Glass Slipper Bride

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“Uh, there’s a first-aid kit in the cabinet above the sink.”

He went there, used a paper towel to open the messy door and took down the kit, then carried it back to the bar counter. He fished around inside, extracting Band-Aids, antibiotic cream and a small pair of scissors. Using the scissors, he clipped the nail neatly. Then he applied the cream and two Band-Aids, one over the end of her finger and the other wrapping around it. “That ought to do it,” he said.

She thanked him timidly, adding, “You don’t have to take care of me, you know.”

He pulled out the other stool and sat down, knowing perfectly well that he ought to keep his mouth shut, but somehow, he just couldn’t. “Someone has to,” he said. “Your sister obviously won’t.”

Jillian couldn’t quite seem to look him in the eye. “It wouldn’t occur to her. You have to understand how busy she is.”

“I understand that she dumps everything that doesn’t have to do with her precious career on you.”

She didn’t even argue with him. “I don’t mind,” she said. “I like doing things around the house.”

He wanted to shake her, to make her stand up for herself, but it wasn’t any of his business. Why, he wondered, did the sweet ones always get treated like this? Suddenly he realized what he was thinking, and was shocked at himself. It must have shown, for she laid a hand on his forearm and asked earnestly, “What is it?”

He didn’t want to talk about it. He really didn’t, and yet... “You remind me of someone I used to know,” he finally said.

“Oh? And who would that be?”

He shifted uncomfortably. “We’re getting off the subject We were talking about how you let certain people take advantage of you and then put you down, when they ought to be grateful and supportive.”

She smiled wryly, as if touched by his concern. “It’s not like that. I’ll admit that it hasn’t always been easy, but it’s more Gerry than it is Camille, and before you start in on her, just think about it from her viewpoint She was replaced, literally, by my mom, who was several years younger, and yet she still took me in when I had no place else to go. It’s natural that she should resent me, don’t you think?”

“Maybe,” he admitted, “but that was a long time ago. It doesn’t explain this subservient role they’ve cast you in.”

Jillian seemed to be searching for the right words to explain. “I know this sounds absurd, but it’s almost as if Gerry is jealous of me on Camille’s behalf. I can’t imagine why, though.”

“Oh, please,” he said scathingly. “Your sister has the personality of a diva.”

Jillian sighed. “I guess you’re right,” she admitted, “but she still has more personality than me, not to mention looks.”

He could have let it pass. He should have let it pass. Instead, he said, “There’s nothing wrong with your personality or your looks. You have those enormous blue eyes and that model’s build going for you.”