Sassy Cinderella

“You’re leaving now?” Sherry knew his whole family wouldn’t be spending the night, but she was a little nervous about assuming full responsibility, especially for the children.

“Pete will be here one more night, but he and Sally are getting married tomorrow morning and taking off on their cruise.”

“Does Jonathan expect to attend the wedding?” Sherry asked, concerned.

“He’d like to, but Jeff said no way.”

“What about the children?”

“Yes. Pete will take them to the church, but if you could get them ready, that would be a big help.”

“Okay.” Sherry thought for a moment. “Where’s the reception?”

“We’re just having punch and cake at the church hall. It’ll be a very small wedding. Why?”

“I don’t mean to interfere, but I was just thinking, what if they moved the reception here? Then we could include Jonathan in the celebration.”

Allison’s eyes lit up. “That’s a terrific idea! Let’s run it past Pete and Sally and see what they think.”

The older couple was enthusiastic about the suggestion. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of it myself,” Sally said. “We haven’t invited that many guests, so space isn’t an issue, and I’ve always thought that church hall was ugly, anyway. I’ll just call Gussie and Reenie and tell them to bring the refreshments and decorations here. Are you sure you don’t mind?”

“Who, me?” Sherry laughed. “I love a party, any kind of party.” She couldn’t wait to tell Jonathan the good news—if he didn’t throw something at her first.

JONATHAN WAS rudely awakened the next morning by a blast of sunlight. He opened his bleary eyes to find Sherry in his room, whisking curtains open.

“Good morning.” Whisk! Another curtain open. But the bright sun could hardly compete with the woman herself. Wearing black leggings and a hot-pink, clingy shirt, her outrageous mountain of blond curls piled carelessly atop her head, she was an erotic fantasy come to life.

“Would you like breakfast in bed?” she asked cheerfully. “Or would you like to bathe and dress first and sit in your chair?”

He was aghast at her audacity. “You…you can’t just barge in here without knocking!” he sputtered. “This isn’t a hospital, it’s my home, and my room.”

He expected her to murmur an apology and slink away. But she didn’t. He was quickly learning to expect the unexpected where his nursemaid was concerned.

“I did knock. You didn’t answer. I had to check on you. Once I saw you were breathing—”

“You should have just left me in peace!”

“But it’s late and you need to get up.”

“Why, in God’s name? Do I have an appointment with the President?”

She smiled, as if she had a secret. “You have a wedding reception to attend.”

“Are you crazy? I can’t go to Pete’s wedding.”

“You don’t have to. The wedding’s coming to you. Or at least, part of it. Pete and Sally have relocated the reception here, so you don’t have to miss out on everything.”

Jonathan couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “All those people are coming here?” Great, just what he needed, for the whole town to witness his infirmity. “Forget it. It’s not happening.”

“You’re not pleased?”

“I’m in no shape to entertain!”

“You won’t have to lift a finger, I promise.”

He sighed. The woman hadn’t been here twenty-four hours and already she was driving him mad. He’d told Pete he regretted missing the wedding, but in reality, weddings weren’t his cup of tea. They only served to remind him that his own marriage had been a dismal failure. All that lovey-dovey, till-death-do-us-part stuff made his divorced status that much more noticeable.

“Fine,” he said through clenched teeth, since she seemed to be waiting for a decision from him. “I’ll get dressed first, then have breakfast.”

She beamed. “Great. I’ll get your bathwater. Do you have a plastic tub somewhere I can use?”

“A plastic—” Suddenly he realized her intentions. “Oh, no, you don’t. You and your sponge just keep away from me. I can manage on my own, thank you very much.”

“Jonathan. You’re in a full-leg cast. You can’t take a regular bath or shower. Now, you don’t have to be embarrassed. I’ve given hundreds of sponge baths—”

“No. If you’re dying to bathe someone, bathe the kids. That ought to be enough challenge for you.”

“They’ve already had their baths.”

“Really?” He was impressed. Kristin didn’t fight it too hard, if she had plenty of bubbles. But it took an act of Congress to get Sam in the tub.

“Well, Pete helped,” she admitted.

He softened a bit toward Sherry. “Why don’t you run along and see about breakfast? I’ll be there shortly.”

She shrugged. “All right. But before I go, I need to check you over.”

Her words had a profound effect on him—unintended, he was sure. “What’s to check?” he said gruffly. “The leg’s in a cast.”

But he saw by her implacable expression that she wouldn’t take no for an answer. This was one fight he wasn’t going to win. Jeff and Ed had both warned him about the complications that could arise from his injuries, especially his concussion. With a sigh, he allowed her to shine a flashlight in his face to see if his pupils would contract appropriately. She pointed a finger into the air and made him follow it with his eyes.

When she tried to pull the blankets off his cast he resisted—he was otherwise naked. But he finally relented and she was careful to keep the rest of his body modestly covered.

He lay back, closed his eyes and tried not to think about her touching him. She was gentler than any of the nurses at the hospital had been. She checked his toes for swelling and signs of poor circulation. Then she took his temperature to be sure he wasn’t running a fever. He actually found himself enjoying Sherry’s ministrations.

“All done.”

He opened his eyes. She had that brilliant smile on her face again.

“You enjoy your work?” he asked.

“Oh, yes. Yes, I really do. And if there’s anything I can do better, please tell me.”

“There’s just one thing.”

“What?” She blinked her big green eyes at him, eyes that were enhanced with soft brown shadow, dark eyeliner and lashes that were so long and curly they should have been outlawed.

“Do you have to be so relentlessly cheerful?”