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Back The Shoe Queen
Chapters (67)
  1. Cover
  2. “And may I say, those shoes are adorable.”
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. ( I )
  7. ( one )
  8. ( two )
  9. ( three )
  10. ( four )
  11. ( five )
  12. ( six )
  13. ( seven )
  14. ( eight )
  15. ( nine )
  16. ( ten )
  17. ( II )
  18. ( eleven )
  19. ( twelve )
  20. ( thirteen )
  21. ( fourteen )
  22. ( fifteen )
  23. ( III )
  24. ( sixteen )
  25. ( seventeen )
  26. ( eighteen )
  27. ( nineteen )
  28. ( IV )
  29. ( twenty )
  30. ( twenty-one )
  31. ( twenty-two )
  32. ( twenty-three )
  33. ( twenty-four )
  34. ( V )
  35. ( twenty-five )
  36. ( twenty-six )
  37. ( twenty-seven )
  38. ( twenty-eight )
  39. ( twenty-nine )
  40. VI
  41. ( thirty )
  42. ( thirty-one )
  43. ( thirty-two )
  44. ( thirty-three )
  45. ( thirty-four )
  46. ( VII )
  47. ( thirty-five )
  48. ( thirty-six )
  49. ( thirty-seven )
  50. ( thirty-eight )
  51. ( thirty-nine )
  52. ( forty )
  53. ( forty-one )
  54. ( forty-two )
  55. ( VIII )
  56. ( forty-three )
  57. ( forty-four )
  58. ( forty-five )
  59. ( forty-six )
  60. ( forty-seven )
  61. ( forty-eight )
  62. ( forty-nine )
  63. ( fifty )
  64. ( fifty-one )
  65. Acknowledgments
  66. Acknowledgments
  67. Questions for Discussion

“She must have been a real beauty once.” Genevieve absently smoothed a few loose strands of Olga’s hair behind her ear.

“Genevieve.” Zachari stood in the shop doorway. He was dressed in his work clothes, and his sleeves were rolled up to the elbow. His smile, on seeing her, was almost more than she could bear.

“It’s not what you think.” She was trying not to look at his eyes, scared that her own would reveal too much.

“Come inside.” He put out a hand to touch her arm, but she took a couple of steps back, shrinking away from him.

“I can’t.” It was too awful—what she and Lulu had done to Olga. It was shameful. And for what? If Zachari knew…

He shook his head. “I don’t understand.”

Truly this was the most exquisite torture.

“I heard about your mother,” he said. “I knew you must have gone back to England. I thought maybe you wouldn’t come back. And then yesterday, at the fashion show—”

“I’m not here for you, Paolo.”

“—there you were! You looked…I wondered if you’d come here. I realize I’ve been waiting for you.”

Genevieve thought about Lulu. She’d be drumming her fingers impatiently on the upholstery and swearing to herself, Olga’s head heavy on her shoulder.

“I can’t be here for you, Paolo. It can’t happen again.” Her voice, when she spoke again, was cold. As cold as she could make it. “Your assistant’s been taken ill. We’ve brought her back here in a cab. It’s out on the Rue de la Paix.”

The driver refused to help extract Olga from the taxi. Lulu too was next to useless, announcing that she needed to smoke a cigarette before she could do anything further. Zachari and Genevieve worked together to drag her out.

“We’ll help you get her inside,” said Genevieve. She retrieved Olga’s bag while Zachari semi-propped her up against the cab.

“It’s all right. I can manage.” And now Zachari scooped Olga up in his arms, like a doll. As if she weighed nothing at all. Her head flopped against his chest.

“Thank you,” he said. “Thank you for bringing her here.”

“We didn’t have much choice.”

“Yes, you did. There’s always a choice.” His face was more open at this moment than Genevieve had ever seen it. “I’m very grateful.”

“What about her bag?” Genevieve asked. But he was able to take that too, looped over one arm.

“Aren’t you even going to offer us a drink?” called Lulu.

“Good night.” Zachari started walking down the passageway, back to the shop.

Lulu exhaled a plume of smoke. “Well, there’s gratitude!”

Genevieve felt something tighten in her chest. “Finish your cigarette and get in the taxi. I have to go home to my husband.”

( IV )

COLLAR

( twenty )