Cinderella arrived at the prince’s castle just a little late. Unlike the real Cinderella, Addison didn’t have a fairy godmother to magic her a gown and a classy hairstyle. But if she knew how to do anything, it was how to doll herself up. Besides, she preferred her Mini to a pumpkin anyway.
However, as Addison pulled up to a small circular drive in front of an Italian Renaissance-influenced mansion, it appeared as though her prince really did have a castle. Well, it was close enough. The fact that he had a driveway at all in San Francisco was impressive enough, but the three-story home was like something from a fairy tale.
After rearranging Princess’s feather fascinator on her head, Addison picked her up and got out of the car. She handed the keys to the valet driver and set Princess down so she didn’t wrinkle the doxie’s delicate lace sundress. Suppressing a giddy squeal, she headed for the mansion’s arched doorway.
It may not have been a ball, but at least it was a date. Well, sort of. She was going to count it as one, anyway. If she didn’t see it that way, it was going to be one awkward afternoon with dog show hotshots, judges, and highbrow dog-lovers who still associated her with the missing show dogs.
Raising her head high, Addison climbed the stone stairs. She was Philip’s guest; she deserved to be there. Besides, no amount of criticism was going to keep her from her dreams. No matter what anyone said, she knew what was in her own heart. She was just as worried about those dogs as everyone else, and she planned to find out what happened … somehow.
Addison was just about to enter through the doors when two men in suits converged on her. By their dark sunglasses and the wires coiling into their ears, she assumed they were on security detail.
“Good afternoon, ma’am,” one said. “We’ve been asked to greet all guests as they arrive today. Name, please?”
“Addison Turner.”
The other guard took out a tablet, jotting down a few notes. Addison kinked her neck to see what he was writing. He frowned and tilted the screen away.
“Is this the only dog you have accompanying you today?” Guard Two asked.
“Yes,” she said. “This is Princess.”
He typed the name into his tablet. The first guard held up a small silver tag and a matching bracelet. “This tag is for your dog’s collar. And you’re welcome to wear the bracelet. They’re a gift from the host. May I?”
Addison raised her wrist while he fastened it for her. The delicate bling glistened in the sunlight. When she looked closer, she realized it was actually white gold. Her eyes widened, thinking it was a bit much for a first date.
She noticed a little charm dangling from it and held it up to the sun to read it. There was a number engraved on it that matched the one on Princess’s tag. Okay, so not exactly a gift specifically for her, she realized. Every guest would probably get one. At least, the ladies would. The men would receive something different.
Most of the guests would probably see it as a fun memento from the fundraiser. However, the bracelet was of finer quality than any of the jewelry Addison had at home.
Guard One slipped the tag onto Princess’s crystal collar. “Simply show the bracelet to the guard upon your exit to ensure you have the correct pet.”
“Thank you.” Addison was pretty sure she wouldn’t forget Princess. Then it dawned on her that it wasn’t to make sure the guests left with their own dog. It was to ensure they couldn’t leave with anyone else’s.
She climbed the stairs to make her grand entrance. When she walked through the double front doors, Philip was waiting to greet her. He spotted her across the cavernous foyer, and his perfect smile spread across his face like a commercial for teeth-whitening strips.
Excusing himself from a conversation, he walked over and took her hands in his. “Addison. I’m so happy you came.”
“Thank you for inviting us,” she said.
He turned to his other guest and greeted her with a bow. “Hello, Princess. It’s a pleasure to see you again.”
Princess sat down on the marble floor and stuck out her chest. Of course it is.
“Please, come in,” he told Addison. “Most of the guests are on the veranda.”
He led Addison and Princess back, way back, toward a set of open doors that led outside onto a stone patio. Behind it, a sizable backyard stretched into the distance, the grass so manicured it looked almost fake. It was the same size as the small park she often took Princess to. But she supposed that was what craploads of money got you in San Francisco.
Dotted around the backyard, guests nibbling on caviar leaned against pillars and sipped champagne among marble statues. The furry guests drank bottled water from gold-embossed bowls. The sun glinted off expensive jewelry and watches, almost blinding Addison.
She noticed a couple of faces turn her way, a frozen smile, a double take. They recognized her. Ignoring them, she kept a pleasant look on her face and followed her date.
Philip didn’t make it far before a guest stopped him. When he turned to greet them, Addison relaxed at the sight of a friendly face. It was Julia Edwards, one of her best customers. She wore a sapphire blue dress that complemented her willowy figure. With her hair pinned back, her diamond earrings caught the afternoon sun like disco balls. They’d probably cost more than Addison made in a year.
“Fabulous party, Philip,” she said. “Good turnout.”
“Thank you.” He turned to Addison for an introduction. “Addison, I’d like you to meet Julia Edwards. Her cocker spaniel was the Best of Breed last year.”
“Of course,” Addison said. “We already know each other. Nice to see you, Julia.”
The woman held her martini aloft while she leaned in to kiss the air next to Addison’s cheek. “What a surprise to see you.”
Philip watched Julia’s cocker spaniel and Princess sniff each other with familiarity. “How do you two know each other?”
“Addison here is the reason Precious won his title last year. Wasn’t she, Precious?” Julia asked the dog sitting at her feet.
Precious stared back passively, turning politely to Addison as though in greeting. His long fur fanned out on the stones like an elegant cream gown.
Addison waved away the compliment. “I wouldn’t go that far. Julia is a regular customer of mine,” she told Philip.
“Don’t be so modest,” Julia said. “You’re very talented at what you do.”
“It’s a lucky thing I found her then.” Philip gave Addison a look that made her feel like she was the lucky one.
“She might be a whiz with a dog brush,” a harsh, nasal voice cut in, “if you want to risk never seeing your pet again.” Penny Peacock approached their group, swishing her appletini around her glass. She leaned down to whisper to Princess conspiratorially. “I’d be careful if I were you.”
Sensing Penny’s hostility, Princess growled, and her lace collar bunched up over her hackles.
Julia rolled her eyes. “Addison isn’t responsible for the missing dogs. She’s not capable of something like that. Precious and I have been going to her faithfully every Saturday for two years now. Haven’t we, Precious?” She bent down to her cocker spaniel and kissed him on the snout. “And that won’t change now.” She leveled Penny with an icy look. “Sensationalism. That’s all that media nonsense was.”
“‘Nonsense’?” Penny looked aghast. “Her carelessness cost me this year’s Best in Show title.”
“You know you’re not competing, right?” Julia asked her. “I know it’s confusing when they refer to the bitch category, but they are referring to the dogs, not you.”
Penny’s mouth dropped open with a squawk not unlike a parrot’s. Addison had to smother a burst of laughter behind her hand. Even Philip’s cheeks were quivering as he tried to control himself.
He cleared his throat. “Ladies. Ladies. Let’s not allow a little healthy competition to ruin the afternoon.”
“What competition?” Julia asked innocently. “Penny doesn’t even have a dog to handle anymore. There is no competition.”
Penny’s grip on her martini glass tightened with a squeak. “Maybe it was you who stole Lily. You just couldn’t stand to see me beat you again, could you?”
Julia yawned. “I’m not as obsessed with winning as you are. I have a life.” As though bored with the conversation, she turned to Philip. “I’m going to get more of that quiche before it’s gone.”
“Of course. Enjoy yourself.”
“See you on Saturday, Addison?” Julia gave her a wink.
Addison waved. “Four o’clock, as usual. See you then.”
She felt a little ray of hope shine inside her. At least not everyone believed the rumors. When she turned around again, Penny had already stormed off. Her day was getting better and better.
Philip shook his head at Penny’s retreating back. “Ignore her,” he told Addison. “She’s just angry about what happened, and for good reason. But it wasn’t your fault.”
She placed a hand on her chest. “Thank you for saying so.”
It felt good to have his faith in her innocence. Of course, he wouldn’t have invited her to his party if he didn’t believe her, but it was still nice to hear it while surrounded by so many people who would disagree.
“Besides,” he said, lowering his voice, “Alistair couldn’t have won for a fourth time in a row. Everyone knows that Lily is past her prime. She was lucky to win last year. So don’t let anyone here ruin your day.”
Nothing could ruin her day when she got to spend the afternoon with Philip. Letting it roll off her back, she beamed up at him. “I don’t intend to.”
At that moment, one of the security guards approached him and murmured something in his ear, too low for Addison to hear.
Philip nodded briefly and turned back to her. “I’m so sorry, Addison. This is Carson, my head of security. I have to deal with something. Why don’t you order a drink from the bar? I’ll be right back.”
“Of course,” she said. “Take your time. You’re the host.”
He reached out and squeezed her hand. A pulse of energy coursed through her like he’d just transferred all his feelings into her with that one touch. He was totally into her. She just knew it.
With a grin on her face, she and Princess drifted over to the bar set up at the edge of the grass. It sat in the shade of a huge umbrella. The doxie trotted next to her with the same tilt of her chin as Addison’s, the one that said she belonged there. Even among the potential Best of Breeds and Best in Shows, Princess knew she was just as good as they were.
Addison looped Princess’s leash onto one of the dog-minding hooks on the side of the counter and waited for the bartender to finish organizing his bottles. When he turned around, she scowled. It was Felix.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded.
Felix flashed a winning smile, as if he were actually happy to see her—unlike how she felt about him at the moment.
“Well, hello to you, too. Can I get you a drink, madam? Might I suggest a Dog’s Lunch or perhaps a Hair of the Dog? Or maybe you’d like a replay of the other night?” He waggled his dark eyebrows at her.
She made a repulsed, throaty sound. “No, thank you. I’d rather forget about that.”
“I meant the drink. What were you thinking about?” He clicked his tongue teasingly. “You should feel flattered. I’ve named it after you. I called it the Head Turner. It certainly seemed to turn your head.”
Her scowl faded slightly. He’d named it after her? Not that it mattered. He probably did that kind of thing all the time to impress women.
“You mean that pink drink you probably drugged?”
Felix was already grabbing bottles and mixing them into a cocktail shaker. “Drugged?”
“That’s the only way I can explain why I lost all my marbles,” she said with the most aloof air she could manage.
“Or maybe,” he said, “it was because you’d been dying to kiss me ever since the cocktail mixer.”
Some guys just can’t take a hint, she thought. “Yeah, right. I plead temporary insanity. Besides, I’m interested in someone else.”
Addison glanced around the veranda, hoping Philip would come back soon. More and more of the guests were throwing her sharp glances. She could feel the daggers. Surely no one would cause a scene if he were there.
The clinking ice in Felix’s cocktail mixer fell silent as he froze. “Who? Not Philip Montgomery?”
“The third,” she added airily.
He pulled a face. “Is he your Mr. Perfect?”
“Yes. We’re practically dating now.” Well, that wasn’t entirely true, but he didn’t need to know that.
Felix shook his head, pouring the familiar bright pink liquid into a glass. “Not that guy.”
“Yes, that guy,” she said. “He is perfect. He’s a gentleman, he’s got looks, manners, a good job—”
Felix glanced around, lowering his voice. “Being a rich man’s son isn’t a job. It’s lucky genetics. It’s not like he worked hard for it.”
Addison frowned. Come to think of it, she didn’t know exactly what Philip did for work … or much about him at all, really. But those were all just details. They would come in time. After all, Sleeping Beauty had known nothing about the prince when he’d kissed her. They got to know each other during their happily ever after.
“Well, he fundraises for good causes.” She swept her arm, indicating the party. “Which is even more remarkable. It means he’s selfless.”
“When you have nothing else to occupy your time, you have to do something.” Felix set the drink in front of her.
She grinned over the bar. “You’re just jealous.”
“And you’re just desperate.”
Her grin vanished. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“I called it the moment I met you. I knew you were desperate enough to jump at any guy who looked your way.”
“Obviously not any guy. I didn’t jump at you.”
“I know a pool table that would disagree.” The way his eyes roamed over her made her knees shake.
A flash of memory from her visit to Joe’s Dive and Felix’s touch came to her. She could practically feel the billiard cloth rubbing against her skin.
While Felix set a gold bowl of Evian down for Princess, Addison slid onto a stool to hide her sudden weakness. She took a big gulp of her drink. She was just tired. Or nervous. Yes. She was nervous about seeing Philip, not Felix. How could the two possibly compare? Felix was rude, brash, insensitive, like the antagonist in her love story. The villain to Philip’s hero.
“He’s not the one for you,” Felix told Addison flatly. “You just want him to be.”
Addison gaped at him like he’d just said he hadn’t seen any of the Lord of the Rings movies. “What are you talking about? Philip’s utterly perfect. I’d be crazy not to want him.”
“Are you trying to convince me or yourself?”
There was that cocky, all-knowing look again, as if Felix saw right through her. It was an uncomfortable feeling. Like someone seeing her first thing in the morning, with a rat’s nest for hair, no makeup protecting her, and dragon breath. It unnerved her.
She shifted uncomfortably and took another sip. “You don’t even know me. You only think you know it all. But you won’t even help me find the show dogs, so maybe you’re just all talk.”
Picking up his cloth, Felix wiped down the counter. “I can’t get dragged into that. It’s your problem. Not mine.”
She hopped to her feet, glaring across the counter. “You arrogant—”
“Addison.” Philip’s voice brought her up short.
She quickly rearranged her expression into an innocent smile and turned around. “Philip.”
“Sorry about that,” he said. “I’m all yours now. Would you like the grand tour of the house?”
“That would be lovely.” She leaned to grab Princess’s leash and whispered over the counter. “He’s going to give me the grand tour.” She threw Felix her best eyebrow waggle.
Philip offered her his arm, and Addison slid hers into place, feeling like a puzzle piece had just found its home. A subtle squeeze of his firm bicep told her it was an impressive home.
She tossed Felix a dazzling smile over her shoulder, batting her eyelashes. “Thank you for the drink.”
“You’re welcome, madam,” he said with a surprising amount of professionalism.
She suddenly felt more than a little childish.
The chatter of the guests died down as Philip led Addison and Princess inside his mansion. Hidden from all the piercing stares, she realized just how on edge she’d been. But now she was all alone with her prince.
“Where’s Baxter today?” she asked.
“Oh, probably sleeping somewhere. We went for a big run this morning before the fundraiser started.”
“You like to run?”
“I like to join at least one triathlon a year.”
And it showed. She supposed that’s how he occupied his time. When was the last time Felix had entered a triathlon?
Although Philip’s home was well over a hundred years old, he had modern tastes in furniture and style. Addison’s expression might have displayed serene interest—at least, that’s what she was going for—but her internal jaw was hanging as they went from room to room, each grander than the last.
Princess took it all in with an air of Been there, done that. Addison wondered if she was faking it, too, since she was used to running around a tiny one-bedroom apartment.
Floral aromas tickled Addison’s nose when they entered the sitting room. She inhaled deeply, recognizing the light scent in the air. She found a giant crystal vase of white and pink lilies on the table.
She paused to smell them. “Mmm. My favorite.”
When she turned back, she caught Philip gazing at her. She blushed and looked away, feigning interest in a sculpture. They wandered through halls lined with gold-framed artwork, past rooms filled with high-end furniture and a grand piano or two.
“Do you play?” she asked Philip, lightly tinkling the keys on one piano.
“No. I just enjoy the sound. Sometimes my guests play when they’re here.”
“You have a beautiful home.”
“Thank you.” He seemed less interested in his surroundings than he was in her. “I’m happy to open it to people for such a good cause. Besides, it’s an excuse to throw a party. I enjoy entertaining.”
She noticed another security guard stationed at the end of the long hall, his posture rigid, as though he was ready to tackle someone. “Are your parties usually this … safe?”
“You mean the security? It’s just a precaution.” Philip barely noted the guard when they passed him. He might as well have been a houseplant.
“You mean because of the missing dogs from the cocktail mixer?”
“Yes.” He eyed her expression. “Don’t pay any attention to the media and people like Penny Peacock. They just want someone to blame.”
“So does the rest of the city, it seems.” Addison laughed humorlessly. “But it’s good that you’re taking precautions to protect the dogs here today. I just hope the missing show dogs are okay.”
“The police are on the case, so it’s only a matter of time before the dogs turn up.”
She didn’t exactly want to explain that a serial killer was taking up all of the police department’s time and resources. That life wasn’t all grand pianos and crystal vases, and there was no reason to believe they’d simply “turn up.” But the fact that Philip was trying to comfort her made her cheeks flush again. She sighed, giving his bicep another squeeze.
“I’m sure you’re right,” she said. “It’s not easy to keep a pack of dogs hidden without someone noticing.”
“I’m sure it will turn out all right and everyone will stop searching for a scapegoat. Your name will be cleared soon enough. And if there’s anything I can do to help in the meantime, don’t hesitate to ask.”
“Thank you.” She smiled gratefully, but she couldn’t stop thinking about the poor missing dogs and worrying about their fate.
He gestured to a staircase that curved up to the second and third floors. “The third-story terrace has a magnificent view of Pacific Heights. Shall we?”
“Lead the way.”
They ascended the marble staircase and cut through a drawing room. They had the terrace all to themselves. Princess found a spot in the sun and plopped down for a nap, sprawling out on her back like she was working on her tan.
The view really was amazing. The grounds spread out before them, the grass mowed in a perfect grid, like it was a chessboard and Philip’s guests the chess pieces. People walked their dogs while attendants followed behind, ready to clean up after them. Manicured trees stood at attention down either side of the enclosed property, giving the opulent estate a sense of privacy and distance from the busy city.
It was all so different from the life she’d grown up knowing. Her mother wouldn’t have left if her dad had had all this. What would anyone have to complain about? To worry about?
Addison had been ecstatic for her father when he’d married Dora five years earlier. She was the sweetest woman, and her dad deserved no less. But as sweet as she was, Addison knew firsthand how finances could destroy a relationship. She’d watched it happen to her mom and dad.
Addison’s father had been through enough the first time around. She just didn’t want to see it happen to him again. Would the strain be too much for him and Dora? What if he didn’t sell the corner store in time and they went bankrupt? Would their marriage survive?
She considered her surroundings again with an appreciation of what it was like to go without. What a life, she thought. And the guy who owned all of it was interested in her.
It wasn’t like she’d been looking for someone with money. After all, nothing was more important than love. She believed in the promise “for richer or poorer,” maybe more so because of her mother.
“It’s beautiful,” Addison breathed.
“Not as beautiful as you,” Philip said.
She turned to find him gazing into her eyes, as if all their surroundings, the opulence, the luxury was nothing compared to her. Reaching up, he held her chin as he dipped his face to hers. However, just before their lips touched, there was a change in the surrounding atmosphere. A buzzing of agitated voices reached Addison’s ears.
The veranda was too far down for them to pick out specific words, but a woman’s shriek echoed across the yard. There was the soft rustle of quality fabric as though the entire party was moving as one. Oxfords and heels clicked on stones.
Philip and Addison exchanged a look before leaning over the banister to peer down at the party below. She was too short to see, but whatever Philip saw made his jaw clench.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“I’m not sure. I should check it out.”
Addison tugged on Princess’s leash, but she resisted, enjoying her sunny nap. Bending down, Addison scooped up her pet and rushed to keep up with Philip. They found the head of security at the base of the sweeping staircase to the foyer. Carson had removed his secret agent glasses, so things must have been serious.
“Carson, what’s happening out there?” Philip called down as he descended.
“It’s the dogs, sir.”
Philip came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs, his chest moving evenly. Addison’s rush through the house, on the other hand, left her gasping for air. But then, she was no triathlete.
“What about them?” Philip asked.
“Some of them, well …” Carson swallowed. “They vanished.”