UnEnchanted (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale #1)(14)

The main house sat back from the street, three stories tall with a terracotta roof. Majestic statues of horses were scattered throughout the estate and Mina could see gardeners trimming hedges and mowing the manicured grass. Behind the estate were obvious training yards and stables for the Carmichael’s horses. Their prized race horses were probably at another facility.

This was the first time that Mina actually felt the effects of her family’s small income in comparison to others. She didn’t really care about money but when it came to someone she liked, she understood the phrase "out of her league."

Mina was embarrassed when she got to the steps of the main house and couldn’t find a solution as to where to leave her bike. With the kick stand broken Mina, tried to lean it against a pillar and got a heated look from a maid, she then went to lean it against a bush and received a horrified stare from the gardener. Giving up, Mina let it lay in the driveway, its back wheel spinning pathetically.

She took the front steps two a time and found herself at huge mahogany double doors with a silver mustang knocker. Mina was almost tempted to leave the packet in front of the doors and run. Knocking, Mina decided she would count to ten Mississippi’s and if no one answered she would do just that. She only got to seven when the door opened and Mrs. Carmichael herself answered.

She knew who it was because she recognized the soft eyes and elegant smile from the tabloid magazines. There was almost always a picture of the husband and wife and her signature pearls and perfect coif, in every month’s issue.

“Yes?” she asked sweetly.

“Hi, I’m Mina, and I’m supposed to deliver this Happy Maids packet on behalf of my mom.” Mina thrust the packet toward Mrs. Carmichael, hoping to get this delivery over with. Mrs. Carmichael wasn’t cooperating because she didn’t take the packet.

“I’m sorry what?” Her brow furrowed in confusion.

“My mother’s boss, Terry Goodmother of Happy Maid’s said you requested an informational packet dropped off and I’m doing it for them.” As Mina was relaying the story, Mrs. Carmichael still looked confused, and she had a sinking feeling that this was a huge mistake. “I’m sorry; I must have the wrong residence.” Mina turned in embarrassment.

“Wait! What was your name again?” She called out. Her eyes softened with compassion. Or it could have been pity.

Mina had made it to the bottom steps and turned to look back up at Mrs. Carmichael. “I’m Mina Grime.”

“You’re the one who saved Brody!” Her confusion disappeared and her face lit with happiness. “We have much to thank you for…WATCH OUT!” She screamed.

Mina heard a sickening crunch of metal on metal and turned to see her bike crushed to smithereens beneath the wheels of a silver Camaro. “MY BIKE!” Mina groaned.

“BRODY!” Mrs. Carmichael yelled simultaneously.

Mina froze, she didn’t know what was worse, facing her long time crush with a brown chocolate milk stain on her jacket or the fact that he just run over her pathetic bike with his expensive sports car.

The driver door opened and a shocked Brody jumped out of the car. “Mina, I’m sorry! Are you okay?”

He wasn’t expecting her to be on his front doorstep. Brody hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Mina all day. It was pure torture for him to watch her during the school assembly. It was obvious the reporters were making her uncomfortable and he was helpless to do anything. Too bad the reporting ban his parents had on him didn’t extend to her.

Brody had been so preoccupied with trying to find a way to talk to Mina that he couldn’t focus and decided to blow off the polo meeting and go home. He wasn’t expecting to see the vision of his daydreams standing in his own driveway speaking with his mother. It was as if fate had brought them together. He was so distracted by the mere sight of her that he didn’t even realize what he had done until it was too late. He destroyed her bike, and by the look on her pale face he had destroyed any chance he had of trying to befriend her.

Mortified that Brody ran over her bike and embarrassed by her lack of reason for being at his house, Mina could only think of one thing to do. Run.

It was obviously a terrible mistake that had sent her to the Carmichael’s house, and it was a cruel twist of fate that Brody drove up and crushed her red bike. It was even more embarrassing because it was a bike. Maybe if he drove up and hit her car, it wouldn’t have seemed so pathetic. But all Mina could think about was that he would ask his mother why she was there, and it would seem like she was stalking him. It wasn’t until Mina had reached the opened main gates and ran through them that she realized she had dropped the info packet on the ground. Oh, no! He would know that her mom cleaned houses for a living.

Mina heard someone call her name, but she ignored it and turned the corner. While she ran, tears formed in her eyes and the cold wind swept them away. She wanted to die of embarrassment. Everyone at school would hear about how Mina made up some excuse to stalk Brody at his own house. How she made up a fake pamphlet so she could check out Brody. How she was so desperate and poor that she rode her old broken bicycle up to the mansion and that it was crushed like tin foil beneath the wheels of Brody’s expensive car.

If Mina was a stronger person she would have confronted him about the bike, but when her whole reason for being there seemed fabricated, she lost her resolve. Mina couldn’t do it, so she ran and left her bike.