“Looks like the coat check is out,” I signed.
The station was manned by a beefy-looking dude who wasn’t about to let anyone pass him.
“There are meeting rooms upstairs. They usually keep them unlocked. Go up there and chill until the party is over, I brought this for you. The perks of carrying a purse.”
I pulled my tablet out of my bag. Eli’s eyes lit up like I presented him with a year’s worth of Halloween candy.
“How do you know the rooms are unlocked?” asked Eli.
A memory assaulted my mind, bringing a vision of a girl running through the darkened halls.
I shoved it down and locked it away. That was another lifetime and another girl.
“I just do,” I replied. “Text me what room you’re in and I’ll bring up some food that doesn’t taste like feet.”
He saluted me and then took off. I watched him go with a wry smile. Eli was about to sit alone in a room reading books he’s read a hundred times before while I attended the hottest party in Raven River, and guess who would have the better night.
I took a deep breath and held it tight in my chest. Only when I felt my lungs would explode did I let it out.
“Let’s just get this over with,” I mumbled under my breath.
I set off for the ballroom, lifting my chin higher and higher as I went. The hate I received following the truth coming out had either been virtual or shouted at me behind a police blockade on the steps of the courthouse. I had no protections now. No hitting a button and blocking their vitriol from my life. I was stepping right into the lion’s den.
“Right this way, mad—” The tux-clad door holder paused mid-bow. “You.”
“Yes, it’s me. Ember Bancroft. I’m guessing you’ve got plenty you want to say to me, but it’ll have to wait. I’m starved.”
I sensed his eyes on the back of my neck as the party unfolded before me. If my aunt was truly responsible for organizing this, I grudgingly had to admit she did a great job.
Peach tablecloths covered in fake autumn leaves surrounded the dance floor. As a centerpiece, she chose bowls of clear cool water with floating candles that spread a sweet citrusy scent through the room, and projected on the walls and ceiling were falling leaves.
The guests gave in fully to the theme. Men in red suits and women in yellow gowns flitted through the party sipping champagne or shuffling on the dance floor. It reminded me of another night and another theme.
The peach linens and square tables suddenly vanished and were replaced by poker tables. Gone were the chic yellow gowns and instead the ladies wore garish, spangly dresses that glared harshly under the fluorescents, and added to the headache the constantly ringing slot machines were stirring up.
Once more, I pulled myself out of the memory.
I shifted away from the dancers to the group taking up almost the entire back row of tables. The ones this party was truly for.
The teenagers looked to be having their own party. One guy was up, talking and gesturing as his captive audience laughed their heads off and knocked back drinks I’d bet my life weren’t non-alcoholic.
Raven River Academy did not accept every student in my town, but they did take everyone who lived in the Estate. The academy was built as a direct pipeline from their middle school to high school. So were the lengths these families went through to keep their kids out of the OB.
What all of this meant for me is I would be going to school with each and every one of them. One whole year shunted inside the world my parents purposely kept me out of.
The comedian reached for something off a waiter’s tray and I got a proper look at him.
My stomach churned. I had hoped to never see that loathsome face again.
The thought no sooner crossed my mind than those blue-greens latched on to me.
I immediately looked away, the twisting in my stomach growing nauseating. Less than a minute at this party and I couldn’t stand it. I needed air.
Bolting across the room, I snagged a glass off a passing waiter and weaved through the dancers for the white double doors that promised a reprieve. I bumped someone’s arm.
A yelp followed by the splash of liquid.
“Excuse me,” a voice cried. “An apology would— Hold on, Jerry. Isn’t that—?”
I picked up the pace.
Bursting through the crowd, I seized the handles and rushed out onto the terrace. Warm autumn air enveloped me and washed my already heated cheeks. I stumbled to the ledge. My nails scraped the stone as I breathed, willing my heart to slow.
“Why in the hell did I come here?” I bit out.
Beads of sweat collected on my skin and my chest heaved, straining in the straightjacket dress.
I knew he would be here. There was no way he wouldn’t be. But I seriously underestimated my self-control. I promised my aunt I would be on my best behavior but it wouldn’t be up to me if I kept that promise.
“Just calm down, Ember,” I breathed. “In a minute, I’ll grab some food and hang out with Eli. I won’t have anything to do with that shit.”
Resting against the ledge, I reached for my glass and downed it. The sweet, fruity liquid delighted on my tongue. This was the worst kind of wine. The kind that tasted like fruit juice and tricked you into thinking a couple more glasses, or six, wouldn’t hurt.
I shook my head as I recalled why I knew that. Why in the hell I came here was an excellent question. I didn’t need the memories. Dealing with the present was difficult enough.
Slowly, I turned toward the steps leading down to the garden.
Gladiolas died under his leather shoes, crushed in the easy manner of someone unmoved by their beauty and uncaring of the hard work to make them so. A small speck of smoldering light pierced the gloom, pushing the shadows away from his face, and dancing in his endless chestnut eyes.
“What are you doing out here, princess?”
The door flew open behind me. “What are you doing here?”
I blinked, and the boy in the flowers disappeared.
“Why’d you run off so quick?”
Facing him, my lips twisted at the grin curling his cheeks.
“Damn, look at you. You’ve grown in the last two years. You and I need to catch up.”
“You need to turn around and walk your ass inside, Leo. I’m not in the mood to deal with you.”
If anything, Leonardo Tremaine’s smile widened. He gripped the wood and firmly shut the door, muting the sounds of the party.
Leo had grown in the last two years too. Up and out. I bet he wasn’t just delighting the ladies with his jokes now. He shot up almost a foot and packed some muscles in those pants and suit jacket. A perfect smile. Skin only a dermatologist can give. Baby blues for swimming in, and a wicked grin that promised all the wild sex you were imagining.
The Estate girls must be rubbing themselves on him like suntan lotion, I thought, stomach heaving worse than ever. His dream come true.
The smile morphed into a pout. “Don’t be like that, Em,” he crooned. “You know, I’ve been worried about you. Some said you ended up tricking in the OB after your parents took off with half the town’s money.” His filthy gaze raked me up and down. “Looks like that pussy is commanding a high price if you’re getting your dresses from Maxfield.”
“Fuck you,” I spat. “I live with my aunt and uncle now. And just so you know, if I was giving it up for money, you still wouldn’t have a chance.”