Winter White (33 page)

“You look beautiful,” Brayden whispered.

“You think compliments are going to get you anywhere?” Izzie said with a big smile. Aunt Maureen was already snapping pictures, and Hayden, that sly dog, was standing next to her, taking video. How many people were in on this?

“You got Dylan’s note, obviously,” he said.

“Obviously,” Izzie said, and they took their place in line with the other couples. Ms. Norberry had instructed them to line up and watch each couple enter, and then when everyone was there, they’d have their first dance.

“Before you bite my head off, let me say something,” Brayden said. “I know the past few weeks have been a disaster between the Ingrams, my mom, Dylan….”

“Disaster doesn’t even begin to describe it,” Izzie whispered. “You never called me to apologize that night your parents came home early. You just let me stand there while you went off to have dinner with Savannah’s family, and then the next time I see you, you’re having dinner with them again, and you still don’t apologize!”

“I know I let things go too far,” he agreed. “I should have apologized, but I was mad. You really pushed my buttons about my family and made me think,” he said, sounding flustered. “I know my family is messed up. Why do you think I try to escape to the beach so much?” he asked. “Anyway, Dylan and I had a long talk the other night after you left. It was way overdue. I think deep down my mom thinks she’s doing what’s best for us.” He straightened his bow tie on his tux. “Dylan isn’t so sure of that, but she knows she has to back off a bit. She made a mess of things, but I didn’t help, either. I’ve always done what my mom wanted, but not anymore. What my mom thinks is best for her isn’t necessarily best for me.”

Izzie hadn’t thought about it that way before.

“Dylan’s answer is to rebel. Mine is to go surf. Whose plan has worked out better so far?” Brayden’s eyes searched hers. “Just because I don’t come back at them all the time
doesn’t mean I won’t fight them for what I really want. It doesn’t mean I won’t fight for you, Iz, if you let me.”

For some reason, hearing him say that made the hair on her arms stand up. “But how do I know you will fight for me this time?” she asked, trying to keep the fear out of her voice. “What’s changed? The last few times we’ve been together, you did nothing—”

“Last time I saw you, I didn’t even know you were coming,” he reminded her. “But I already knew what I was going to say that night at dinner with the Ingrams. I had planned on telling everyone there that the only person I was going to cotillion with was you.” He smiled at her. “Our families are friends, so we’re still going to cross paths, but I told my mom I’m not going for dinner over at the Ingrams anymore. I’d rather have dinner with you and the Monroes, if you’ll have me.”

“Dinner, huh?” Izzie said, because she had to say something to keep up the attitude. Inside, though, all she could think was,
he chose me
. In front of his mother, his family, Savannah, and the rest of Emerald Cove, he had picked her. She wasn’t ready to let him off the hook just yet, though. “I’m not sure I’m ready to commit to dinner,” she said, and he looked a little disappointed. “Why don’t we start with lunch, and then we’ll go from there?”

He thought about it for a second and grinned. “I like lunch.”

“Me, too.” Why was she being so jokey? This wasn’t funny. He had to know how much her heart had hurt the last few weeks. “Just don’t screw up again, because you are running out of chances,” she said fiercely. “Fight for me like you said.”

Brayden looked at her intently. “I will.” And this time, she believed him.

From the corner of her eye, Izzie saw Savannah make her entrance. Her face was beet-red, and she wouldn’t hold her escort understudy’s arm. She glared at Brayden and Izzie as she passed, but Izzie didn’t care. She had finished Dylan’s assignment, become an official debutante, and won the boy. (She just wasn’t entirely sure she was ready to let him know that yet.) She belonged there as much as Savannah did, and Izzie promised herself she wouldn’t forget it.

When Mira saw Dylan walking over to Izzie, she bolted from the dressing area. Unfortunately, she didn’t know where to hide.

“Mira?” Charlotte walked over hesitantly. “Wow, nice dress.”

“Thanks.” Mira swished the skirt proudly. “It’s Amsale.”

“Cool,” Charlotte said appraisingly. “Mine’s a Charlotte Richards.” Mira blinked, confused. “That’s my name. I made it myself,” Charlotte said with a laugh.

“You made that?” Charlotte’s dress was incredible. It looked like a modern, upscale trench coat. Her white dress had V-neck lapels, a belted waist, and a slit up the middle of the gorgeous brushed satin hoop skirt. Crinoline peeked out from underneath.

“My parents were all for buying me one, but I figured if I could make something as difficult as a bridal gown, a career in fashion isn’t as much of a pipe dream as I think.”

“I would say it’s definitely not a pipe dream.” Mira admired Charlotte’s handy work. “It looks like something Stella McCartney would make.”

“That’s exactly the look I was going for,” said Charlotte, her eyes lighting up. “I had to change it up a little. I didn’t want to copy the master. Are you a Stella fan, too?”

“Who isn’t?” Mira said. “Although I can’t say I own too many pieces. My mom may like clothes, but even she draws the line at six-hundred-dollar shirts that are only in style for one season.”

“Mine, too,” Charlotte said with a sigh. “Although I once found a shirt marked down for next to nothing at Barneys in New York City.”

“I was just there for Thankgiving,” Mira said. “I loved that store! I would have slept in one of the dressing rooms if they let me.”

“Me, too,” Charlotte said with a laugh. “I love New York.”

Mira wondered why she and Charlotte had never really talked before. They were in the same grade at EP. They took some of the same classes. How could a potential friend have been right in front of her the whole time and Mira not realize it?

“Listen, I’d love to talk fashion all night, but the real
reason I’m out here is to send you on a mission,” Charlotte said discreetly, and her red hair fell in tiny ringlets around her heart-shaped face. “I was told to tell you that someone is waiting for you in suite fourteen.”

Emerald Cove Castle was so exclusive that the place had only twenty-eight hotel rooms. They had been reserved for cotillion years in advance.

“Who?” Mira asked.

“I can’t say.” Charlotte’s lips pursed slightly. “But it’s a good surprise—I swear.”

“I’m going to hold you to that,” Mira told her before heading off. “Hey, do you want to hang out sometime?” Mira’s voice was so tentative, it surprised her. For some reason, she really hoped Charlotte would say yes.

“Sure,” Charlotte said. “I’d give you my number right now, but as you can see, this dress barely has enough room for my bra.”

Mira laughed. “I’ll look you up in the EP directory.” She glanced down the hall. “Guess I should go meet my surprise.”

“Enjoy,” Charlotte said.

Mira would be the last one to make her cotillion entrance because she was giving the debutante speech, but she still didn’t have a lot of time to just hang around. She was one door away from suite fourteen when she saw Savannah.

Mira’s heart sank. “What are you doing here?” she asked.

Savannah held up a small pencil. “My parents are staying
here tonight, and I left my lip liner in their suite. I can’t be without my MAC on a night like this.” Mira had a feeling no one would be looking at her lips. Her dress was the real showstopper. The top half was covered in an almost lilac chiffon and the bottom fitted with a small train. Mira thought that part should be bustled, but fashion was never Savannah’s strong suit. She’d always relied on Mira for that.

Tonight, Mira had no problem saying what was really on her mind. “I can’t believe you have the nerve to talk to me after what your dad did.”

Instead of a biting comeback, Savannah sounded remorseful. “I was hoping I’d run into you,” she said quietly. “I had no idea what he was up to. I swear.” She gracefully lifted the bottom of her dress so it wouldn’t drag and walked over to Mira. “What my dad did is so humiliating. Can you imagine if our friends found out?”

Mira bit her lip.
Humiliating.
Of course that’s what Savannah was worried about. Not how wrong her father was for faking stories about Mira’s family. “They’re not my friends anymore, remember?”

“Right.” Savannah touched her smooth updo. “Still, I wanted you to know the truth. I’ve been mad at you, sure, but I wouldn’t try to destroy your whole life. Even if you have been cocky lately.” Savannah’s brown eyes got even darker when she was angry, which she appeared to be at the
moment. “Just because your dad is running for the U.S. Senate, you seem to think that makes you better than me.”

Mira couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“Parading around with your sister, getting in
Teen Vogue
magazine, shining at all the cotillion initiations while I got the grunt work, and then getting picked to be lead debutante tonight? That was the icing on the cake.”

Savannah ticked off the indiscretions in an almost patronizing voice, and that’s when Mira realized she hadn’t imagined it—Savannah was jealous of
her
.

“But I’m not a petty person,” Savannah added, and Mira bit her tongue. “I don’t forget when people have my back.” Her eyes softened. “You were decent to me that day at the scavenger hunt. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t helped me out with the tiara,” she admitted.

Mira wanted to keel over. “You’re welcome.”

“I knew I couldn’t let you miss tonight.” Savannah stood unsurely, shifting from one stiletto-clad foot to the other. “That’s why I went to Dylan and explained why you weren’t at the final initiation.”

“
You’re
the one who talked to Dylan for me?” Mira was downright flabbergasted.

Savannah played with the pearl bracelet she wore over one of her white gloves. “When you didn’t show up at the final initiation because of what happened with our dads, I had to
tell her what was going on. I know how much you wanted to be here tonight.” Savannah looked at the marble floor. “I remember how you used to talk about wearing a bride’s dress all the time when you were little. It didn’t seem fair that you would miss cotillion because of something my dad did.”

She couldn’t believe Savannah remembered the bride’s dress story. “Thank you,” Mira said. She looked around the stone hallway that had been built so long ago. “I really did want to be here.”

“I know,” Savannah said, and started to walk away. “Have fun tonight. I have to finish getting ready. I’ll be walking down those stairs to meet Brayden in just fifteen minutes.”

Mira shook her head. She still couldn’t believe Savannah would be making her entrance with Brayden instead of Izzie. For the moment, she pushed that thought out of her mind and looked for suite fourteen. When she found it, she slowly turned the door handle. She wasn’t sure who to expect on the other side of that door. Maybe that’s why she sucked in her breath and closed her eyes. When she finally opened them, she wasn’t any less surprised.

Kellen was the last person she’d expected to find waiting for her, but there he was in a tuxedo, holding a red rose. The whole thing felt like a scene out of one of those romantic comedies Hayden thought were so cheesy but she adored. If Taylor Swift music started playing right then, she would have to pinch herself.

“It’s you,” Mira said. She was surprised but not as surprised as she thought she should be. She had told Izzie she didn’t need an escort, but in the back of her mind, she realized she still hoped Kellen might be waiting at the bottom of the stairs for her.

“It’s me.” Kellen bowed. “But the rented tux is due back at four
PM
tomorrow.”

Mira swished toward him. She pointed to the rose. “Is that for me?”

“No, it’s for the maid,” Kellen said drily. “To thank her for making the room smell so pretty.”

“Oh, so we’re back to joking now?” Mira asked, her heart beating wildly.

He let the tip of the rose touch Mira’s nose. “I think so. Your groveling in all those messages and the desperate painted plea were hard to ignore.”

“It was the painting that got to you, didn’t it?” Mira said proudly.

When Kellen wouldn’t return any of her phone calls, and even a last-ditch bus ride to Peterson didn’t get Kellen to talk to her, she had walked reluctantly to Sup to get a latte before taking the bus back to Emerald Cove. She had been so pleased with herself for taking the bus without asking anyone for help (well, except that nice girl at the bus stop who explained what route she was looking for). But Kellen still wouldn’t speak to her, and she was out of playing cards until she saw Sup’s new contest.

SAY IT, DON’T SPRAY IT!

FORGET GRAFFITI. TELL THE PERSON YOU ADORE WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND THROUGH A PAINTING. FIRST PRIZE GETS A PRIME SPOT ABOVE THE CONDIMENT STATION AND A SLOT IN NEXT MONTH’S GALLERY EXHIBIT.

Mira didn’t have to think hard about what she was going to draw. She headed home that night, spent all evening painting, and took the bus back to Sup the next day. Even though the contest wasn’t officially over for a week, she persuaded the barista to hang her work up by the cash register so Kellen would see it. The barista had just been through a nasty breakup herself, and she felt Mira’s pain. Apparently, so did a lot of other people. It had only been there for a few hours when the barista called Mira to say how many people were talking about her painting. The picture was of a sad girl who had cut out her own heart with scissors and was offering it in her outstretched hand. It was a little graphic, even for her, but she kept the blood to a minimum and focused on her small, neat dedication at the bottom.