“Oh,” he says, “I swear the network—your stepmother included—was about to behead me if I didn’t keep her. Then Anna fessed up, and I figured, what the hell? I’ll give them this one thing to make them happy.”
He gathers my hands in his, and I look up to meet his gaze and lose myself in his deep brown eyes.
“But the real question is, are you sure you can get romantically involved with your competitor? That won’t be a conflict of interest?” I ask.
He leans into me, nipping at my bottom lip. “I think I can handle the pressure, but I can always check with HR real quick.” He holds his phone up to his ear, not moving an inch from me. “Hello? HR? This is your boss. I’ve got a hot new girlfriend, and she works for a competing brand. Oh? What’s that? You don’t care. Okay, good.”
“I’m less concerned about HR and more concerned about your mother,” I tell him.
“She and I have had some time over the last few weeks to talk through a lot. She’s a bigger fan of yours than you think,” he says, and parts my lips against his as his arms coil around me. “Are you really leaving?” he asks into my mouth. “Right now?”
I nod. “I’m running late, actually.”
“I’m very good at missing flights…and disappearing. I’m good at that too.”
“You feel like disappearing this weekend and meeting me in Italy?” I ask, my lips brushing against his as we kiss with every syllable.
“My disappearing act has been known to go on the road.”
“I’ll be back in two weeks,” I tell him. “But I guess we’ll have to see if you make it past the first elimination.”
“The competition stands no chance,” he says as he pulls me tightly against him.
“Oh, and I’m moving to Brooklyn.”
“Well, that’s it,” he says with a playful smile. “We’re over.”
I still don’t know if I believe in fate and if everything happens for a reason, but I do know that the best thing I can do is find purpose in everything, as well as joy, like Mom wrote all those years ago. Whether it’s living as fully as I can to honor my parents or if it’s just being thankful for the friends and connections I found on a silly reality television show. Anything can have a purpose. Anything can have a meaning if you make the choice to give it one.
I grin into his lips. “Henry?”
“Mon petit chou?”
“What’s in the shoe box?”
“Shoes, of course. A very memorable pair of shoes.”
“And they’re really for me?”
“If the shoe fits,” he whispers.
I’m still pinching myself over the fact that I got to write this book. As a child, I spent so much time obsessing over Disney princesses, but especially Cinderella. The slippers, the dress, the carriage, the music, the Fairy Godmother. It was all so magical. Having the opportunity to reimagine this iconic tale with a modern-day twist, and with a heroine like Cindy who is plus size (and much closer in size to the average American woman than the original Cinderella) and navigating grief while finding her purpose and even falling in love has been a dream come true for me. Just like the original says, “A dream is a wish your heart makes,” and this dream wouldn’t have come true without some truly amazing people.
Thank you so much to my editors, Jocelyn Davies and Brittany Rubiano. Jocelyn, thank you so much for having faith in my vision for this modern fairy tale and for imparting endless Bachelor wisdom to me. Thanks to you, I’ve upgraded from casual observer to an involved citizen of Bachelor Nation. Brittany, I’m so grateful for your kindness and patience, especially as I tried to figure out how the heck to write a book during a global pandemic. (Lots of homemade bread, Zoom, and old seasons of The Bachelor.)
To my agent, John Cusick, thank you for always being my partner in crime and for wearing any hat I need you to on any given day. (Though I shouldn’t be surprised. You have excellent fashion taste.)
The whole team at Disney has been so warm and welcoming. Your enthusiasm for me and this book has been absolutely overwhelming. Thank you especially to Tonya Agurto, Kieran Viola, Jennifer Levesque, Cassidy Leyendecker, Seale Ballenger, Lyssa Hurvitz, Dina Sherman, Elke Villa, Holly Nagel, Tim Retzlaff, Danielle DiMartino, Monique Diman and the rest of the Sales team, Sara Liebling, Guy Cunningham, Jody Corbett, Jacqueline Hornberger, David Jaffe, Dan Kaufman, and Ariela Rudy Zaltzman.
I am in love with the cover for this book and the great deal of attention spent on bringing Cindy and Henry to life. Thank you to Marci Senders for your vision and to Stephanie Singleton for your art.
I wrote this book in 2020, and no one could have prepared me for the type of year we would have. My friends and family are such a support system for me, and we had to all find creative ways to be there for one another. Even though we’ve spent much of the year apart, I feel closer and more supported by you than ever. Thank you to Bethany Hagen, Natalie C. Parker, Tessa Gratton, Ashely Meredith, Ashley Lindemann, Luke and Lauren Brewer, and Kristin Treviño.
Mom and Dad, thank you so much for buying me the Disney storybook-cartoon VHS tapes that were such an important part of my childhood. I’ll never forget the magic of watching Cinderella for the very first time at Nanny’s house while I sat on the floor far too close to the television. Thank you for always letting me believe I could be the princess and the hero.
Thank you to my extended family—Bob, Liz, Emma, Roger, Vivienne, and Aurelia. I wrote this book for lots of reason, and one of them was definitely so that my nieces could have bragging rights, so live it up, girls! Auntie Julie loves you.
Dexter, my dog and the best boy, and Rufus and Opie, my mischievous kitties, I love you three so much.
Ian, thank you for always being my biggest inspiration. If I had to be quarantined with anyone, I’m glad it was you.
JULIE MURPHY is the New York Times best-selling author of several books, including Dumplin’, now a Netflix original movie starring Jennifer Aniston. She lives in North Texas with her husband, dog, and cats. Visit www.imjuliemurphy.com.