made it out to cash like you asked.”

“Thank you.” Not looking at the amount, she pocketed the check.

Zach sighed, “I just got a call, and I have to travel to Long Island.”

“When?”

“This afternoon, but I will be back by seven tonight. I don’t suppose I can convince you to stay?”

“For what exactly?”
To shake me down for my fake inheritance, perhaps?

“Well…” He stepped close. “If you wait, I’d like to take you to dinner. Besides, I think I like having you here.” He grabbed her waist and pulled her to his chest. “I’ve wanted to kiss you all day long.”
Yeah? Maybe having one hundred grand was the incentive.
He dipped his head and kissed her. His tongue swept inside her mouth with purpose.
Hey, the cash isn’t in the back of my throat.
Allie couldn’t think straight. She was turned off. When Zach broke the kiss, she smiled and looked away, batting her eyes. “That was nice,” he said.
Eww!

“Feel free to use my master bath. The shower jets are amazing. I’ll see you tonight.”

But I haven’t agreed to stay? Or did you think that pathetic, sloppy kiss convinced me?
“Sure. But why don’t I make you dinner? I can make … uh—calamari?”

His eyes lit up. “Yeah? I’d love it. It’s one of my favorites. I was kinda hoping to see you in a dress though.” He winked at her.

“I have time to run home for a change of clothes. If it’s a dress you want, a dress you will get.” His expression was swoon-worthy as he looked her up and down. “I can’t wait. I’ll see you tonight.”

“Great,” Allie sighed. Maybe those old ladies were mixed up. He looked like such a straight-up, nice guy. Either way, she owed it to herself to find out. And much to her frustration, Angelo gnawed at her subconscious. She told herself she wasn’t attracted to him, that he was simply a nuisance who piqued her curiosity.
A walk on the wild side? Honestly!
But the thought did make her smile.

Being left alone in Zach’s apartment gave Allie a chance to snoop. She convinced herself that if Zach was guilty of luring women with his good looks and charm just to bankroll his project, he must be stopped. An affront to women everywhere, Mr. Brady would have to be called out for his actions, and although legally he would have done nothing wrong, ethically it would make him a shit.

Starting in his office was sensible. She sat down at his desk and searched the drawers. Coming across a file labeled “The Dignitaries,” Allie rummaged through the papers inside and found a list of investors. She rolled her eyes as she read the names. All female.
Those ladies certainly know their gossip.
When she came across the name Adrienne Chadwick, she smirked.
Looks like Adrienne’s about to get a taste of her own medicine.
But a list of female donors did not make him a scam artist.

“I could swear I see smoke billowing out of your ears, Allie.” Angelo leaned against the wall with his arms crossed and his hair hanging loose around his shoulders. His eyes traveled to the file she was holding. He jerked his chin, “Whatcha got there?”

Allie closed the file and threw it on top of the desk. She stood up, walked around the desk, and leaned against it. “It’s a list of the women Zach has investing in his project. I think he’s luring them with the promise of a romantic relationship.”

“What makes you think that?”

“Two birdies with gray hair gave me something to think about.”

“Really? Well, you can’t believe everything you hear you know.”

“No. But I hung out some bait and he bit.”

Angelo narrowed his eyes and tilted his head. When her meaning became clear, he pushed off the wall and uncrossed his arms. His stance was rigid as he got closer to her. “What kind of bait?” She detected an undertone of menace.

“Well … uh … you know I-I told him I had an uncle that left me a hundred grand and maybe I would want to invest in his project. All of a sudden he’s interested in me and asked me to dinner tonight. Before he left, he planted a kiss on me that said ‘I want that money.’” She laughed nervously.

He shrugged his shoulders and offered her a fake smile while he chuckled. “A kiss? Make sure he gives you his success rate of past projects and the return his investors received for their initial outlay. Also, be sure to ask who would be in charge of the financial decisions and production costs.” His tone changed from mocking sarcasm to ire. “But my advice is to make sure you get all the facts before you fuck him. Okay?”

Allie’s mouth fell open. “Where did that come from? You better explain yourself. That was really uncalled for.”

“Can’t you see how laughable this is? Your dream man could be a fraud, and you’re using the excuse of playing along as a way to get into his bed so you can find out the truth and save the day? That’s quite noble of you. You know, to sacrifice yourself that way.”

“I am not. I just don’t want this guy to turn into another one of my disappointments.”

“Will you just look at yourself? Poor, poor Allie. Always getting the shaft, nothing going your way, having to fight and claw for what little happiness you get, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right! Everyone around me gets what they want even when they’re horrible to people. I, on the other hand, try so hard to be kind and caring and nice to people. I follow rules. I’m safe and cautious. I make it a point not to ruffle feathers, and for that people walk all over me. Why, huh? Why?”

“Because they can,” he snapped. “You’re so full of anger you can’t see straight. You skew reality until you feel betrayed, and then you bury it inside yourself. You do it again and again until there’s no place left to hide it. When it finally spills out, the emotional release gives you a high. But how long does it last, Allie? Huh? Until you’re right back where you want to be, getting beat on. You’re an emotional misfit who craves the hurt and pain to remind her she’s alive.”

The sting behind her eyes was unbearable. The buildup of frustration made her tremble until the tears spilled over. Her shoulders shook as she let out the anguish that had been building inside for weeks. He was right. She saved it up. All the pain and suffering was locked away until it spilled over, and releasing it gave her sweet relief. Over and over she did this since she could remember. Unable to look at him, she buried her face in her hands. Her body quaked with sadness until she cried like a baby.

Angelo pulled her into his arms. She struggled to get away, but his hold was unbreakable. His voice was different, almost sympathetic. “Let it out. You need this to move forward. I understand you, sugar, and I’m here for you.”

Allie grabbed his arms and pressed her forehead against his chest. Crying, she pleaded, “Let me go.”