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There was a time when Ariana would have done that herself.
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MOURNING
"That's all you brought?" Briana Leigh asked, glancing at Ariana's backpack as she opened the double doors to one of the guest suites."The airline lost my luggage," Ariana lied. "My cousin said she'd send it along as soon as it was delivered to the house."
"Well, you can borrow some of my old things in the meantime, I guess. You'll be a season or two behind, but beggars can't be choosers, right?"
Ariana's cheeks turned pink with irritation over having this pointed out to her face. Never in her life had she had to beg for anything. Not even inside the Brenda T. But this was just a brief moment in her life. A blip. If everything went according to plan, things would soon be back to normal. She forced herself to smile. "Thanks."
"Well, here it is." Briana Leigh lifted a hand toward the spacious, impeccably decorated guest room. Ariana already found herself savoring the view outside the huge glass doors that led to her own private
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balcony. Outside there was a gorgeous pond surrounded by wildflowers, and behind it the sun was just dipping into view, headed for the horizon. "Meet me down by the pool when you're done unpacking. It's behind the game room at the back of the house. If you get lost, there's always some maid or other around to direct you. Did you at least get a suit when you went back to your cousin's?"
Ariana turned around as Briana Leigh headed out the door. "Actually, no. They were all in my luggage."
Briana Leigh rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'll have one of the girls bring you one of mine."
"Thank you."
"There should be some other stuff in the closet," Briana Leigh said, nodding toward a door near the head of the bed. "I always have the maids move the out-of-season stuff to other rooms so it doesn't get in my way."
Rather than, say, give it to charity, Ariana thought. "Okay. Thanks again, Briana Leigh.""Don't mention it. Like I said, this is going to be fun!" The girl smiled for the first time since Ariana had arrived, then closed the doors behind her.
Finally alone, Ariana sighed with relief. She walked over to the king-size bed and fell back into its huge feather pillows. She smiled in delight as supersoft, eight-hundred-thread-count pillowcases enveloped her.
"I did it," she whispered to herself. "I'm actually here."
Opening her eyes, she noted the elaborate gold-and-crystal
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chandelier overhead and grimaced. Ariana had never understood the compulsion people seemed to have to put dining room lighting in the bedroom.
She sat up and checked out the rest of her new home. On the east wall was a huge, ornate Victorian-style dresser, which her meager supply of clothes would never fill. Across the wide hardwood floor stood a large desk with a laptop and printer. Ariana got up to check out what she assumed would be the bathroom through the door opposite the bed. Instead she found a sitting room with two couches, a plasma-screen TV, and a well-stocked library of books and DVDs. She giggled in glee and turned back to the bedroom. There were two doors on either side of the four-poster bed. One led to a walk-in closet stuffed to the seams with clothing--from skinny jeans to colorful gauzy tops to overly sequined dresses. Most of it offended Ariana's simple sense of style, but considering the sheer abundance, there was probably something she could work with. She closed the door and opened the second door. A grin lit her entire face. The bathroom was modern and state-of-the-art, with a glass-encased stall shower and a separate Jacuzzi tub.
A tub. Ariana tingled at the very sight of it, picking up the Kiehl's products that were set up along the shelf. She hadn't had a tub in forever, and she could almost feel the warm bubbles tickling her skin. But that would have to wait for later.
Ariana headed back into the bedroom and crossed over to the desk, her heart starting to pound with trepidation. She took a deep breath and opened the laptop. It powered itself on instantly. Ariana stared at
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the blue-and-white backdrop on the screen, feeling sick with fear and anticipation.
"Just get it over with," she whispered to herself. "You have to know."
She pulled the chair out and sat down. Her fingers itched as she brought up the Google search screen, and she mistyped her own name three times.
"Dammit," Ariana said quietly. She held her own fingers and breathed.
In, one... two... three...
Out, one... two... three...
The breaths calmed her. The trembling stopped. Focused, she typed her name and hit search.
