Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five

Isla

M y phone was propped on the top of the vanity. Layla was on the screen watching me put on makeup and giving me pointers. I was mostly a swipe-of-mascara-when-I-had-time type of girl, whereas Layla had a makeup routine for each part of her day. She had always been the one to wear a Disney princess costume around the house or dress up Nonna’s cat, Chester, in doll clothes. Chester was always a good sport about it.

“Swipe a little blush under your cheekbones to make them stand out,” Layla said. She was doing some yoga stretches in between her nuggets of advice.

I followed her instructions and sat back. “What do you think?”

She knelt, rested back on her heels and looked at the screen. “I think that lipstick is too dark.”

“It’s the only one I brought.”

“Guess it’ll have to do.” Layla returned to a downward dog position.

“Thanks for the pep talk,” I said. “And now all I can see in this mirror are dark lips like I’m heading to a goth party.”

She sat back again. “No, it’s fine. You look beautiful. El!” she shouted in a tone that startled me.

“Geez, you’re sitting in a thousand-square-foot cottage. She could hear if you just whispered her name.”

Layla scoffed. “That’s what you think.” She got up and headed down the hallway past the row of framed pictures on the wall. I felt a touch of homesickness. Layla aimed the phone toward the door and pushed it open. Ella was wearing headphones as she feverishly typed on her laptop. “She’s been listening to Gaelic music. She says it gives her inspiration.”

“Hey, El, check out Isla’s makeup. See what you think.”

Ella didn’t look pleased about the interruption. She yanked off her headphones, glanced at the phone and nodded her approval. “The lipstick is a little dark.”

My posture deflated. “Great, so I do look goth.”

“No, you look really beautiful,” Ella added after seeing my expression. “You’re going to wow them. Is there a staircase entrance? You know one of those long, flowing staircases where the woman strolls down and everyone in the ballroom turns to gawk?”

“I’m sorry to disappoint, El. There’s a long staircase, but the ballroom is a few corridors away. However, I have a surprise to show both of you, something that will guarantee me a few turned heads when I walk into the room.” My fingers were actually trembling as I lifted the necklace from the box. I held it up to my neck. Both my sisters grabbed the phone and leaned in closer for a better look.

“What on earth? Did Luke give you those?” Layla asked.

I laughed. “Hardly. His grandmother, Hazel—a wonderful woman, by the way—lent them to me for the night. I’m so nervous about wearing them. They’re amazing, aren’t they? There are earrings to match. And they go perfectly with the dress.”

Ella smirked at Layla. “Told you I nailed it on the dress choice.”

Layla rolled her eyes. “So, you got one right for a change.”

I cleared my throat to pop them out of their teenage-style argument. “What do you think?”

“It’s like a fairy tale,” Ella said. There were little sparkles, just like the diamonds, in her eyes.

“Except the prince is technically my boss or whatever you would call this weird thing we’re stuck in. Still, I’m determined to have a good time, and I think wearing this necklace is going to make sure that happens. I’ve got to go. Guests are starting to arrive downstairs. Wish me luck.”

“Remember every detail because we want to hear about every minute,” Ella said.

Layla peered into the screen. “You look beautiful, Isla. Knock ‘em dead.”

“Thanks for your help.” I hung up and walked over to the bed where I’d laid out the dress. “Now let’s see if we can get this sucker zipped up.” A vision of me entering the ballroom in my jean cutoffs, a T-shirt and the unbelievable jewels gave me a little tickle. It felt good to relax for those few seconds.

I picked up the dress and held it against me. Ella was right. She nailed it with the dress choice. I took a deep breath. “I guess it’s showtime.”

T here I was again, staring into the long mirror and assessing every inch of my reflection. I never wanted to be that girl—someone fixated on her own image. I’d happily leave the mirror behind once I left this place. I badly wanted to do a few deep breathing exercises before putting on the jewels, but the snug fit of the dress wouldn’t allow it. I walked over to the vanity and picked up the earrings first. They slipped in easily and instantly felt weighty and luxurious on my lobes. I glanced in the vanity mirror. I’d done like Hazel suggested and swept my hair up off my face and neck. I’d pinned it in a loose chignon behind my head. The earrings glistened like actual stars in the sky. Hazel must have dazzled people whenever she wore them. She no doubt dazzled them even without the jewels. She probably never fit in with the uberwealthy crowd, but that didn’t matter to her because she had a wonderful husband who adored her. The rest were just peripheral nuisances that could be managed as long as she had her Lucas at her side.

I put on the necklace. My fingers touched the jewels lightly as I walked back to the mirror. I sucked in a breath. It was hard to believe the woman staring back was me. It was time. I could hear music and voices downstairs. The party was in full swing.

I breathed a sigh of relief when I made it all the way down the stairs and along the corridor without running into any one of the venomous trio. The ballroom was at the end of a long hallway. Two massive doors were propped open, and I could see the crowd inside. A flurry of glittering dresses and jewels sparkled under the many lights hanging from the coffered ceiling.

I reached the open doors and stood there frozen, asking myself why I was there. Then a few faces turned my direction and a few more, and in the middle of all the unfamiliar faces, I found the one I was looking for. Luke looked positively dashing in his suit and tie. He smiled and the tension in my body relaxed. It seemed I was making that entrance even without the long, flowing staircase. I took a breath and my first step.

“Excuse me.” A cold hand pushed me slightly aside. Alexandria slid past me and stood directly in front of me. She was wearing a skin-tight long dress that looked as if it had been painted onto her body. Gold pearls ran all the way down the back seam, and there was a sharp, very revealing split in the back to show off her incredible legs.

I shrank down with disappointment and couldn’t hold back the embarrassed blush. I’d actually thought that the room had turned to look at me, but it was only because of the spectacular woman behind me. Luke’s smile wasn’t for me. That revelation hurt most of all. Suddenly, the dazzling jewels around my neck felt heavy and wasted. What was I doing? This wasn’t me—the dress, the jewels, the layers of makeup. I’d sold a piece of my soul this weekend, and I only hoped I could get it back once I left this place.

I found myself in the middle of a room where I knew no one, and I had no interest in getting to know any of them. “You look lovely.” Hazel’s soft tone came from behind. She admired the necklace as I turned around. She held out her arm. “Would you mind helping me across to that settee over by the refreshment table?”

I gladly offered my arm, and she wrapped her slightly crooked white fingers around it. We found the least congested path around the floor to the settee. “What can I get you from the table?” I asked. “It all looks wonderful.”

“I’m fine. You’re not here dressed like a beautiful princess so you can tend to an old woman like me. Mingle. Have a good time.”

I sat down next to her. “To be honest, I much prefer to sit right here with you.”

Hazel’s face lit up. “I think your dance partner is making his way over.”

I glanced up through the forest of faces. Luke was heading our direction. My chest was wrapped so tightly in the snug bodice I could actually feel my heart pitter-patter at the sight of him.

“He looks so handsome in that suit,” Hazel said.

“That he does.”

Luke reached us and leaned down to give Hazel a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll be heartbroken if I can’t get at least one of you two beautiful women to dance with me.”

Hazel winked at me. “Go on. I’m not quite in the mood to be twirled about the room yet.”

I put my hand in his, and he led me to the dance floor. A live orchestra was trying its hardest not to sound stodgy as it played modern tunes. We’d managed to reach the floor for a slow dance.

I turned to Luke, and he put his arms lightly around my back. I placed my arms around his neck, and we shuffled our feet to the music, like two shy teens, awkwardly trying not to get too intimate all while trying to look as if we knew what we were doing.

“I see Hazel loaned you her jewels.”

“These old things? Just something I had in my dresser drawer at home.” I sighed. “I feel like I should be walking around with a bodyguard.”

“I’ve never seen her lend them to anyone. My mom has begged her to the point where Hazel was garnering far too much glee from it. She always said no. You look sensational, by the way. You stole my breath when you walked into the room.”

I peered up at him to see if he was telling the truth.

“You don’t believe me,” he said.

“I figured that smile was for—” I shook my head. “Never mind.”

“The smile was for you, Isla,” he said quietly. He tightened his arms more, and our bodies pressed together.

I rested my head against his shoulder. “This is nice. Can we just stay like this?”

He tightened his arms more. “I like that plan.”

I closed my eyes for a second, letting myself imagine that this was real, the thing between us. I let myself dream that the incredible man holding me loved and adored me the way his grandfather had loved and adored his grandmother. As I opened my eyes, I found that I was being skewered by a very harsh scowl. I gasped and lifted my head. Margaret was marching across the room looking as if she was ready to spit fire.

“Lucas,” she said sharply.

He turned us so that he could face his mom. My back was to her, and I could still feel those daggers she was shooting at me from across the room.

“Mom, we’re dancing. What do you want?” He released his hold on me.

I turned to her. Her gaze went straight to the necklace. “How on earth did you get hold of those jewels? Did you steal them?” I glanced around at all the curious faces. Alexandria and her mom tipped their heads together, whispering to each other behind their five-hundred-dollar manicures.

Margaret had been such a fake, smiling hostess all weekend, but she couldn’t help showing her true colors in front of all of her guests when it came to the jewelry she so badly coveted.

“Mom, how could ask such a thing?” Luke snapped. “Grandma lent them to Isla.”

“I certainly did,” Hazel said from behind. “How dare you interrupt their dance, Maggie? And accusing this young woman of stealing that necklace—why that’s low, even for you.”

“You do these things just to irritate me, Hazel.” Margaret shot me one more murderous look before marching off the dance floor in the same angry manner she marched onto it.

I felt physically sick from the encounter. I expected Margaret to shoot me an angry glare or two, but I never expected her to accuse me of stealing the jewelry. And in front of everyone in the room.

Luke took my hand.

“You know, I think I need a little air, Luke,” I said. “I’ll be fine on my own. Really.” I smiled weakly at Hazel as I left the room. I found my way to the veranda and pushed through the door, inhaling deeply as if the only oxygen on Earth was waiting for me past the French doors. I was relieved to find myself alone.

The moon shone its weak glow down over the immaculate gardens. They looked even more regal and pompous under the night sky. I longed for my coastal view, the moon glowing with gold streaks over a glassy navy-blue sea. A slight breeze helped clear my head even more. I walked along the path, and despite the tight dress, managed to fill my lungs with fresh, cool air. The chandelier glow and the noise from the ball spilled out onto the side yard. I could see into the room through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Margaret was easy to spot in her plum-colored dress. Rachel stood near one of the windows, staring out at the darkness with a look of pure agony on her face. She’d ended up in a match that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. How could she go through with it? After my eldest sister, Aria, called off her wedding at the last minute, she felt so relieved, she hardly minded all the mean, threatening texts from her ex-fiancé’s family and friends. Eventually, she managed to block all of them. Their bitterness only reminded her that she’d made the right choice. But we all instantly supported Aria’s decision to call it off. I doubted Rachel would get any kind of support—the opposite in fact—if she decided not to go through with the wedding. My biggest question was how on earth could her own mother not see that she was truly miserable about this wedding? Margaret was so selfish, she hadn’t paid attention to or cared about her daughter’s feelings at all. Margaret Greyson made Cinderella’s wicked stepmother look like a perfectly sweet angel.

I walked a few more paces down the path and looked back toward the ballroom again. I was trying to decide if I would bother to go back inside or just head to my room. As I stared absently at the big windows and the activity inside, a familiar silhouette came into view. I already knew him just by the way he held himself, by the way he moved. Another figure stepped into the frame. She was easy to recognize, too. Alex and Luke stood close to each other, talking. She lifted her arm and placed it around his neck. She leaned forward, as if for a kiss.

I spun around and hurried farther down the path. The lights grew dimmer the farther into the garden I got. I liked the shadowy solitude. I sat on one of the benches, but the darn dress was too snug to get comfortable. I couldn’t wait to go upstairs and unzip the silly thing. I no longer wanted the jewels around my neck either. I should never have agreed to wear them, and I felt a pang of sadness thinking that Hazel might have used me as a pawn. She knew seeing the necklace would anger Margaret. Did she offer them purposely to irritate her daughter-in-law, or was she genuinely excited to offer them to me for the night? I decided not to think about it further because I might not like the answer.

I stared up at the night sky. A few nocturnal insects buzzed near the low lights along the pathway. They crashed into the light numerous times before flying off. Watching them made me realize that it was time for me to fly off, too. I had no intention of attending the ill-conceived wedding as Luke’s date. I didn’t even care about the money anymore. I’d go back home, work hard and find my way to that dream no matter what it took. Luke had his match, his date for the wedding. Even if this was all fake, I wasn’t going to sit around like a sap and have everyone look at me with pity, knowing that I wasn’t the one Luke wanted. I would order an Uber ride for the morning, and I’d flee this place with both glass slippers attached. I didn’t need the rest of the story—the prince trying to track me down. He’d already found his princess, and this humble baker would go back to her marvelous beach cottage and her even more marvelous sisters and start back where she left off before this whole horrid scheme began.

However, I didn’t want to just disappear. It might make people think badly of Luke, that he coldly left his girlfriend for another woman in the middle of the weekend. Despite how this weekend had played out, I thought highly of the man. He was a good person, and those weren’t always easy to find. The guests didn’t know this was fake. I knew exactly what I needed to do. I was only sad that it would fill Margaret Greyson with joy. I could never find a reason to wish her happiness.