Part 11 (2/2)

”I said it was an accident, Kota,” Annika snapped back.

Miriam began to soak a towel in some hot water with soap. She stood before me, lifted my dress and began scrubbing.

”It's no use,” I pointed out the obvious. ”It's red wine. I don't think it will come clean.” Miriam stopped scrubbing and looked up at me. Her brown eyes scanned the length of the stain.

”You're right. There's no way it will lift.”

I sighed softly. ”You all should leave now. You'll be late for the party. I didn't really feel like going, anyway.”

”Are you sure you're okay with that?” Annika asked.

”Anni!” Dakota hissed. ”We are not just leaving her here.”

”Really, it's fine,” I said.

Dakota appeared to be torn. She was looking forward to this party and I really didn't want to ruin her night just because I could no longer go.

On the other hand, Annika just stood there with her arms crossed, staring outside the window, as if she were bored.

”Go on, you two,” Miriam ordered. ”I'll take care of Lola. Both of you go on ahead.”

”I'll go get the car,” Annika informed everyone. Then she left the house, without a backwards glance.

Dakota stayed behind. ”I just feel so horrible,” she said. ”Are you sure you'll be okay?”

”Of course. Now go.” I smiled brightly, hoping it would put her at ease. She eventually left, although reluctantly.

I turned back to Miriam. ”You too,” I told her. ”I'm not ruining your night, either.”

”You won't,” she promised me. ”As long as you can change quickly enough.”

I angled a brow, like she was speaking madness. ”Into what, exactly? A t-s.h.i.+rt and shorts?”

”Come with me.” She left the kitchen abruptly and headed up the stairs. I followed her curiously.

Miriam opened a storage closet in the hallway and began rifling through the clothes inside. It appeared to be mostly winter wear, which I was sure were rarely used. She eventually found what she was looking for, pulling a garment bag loose from where it had been hanging.

She then made her way into the guest bathroom, turning the shower on full heat.

”It will probably need to be steamed,” she explained.

Finally, Miriam unzipped the bag and pulled out one of the loveliest gowns I had ever seen.

It was old Hollywood glamour, cla.s.sic and beautiful.

”It was your mother's,” she told me. ”They matched her eyes perfectly. Since yours are the same color, I'm sure it will do the same for you.”

I nodded in awe. The blue of the gown was the exact color of a deep blue sapphire.

”It's lovely, Grams,” I said. ”It looks like it could have been bought in a store yesterday.”

Miriam steamed and pressed the gown for me. When she finished, I removed my stained gown and quickly changed. My mother's dress was cut in a mermaid style. In a ruched material, it wrapped from the top of my bust down to my mid-thigh in one-inch sections. The material slightly loosened at the thigh, creating a pretty silhouette, which draped to my feet. The material clung closely to me. I realized it must have meant that my mother had the same shape. As I mused over this, Miriam entered the room from behind. ”She was slightly shorter than you, but apart from that, about the same size.”

”She had great taste,” I mentioned.

Miriam held out the silver high heels I had been wearing earlier. And then she handed me a long, silver beaded necklace that sparkled in the light. ”The necklace is mine. It should help the shoes to match.”

”Thanks, Grams. It's perfect.” But my smile faded as I thought of Annika.

”Annika doesn't want me to go tonight, does she?”

Miriam's lips tightened into a straight line. She didn't seem prepared to answer my question.

”I'll talk to her,” she said, then turned to leave. ”Let's skidaddle. We're late enough as it is. I don't want to miss the bacon-wrapped scallops.”

”Why?”

”Because they're absolutely scrumptious.”

I crossed my arms, stubbornly. ”Why doesn't she want me to go?” I held her gaze, determined to get an answer out of her. Her shoulders drooped. I knew she finally caved when I heard her long sigh.

”I think she might be jealous of you.”

”Jealous?” I asked, incredulous. ”Why on earth would she be jealous?”

”Think about it,” Miriam suggested. ”Her ex-fiance showed up last night to save you like you were some damsel in distress.”

I paused for a moment, confused. ”But I was the damsel in distress. At least it looked that way to him,” I pointed out. ”Gabe was only being. . .nice.”

”She may not see it that way.”

”Well, that's ridiculous. Gabe is almost a decade older than me.”

Miriam shrugged. ”Girls often behave moronically when they're in love.”

I considered that. ”Yeah, I suppose,” I agreed. In truth, I wouldn't know because I'd never been in love. At least- I think I never had. I suddenly found myself wondering if I'd ever fallen in love in a previous life.

”Come on,” she said. ”Try not to think about it. Annika will get over it, no matter the reason she's decided not to like you. Though she certainly didn't act like it tonight, she isn't a horrible person.”

”You're right,” I conceded. ”And soon enough, she'll see I don't want to steal Gabe from her.”

As we walked outside, I found myself questioning if that last statement was entirely true.

THIRTEEN.

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