Sometimes the happiness that overcomes me when I’m with my father feels wrong, like I should still be angry at him for being distant all my life, but I’m not. In a strange way, I understand why he felt he needed to keep his distance.
“You look beautiful, Katrina.”
I smile from ear to ear. “Thank you.”
It feels strange to call him Dad, so usually, I call him nothing at all.
“Won’t you be cold?” Rose asks me, referring to my bare arms and legs.
I tilt my head at her with amusement. She knows better than anyone that Enchanters can adjust to any temperature. “Oh, stop. I’ll be fine, Rose. The dance is inside, remember?”
She shrugs, eyes assessing my entire outfit meaningfully. She obviously disapproves with the amount of skin I’m showing, but I can’t understand why.
“Rose,” I try again, with a tilt of my head. “I’m wearing no less than I have before.”
She purses her lips. “Yes, but you’re older now.” She draws an hourglass shape with her fingers. “More… filled out.”
I laugh, pushing away my embarrassment. My curves have thickened some since I came to stay in Apollo Beach, but my energy keeps me in constant motion. While I can fit into everything I could before, I do notice that my clothes are a bit snugger.
Charlotte takes a step forward and places a hand on my grandmother’s shoulder. “I think she looks fabulous, Rose.”
Paul squeezes my hand. “I agree, Mother.” He turns to me. “But if that boy gives you any trouble tonight, you know who to call.” He winks at me then releases my hand.
Rose sighs and tips her lips in a teasing smile. “Fine. I guess I’m outnumbered.”
After I’ve embraced Rose and placed a kiss on her cheek, my eyes return to my father, who looks dashing in his tux, ready to join Rose and Charlotte at the winter solstice event at the Garden.
He clears his throat, a familiar, befuddled expression on his face. I’ve never asked him to confirm my theory that he sees my mom when he looks at me. My stomach twists. Deep down, I worry he’s displeased with the part of me that comes from my mother—the part that shares blood with Erebus. It’s not something we’ve ever talked about.
Charlotte nudges us toward the piano to the left of the bay windows. “It’s picture time. Get together, you two.”
We shuffle into position. My dad stands to my right, with his left arm around my waist while my arm slides behind his.
“Oh, that’s perfect,” Charlotte gushes. She positions herself behind the camera and snaps away.
As we smile for the camera, a buzzing warmth zings through me, and my heart fills with delight. There’s only one thing missing. I look to the door, my anxious heart awaiting his arrival. He should be here any minute now.
Rose, my dad, and I are crammed together on the great room couch, with the camera levitating in front of us. Charlotte is determined to get the perfect picture, but the doorbell rings, startling us all. My heart leaps, and my eyes goes wide.
He’s here.
The camera floats back to Charlotte’s hands as Paul stands to answer the door. “I guess this one will work,” Charlottes says, smiling down at her camera with pride.
Before I can lift myself from the couch, Rose tugs my arm, pulling me in close to her. “You look beautiful, dear.”
The unexpected compliment makes me blush. Rose isn’t always easy to please, but something about her has changed since my father’s arrival. I like it. It’s as if she’s made peace with the world—well, most of the time.
“Thank you, Rose. Don’t wait up.” I wink at her.
She chuckles. “Oh, I won’t. Not tonight. I’ll be too busy partying.” She shimmies her shoulders to show me she means business, and I can’t help tipping my head back and laughing.
The two muffled voices at the door cause my insides to quiver, and I wonder why I’m so nervous. It’s not like this is our first time hanging out. What is my father saying to him? I try to listen in, but they must be blocking the conversation, because I still can’t make anything out past the sound of their voices. Surely Paul is giving him the “Behave yourself because I’m always watching” speech.
In an effort to regain composure, I run my hands down the length of my dress and breathe deeply, screaming at my nerves to dissipate. Then I reach for my mask on the end table and stand. I look up just as Paul walks into the room with a heartbreakingly gorgeous Alec Stone trailing behind him. Alec’s naturally wavy brown hair has grown significantly since we first met. When he doesn’t do anything with it, his hair sits like an angry mop on top of his head. Tonight, though, each strand is perfectly in place, styled back so his smooth, chiseled face is clearly visible.
“You’re stunning,” Alec gushes.
My head bows slightly as heat fills my cheeks. Of all the superlatives I’ve heard so far tonight, his certainly makes me blush the most.
He closes the distance between us and takes me in his arms. I only have to tilt my chin slightly to lock eyes with him. “You clean up nicely,” I tease.
“Why, thank you.” His smile lights up his entire face. “You, on the other hand, could be wearing a potato sack and still look good, but this…” He takes a step back and looks me up and down. “Works out much better.” He winks.
Charlotte’s camera drifts in front of us, and I giggle. “Okay, okay. One more picture, and then we all need to leave.”
Alec hugs me to his side, and we smile for several more photos.
With one final wave to my family, we make our way out the front door, where a stretched limo is waiting at the curb. My two best friends’ heads are sticking out through the sunroof. Arabella is whistling provocatively at me while Trisha shouts, “Get your butt down here, guys. It’s time to light this night up!”
It’s crazy to think that at this time last year, I was helping Alec study his Apollo ancestry—well, what little we could find on the subject. There aren’t many books in the Summer library dealing with other descendants, so we were resourceful. After his parents begrudgingly handed over the adoption papers, we learned as much as we could about his birth parents.
Andreas was their surname. Alec Andreas. It would have fit him. They were born and raised on the small Greek island of Ikaria. Alec’s father, a local sculptor, was featured in a lot of newsletter articles we found online. On what was to be a short visit to Rockland County, New York to hand-deliver some artwork, Nick and Alexandra Andreas decided to extend their stay. They rented a home in Stony Point, and just a few months later, Alexandra gave birth to a baby boy named Alec. The very next day, the Andreases disappeared from the hospital, leaving baby Alec behind. From that point on, the Andreases’ whereabouts were untraceable.
The results of our search weren’t easy for Alec to swallow. He’d gone his entire life content with his situation without letting his curiosity get the better of him, and here we were at the brink of discovery. Alec continued to dig for months, calling the Rockland County Hospital, the adoption agency, and the owners of the rental property. He even contacted his parents’ old residence in Greece, but all traces of Nick and Alexandra Andreas were lost.
I regard Alec with a soft smile. “You ready?”