Soren smiles eerily at me as his clothes drip, drip, drip onto the marble flooring like he’s a creature from the deep in a horror film. “Perfect timing, Penny.”
I cast my eyes around the office, searching for his partner in crime. “Where is Bella?”
“Enjoying the hot tub. I warmed it up for her,” he says, much too pleased with himself.
Ugh. I forgot there’s a hot tub on the balcony. But wait, what did he just say?
“The hot tub?” I screech. “She’s not allowed in there. She’s allergic to chlorine.”
His face pinches. “She didn’t tell me that.”
“She’s a nine-year-old with a severe allergy to swimming pools. Of course she wouldn’t tell you!” I take off at a dead run, and Soren, surprisingly, follows. Painting forgotten.
“To be fair, that’s not on my top list of allergy knowledge,” he says.
The second I hit the balcony, my feet slip out from under me, and I slide into the outdoor sofa. Soren falls somewhere behind me.
Not only is there an inch of snow on the balcony, but there is a lake of bubbles the size of a city bus.
“Arabella!” I scream, peeling myself up and searching the infinite bubbles for her. What if her airway closed and she drowned?
I’m barely to my feet when I see Soren diving into the source of the foam.
Time stands still as I wait. Where is she?
This is taking too long.
Despite all the crap she puts me through, I can’t let her get hurt on my watch. I jump into the hot tub. I meant to do so gracefully, but I slip below the water, my knee connecting with something hard. The thing moves and makes a deep grunting sound. Arms and hands fumble around me—some my own, some not, until I’m shoved upright.
I cough up the water in my lungs, righting my feet beneath me just as Soren pops out of the water, drenched and oddly red.
“I thought you were Bella,” he says, looking around. “She’s not in here.”
I frown at his face. It’s not that hot in here. “Then where is she?”
“Calm down. We’ll—” He stops. “Why is your face red?”
“My face? Look at yours! You’re like a cherry tomato!”
He holds his scarlet hand in front of his face, puzzled, but the pieces click into place perfectly for me.
Bella.
“Hey, guys.”
Think of the monster and she appears, like an angel of mischief. Her eyes roam over us, triumph in her haughty grin.
“Perfect weather for a swim. Uh oh, someone forgot their sunscreen. Tsk tsk.” She tilts her head side to side and pulls out her phone to snap a photo, but Soren turns before she can get his face.
“Don’t play too long; we’ve got to finish our movie!” She turns and skips inside.
“She put dye in the hot tub?” Soren seethes.
This is certainly not how he anticipated tonight going, and that fact alone makes me happy despite the new color of my skin.
“Welcome to the Hartwell’s,” I mutter as I clamber out of the tub onto the slick, soapy, and snowy ground.
My feet immediately slide out from under me, and I land on my tailbone. The pain ricochets up my spine, vibrating my skull, and I groan.
