I’m so appalled by his words that I forget all about my own manners and curse myself for spending so much time ogling the man instead of telling him where he can stick his attitude. I’m also so out of practice with telling someone off that it’s quite clear I shouldn’t attempt it as soon as I open my mouth.
“Those are vegan cupcakes and they’re delicious!” I shout, snatching the tray of cupcakes off the table and moving them out of his reach.
Not that he would reach for one again, but still.
“No more cupcakes for you, mister. Do you have any idea how many germs are in your mouth? You just took a bite, tossed the cupcake back, and got your bacteria all over everything! And of course I’m wearing a modest princess costume. How dare you insinuate Cinderella should be naughty?! How. Dare. You.”
I finish my tirade with a smile on my face, still holding the tray of cupcakes close to my chest in case he gets any funny ideas.
“There is not enough booze in the entire world for me to survive this party,” he mutters with a shake of his head, pushing off the table, turning, and walking away, shouting back to me over his shoulder as he goes. “Oh, and you’re welcome, by the way, for saving your ass when you passed out on your front lawn. Congratulations on your bundle of joy.”
I’m so busy staring at his rear end as he walks away, and I’m so annoyed by what just happened, that when Isabelle and Ariel walk up next to me, I open my mouth and speak without thinking.
“I’m sorry, but this is for residents of Fairytale Lane only,” I inform Isabelle, followed by a loud shout of pain when Ariel punches me in the arm. “What was that for?!”
Setting the tray of cupcakes back down on the table, I rub the sting away with my hand, glaring at Ariel as she tosses her empty paper plate into one of the garbage cans we have set up along the sidewalks every couple of houses.
“From now on, every time that stick up your ass starts showing, I’m going to punch you in the arm,” she responds, moving closer to Isabelle, who’s dressed in a beautiful yellow ball gown much like my own pale blue one. I can’t help but smile that the three of us are dressed as the princesses that match our names.
Isabelle’s black-rimmed glasses have fallen down the bridge of her nose, and her hair is pulled up into an off-kilter ponytail with pieces falling out haphazardly, but she still looks quite pretty.
“I’m sorry,” I say to Isabelle with a sheepish smile. “Of course, you’re more than welcome to join the party. It was very nice of Ariel to invite you. And I love your princess dress.”
Even though Ariel’s punch to my arm hurt like the dickens, it did knock some sense into me. I don’t want to be like Alexis, judging everyone I think is different from me. I’m going to blame my momentary loss of sanity on that annoying, rude man, who was so handsome he looked like he walked right off the cover of a romance novel.
Ariel looks back and forth between us, beaming with a smile.
“There, that’s wasn’t too hard, was it? You’re already starting to resemble a decent human being.”
Isabelle lets out a soft giggle before giving me a serious look.
“Ariel told me if I didn’t come she’d break into my house and drag me out of my bed. She kind of scares me,” she whispers, giving Ariel a nervous glance as Ariel wraps her arm around her and gives her a squeeze.
“Cindy, this woman is in dire need of our help. We can’t let a fellow woman in need down. She’s twenty-five years old and lives with her dad in his basement.”
“It’s a finished basement, and it’s very comfortable. Can you guys make sure and let me know when it’s almost ten o’clock? I have a curfew and can’t be late,” Isabelle tells us, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose.
“Jesus H. Christ, if that isn’t a cry for help, I don’t know what is,” Ariel mutters, shaking her head at Isabelle.
“Don’t worry, Isabelle, we’ll make sure you get home on time,” I reassure her with a kind smile.
“Listen, Belle, can I call you Belle? I feel like this is fate, the three of us coming together like this. Cindy here is dealing with the fallout from a lying, cheating, money-stealing ex-husband. I’m trying to get over the fact that I wasn’t good enough to stop my ex from banging dudes while he took my money and ran. And you need to get out of Daddy’s basement. We’re smart women. If we put our heads together, I’m sure we can figure a way out of this shit,” Ariel explains.