“YOU CAME BACK!” I yelled, running down the steps toward Ava. My hair spread out behind me in the tropical heat. I jumped the last step, being careful of my heels before taking off at a run. Bastian never understood how I could do it, but I'd been wearing heels for work long enough to know how to run in them.
I wrapped her up in a giant hug. The last time I had seen her was a little over a week ago. We had become friends just before I had left to go work on the phone app for our company. That was right around the time she and Bastian realized they were perfect for each other and were giving the most obvious love-filled glances in the kitchen. I had been glad to get out of the house and give them some alone time.
To be honest, I was surprised when I came back to work on the auction and found out that she had gone back home, leaving my brother broken-hearted. Bastian claimed she said she just didn't fit his world, but that made no sense to me. They were so perfect together that I was having difficulty understanding why she had left, but somehow I knew she'd come back.
I was so glad to see her. Since she had been gone, Bastian had been mopey and miserable. I had missed her, and not just because of Bastian's mood swings. She was my friend, too.
“I'm glad to see you, too,” she replied with a laugh.
I grinned at her, finally releasing her from my hug. “Bastian's going to flip. He's been absolutely no fun since you left.”
“Where is Bastian?” Ava asked, her eyes going to the house and looking for him. “I need to talk to him.”
“I'm sure you do,” I said with a wink. They needed to do much more than talk. “But he's not here right now.”
“Oh. Of course. I should have checked before I came...” Ava looked down at the ground, heartbreak filling her voice.
“But he'll be back for the gala tonight,” I quickly promised. Poor Ava just looked more confused and all I wanted to do was hug her again. Apparently, being apart from Bastian had been as hard on her as it had been on him.
“Oh, he'll be back?” Relief flooded Ava's voice and her shoulders relaxed slightly. She looked exhausted. Her blouse was wrinkled and her shorts stained with the signs of fast food and travel. Her usually shiny, thick red hair was pulled back and brushed, but her eyes were red and her skin drawn and pale. If I looked up “travel-weary” in the dictionary, her picture would be there. Given that the island wasn't an easy place to get to without a private jet, I could only imagine the night she'd had.
“You are coming to the gala tonight, right?” I asked, already working on a plan. This was going to be my opportunity to play fairy godmother.
“Gala?” Ava sounded utterly confused. She frowned and reached into her pocket, pulling out the golden ticket for the gala and auction. The paper was creased only once, as if she had stuck it in her pocket and forgotten about it. She now stared at it as if she were reading it for the first time. “I totally missed there was a gala on there.”
I looked at her very small travel suitcase. There was no way an elegant evening gown was in there. “What are you planning on wearing?” I asked, knowing that she most likely didn't have a plan. If anything that made me love her more. Ava had just hopped on a plane with nothing in a rush to get to the man she loved. It was incredibly romantic.
I was a sucker for romantic.
“Um...” Ava blushed and looked down at her suitcase.
“Oh, good! You didn't bring anything. That makes this so much easier,” I answered for her. My brain was already going at a million miles an hour on just how I was going to make this a night to remember. “It's always better to work with a blank canvas anyway.”
“What?” Ava squeaked. She looked a little panicked and shell-shocked. I couldn't blame her. This must not have been at all what she was expecting.
“I've got just the designer for you,” I said, thinking of the three brand new designer gowns hanging in my closet. They had been given to me by upcoming new artists specifically for this event and now I would be able to use at least two of them. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and started to guide her up to the house. “This is going to be so much fun!”
Ava shot me a nervous look, but let me lead her forward. I wasn't the princess of the story, but I was going to be the fairy godmother and make sure that Ava and Bastian got their fairy tale ending.
“I'm going to make you the belle of the ball.”
***
“Yes, yes, yes!” I exclaimed, finishing zipping up the back of the gown. It was perfect for Ava. The first time I saw the dress, I knew it would be too long for me, but since Ava was taller, it would fit her without even needing hemmed. It was as if it was made for her.
The dress was made of soft gold that flowed over her hips and made the woman in front of me appear lush and slender at the time. A gold lace overlay started right at her hips and continued down the length of the gown to create a train that was both romantic and stunning.
I hooked the top latch, making sure everything was in place. “I thought of you as soon as I saw this dress. It's perfect.”
“It's not too much?” Ava asked, looking down at the rich lace fabric bodice.
I stood behind her and put my hands on her shoulders. With a gentle push, I moved her in front of the full-length mirror. “You look amazing. Stunning.”
She smiled, taking in the dress for the first time. “I'm just nervous.” Her smile faltered. “What am I going to say to him?”
“Tell him you love him,” I told her without hesitation, squeezing her shoulders.
Ava looked up, the mirror reflecting the shock in her bright green eyes. “How did you know? I haven't said anything about how I feel...”
“Seriously?” I laughed, thinking of how obvious the feelings those two had were. “You just flew how many god-awful hours to come here? Besides, I knew you were in love with him from the moment I saw you two making flirty eyes over sandwiches. It wasn't exactly hard to figure out how you feel about him.”
Ava giggled and blushed slightly. “Fair enough.”
“He's going to be so happy to see you,” I told her. I loved the way my brother had lit up while she was here. He was a different person- a happier person. He smiled more and the lines around his eyes disappeared when Ava was near. I could only imagine how happy the two of them would be together, if they would just give one another the chance.
Her smile faded with nerves. “Okay, no more talking about Bastian and how much of an idiot I am for not realizing I love him four days ago.” She strengthened her smile. “New, but slightly related topic: Leo.”
I froze, thinking of his hand on my shoulder this morning. Of his promised dance to me this evening. And how it was all a moot point. He'd never choose me.
“There's nothing on that front,” I said with a sigh.
“Oh, come on- you two were alone all last week.” Ava turned to look at me. Her skirt made a pleasant swishing sound with the movement. “Something must have happened?”
“First of all, we weren't alone. Gabe, the other owner of the company, was there. Second, we've been alone plenty of times and nothing's ever happened.” I sighed. “And nothing ever will. He sees me as Bastian's little sister and nothing else. Nothing's going to change that. Believe me. I've tried.”
Ava put her hands on her hips. The dress gave her an amazing hourglass shape. “What have you tried?”
“More of what haven't I tried?” I moved behind her and unhooked the the top of the zipper and began pulling it down. This fitting was just to make sure the dress fit and if we needed an emergency seamstress. She needed to be out of the dress for the hair and makeup ladies to work their magic. “I've tried being coy, setting up a romantic dinner, snuggling up to him, hell, I've even tried flat out asking him to kiss me, and nothing.”
“You asked him to kiss you? And he said no?” Ava stepped out of the dress and put on a button-up shirt and shorts as I put the golden dress back on the hanger.
“Charlotte, you're drunk and don't know what you're saying,” I said in a deep voice, trying to sound like Leo. “I don't want to do anything that could jeopardize my friendship with Bastian or you.”
“Ouch.” Ava winced.
“I've know him since I was thirteen. I've done my best to make it obvious how I feel about him, but he's not interested. He has made that super clear. For whatever reason, he doesn't want me and I don't see that changing any time soon.” I shrugged. The ache in my heart was all too familiar. “I should be glad that he is my friend. I really need to learn how to be content with that.”
“I'm sorry, Charlotte. When I saw the two of you together at that restaurant...” Ava shrugged and took the dress from me. “You two just seemed so perfect together.”
“Thanks. I need to move on, I just...” I sighed, my heart aching. “I just can't.”
Ava wrapped her arms around me, squishing me with the dress in the process. “At least we can be idiots about men together.”
“I never said I was an idiot,” I teased, hugging her back. “But you're right.”
She grinned at me as a knock came on the door followed by the words, “Makeup lady.”
“Go get pretty, Princess Ava,” I said, releasing my friend from my hug. “I'll get my hair done and then we'll switch. It's a good thing I overbooked.”
Ava went to the door and paused before opening it, turning to look back at me. “Charlotte?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you.” Ava's gratitude and friendship flowed through her gaze and made me feel warm and loved.
“You're welcome.” And I truly meant it.
As she walked away, I couldn't help but think about what I had just said. “I never said I was an idiot.” But I knew that I was. I had been from the day that he walked into my life... completely naked.
10 Years Earlier...I sat carefully on the old wooden chair in Bastian's dorm room, looking around the room in awe.So, this is what college looks like, I thought to myself. I had imagined it to look a little less like a boy's gym bag and more like an academic library, but I wasn't going to complain.How many thirteen-year-olds got to go to college anyway? Or at least, got to visit their older brother in college and play pretend for the weekend.I checked my watch. I still had another fifteen minutes before Bastian would come back from his “project.” I rolled my eyes. Project- yeah right. It was obvious he was doing some cool college-y thing that he didn't want his little sister participating in. He just told me he had a group assignment he had to work on. Sure, Bastian. Sure.The room was a small square with two twin beds on opposite sides, two desks and a small TV perched on a mini-fridge in the center. Per Bastian's instructions, I had the door open and the resident assistant had a
I stood in front of the mirror, holding my dress up to see how the ensemble would come together. My dark hair was curled and pulled back in a half-up style that was soft and feminine. I loved my makeup- not too much, but enough that my brown eyes looked big and my lashes could start a small windstorm. I felt pretty, and with my hair and makeup done, I just needed to get dressed, but I wanted a sneak peek of the final product.“Not too shabby, Char,” I said quietly. “Not too shabby.”Even on the hanger, the dress was beautiful. It was an off-the shoulder gown of royal blue and cut to hug the top half of my body before ending in a subtle mermaid tail at the bottom. The color was my favorite part, as well as the secret pocket where I could keep my phone without having to carry a purse all evening.Ava's dress was perfect for her and this one was perfect for me.I stared at the woman looking back at me for a moment. Sure, she had the same dark hair and dark eyes, short stature and same cu
After putting on my dress and shoes, I glanced in the mirror one last time and smiled at my reflection. This was definitely one of my favorite dresses so far and, as silly as it was, I hoped Leo thought so too. It irritated me how much his opinion mattered to me, especially considering that we weren't anywhere near being a couple. Someday, I would stop caring. Someday, I would find someone else to love and I would finally put these feelings for Leo aside. Someday, I would be smart and let him go. Just not today.As it was, I suspected he would just tell me to put on a jacket, too.With a shrug, I tossed my hair over my shoulder and went into the adjoining room to find Ava. She was standing in front of the mirror, mesmerized by her appearance.“Holy crap. I do good work,” I said, taking her in. Stunning didn't even come close to describing her. The dress was even better with her dark hair freshly curled and pulled back with a golden comb.“You look gorgeous, Charlotte,” Ava replied, he
I realized I was still holding Leo's hand as we came to the glass door leading out to the porch, and I quickly dropped my hand from his as we positioned ourselves to peek out on the couple. I was trying hard to keep my distance and not touch him. Touching Leo only let my heart hope for things it couldn't have.The night was dark and the porch unlit, but there was still enough light for us to be able to watch. I pulled on the curtain, hiding us further from their sight.We huddled together in the dark, peeking through the small space available to see, and I couldn't help but notice how he was pressed into me. Or was I pressed into him? Either way, we were touching and it was making it hard to think. I took a deep breath to try and center myself, but succeeded only in taking in his scent instead. Pure, clean and male. My heart skipped several beats before I could force it to start again.“What's going on?” Leo asked again, a chuckle in his voice. His muscled arm was strong under his sui
Leo still had my hand wrapped up in his and it was doing strange things to my heart. He'd never touched me for this long, at least not on purpose. With every moment, I knew I was falling just a little more in love with him and that I would crave his touch for days after this. It was almost cruel to know I wouldn't get it.Outside on the porch, the night was calm and beautiful. A cooling wind came in from the ocean, bringing the scent of salt and sand with it. The waning moon's small crescent shape was a silver glitter against the dark water of the Caribbean sea.Just before Leo closed the door, I heard the soft rumble of applause as Bastian began his speech inside. The door sealed with a soft thud, separating Leo and me from the rest of the world. It was warm and dark out here, and still thrumming with the magic of Bastian and Ava's reunion. I wanted to be in a world with just Leo, even if it was only for a moment. Even if I couldn't really have him, I wanted this moment.“Charlotte?”
The kitchen was on fire.Or at least, it had been.The acrid scent of smoke lingered in the kitchen despite the open windows and the industrial fan sucking up as much of it as possible. Luckily, the scent had remained contained and wasn't frightening the guests.The chicken however, was very frightening.“I'm so sorry Ms. Page- the chicken flambé, it wasn't supposed to do that!” The poor caterer looked to be about two seconds away from bursting into tears. This was probably one of the biggest events on the island, and definitely not how she had planned on making an impression on our guests. “I've done this a thousand times and-”“Are you okay?” I cut her off, putting my hands on her shoulders. “Are you or any of your staff hurt?”“I'm okay, the staff is okay,” she sniffled, not meeting my eyes. I could smell the scent of burnt hair lingering around her, and upon closer inspection noticed her eyebrows were singed. A single tear rolled down her flushed cheeks. “But the dinner isn't.”I
Everyone was seated in the party tents to the back of the mansion. Despite the massive size of the mansion, there just wasn't a good place to seat one-hundred and fifty for a formal setting. Especially not with the unparalleled view of the ocean that the tents offered. Tomorrow, these tents would be used for some of the smaller, more durable pieces being auctioned off.White linen and stringed lights gave the dinner a very Caribbean flavor that managed to look both comfortable and elegant at the same time, especially with the perfect ocean view. The tent doors were open to allow in the breeze, but the steady hum of the air conditioners kept the room comfortable. Camera flashes went off at regular intervals as the rich and powerful mingled over cocktails and appetizers.I immediately located Bastian, Gabe, and Leo all sitting at the head table. Ava sat next to Bastian, positively glowing with happiness. There was an empty chair next to her and the final two seats contained two friends,
Leo led me to the open dance floor, spinning me expertly into the music as a fresh song began. I fit into his arms like I was made there. Leo was an excellent dancer and following his lead into a waltz was easier than breathing. Cameras flashed and zinged as we danced, and as I looked up at my prince charming, I felt like a princess.“So?” I looked up at him, half expecting him to tell me it was all a mistake, or even worse, that I would wake up and find this all a dream.“So.” He grinned at me and spun me around, making my skirt flow out in a shimmer of blue fabric before pulling me back into the safety of his arms. “I wish we could get out of here. I'd like to kiss you some more, but-”A camera flash interrupted his words and accenting how public our setting was.“-But the auction should be front page news. Not us,” he finished, spinning me away from the camera. “I'll just have to be content with holding you until later. Then I want to kiss you again. And again.”Happy bubbles fille