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“See?” Julie said pointedly, then went off to dig out Frank’s shoes. I followed behind, shaking my head in wonder. Was it just that people with that much money didn’t care about their infinitely-replaceable possessions—even when said possessions cost as much as their cars? Or was it that Frank and Nora were really generous people? Julie too, I supposed. For all we’d never really become close or even gotten along too well, she’d lent me her jacket and was clearly going out of her way to help me that night. A surge of gratitude ran through me.
“Thank you,” I told her as she handed me the shoes—killer black stilettos, the heels a deep purple that matched the underskirt of the dress. I wasn’t sure if I could walk in them, but they looked perfect. I slipped them on, rising a good four inches above the ground, then fastened the necklace around my neck.
“Thank Frank,” she told me, nodding in approval at the finished look. “They’re her shoes.”
“No, not for the shoes,” I clarified. “Thank you for…” I waved my hand vaguely in the air. “For all of this. For helping me out.”
I expected her to wave it away, but instead her flawless brow creased for just a second. “Thank you,” she said seriously, “for not telling the others about my arm.”
I blinked. “You’re welcome.” I still wasn’t sure it’d been the right move, but it was clearly important to her. Plus there hadn’t been any repeats as far as I’d seen. A second later her phone chimed again and the moment passed.
“Oh, Drew’s downstairs. Gotta go!” She slipped on her shoes and was out the door in a flurry of champagne-colored tulle, leaving me alone in the middle of the common room.
My phone chimed not a minute later.
Micah: Ready, sweetheart?
I’d expected to see Micah downstairs waiting for me, but I hadn’t expected all three of them to be there, and the expressions on their faces as I entered the lobby of the dorm were enough to make all of my panicking and Julie’s help worthwhile.
“Holy shit, Millie,” Devan said in a hushed voice, taking my hand and twirling me in a circle.
“You’re stunning,” Micah agreed, leaning in to press a soft kiss to my cheek.
Even Garrett seemed suitably impressed, something dark moving in the depths of his eyes as he met my gaze.
“You really are,” he said quietly, and my heart swelled in the confines of my chest.
The guys were gorgeous as well, like freaking movie stars, and I told them so, much to their amusement. They were dressed similarly, but not exactly alike, in dark suits of varying cuts, with dark shirts underneath. Garrett had on a vest under his suit jacket, which was a mouth-watering look on him. Micah was all in black, from his shirt to his tie to his suit to his shoes, even his hair and glasses, making his hazel eyes pop. He resembled a tall, sexy vampire, his bold scar making him look both dangerous and delectable. And Devan was clean-shaven for one of the first times since we’d met, his long auburn hair smoothed back in a low ponytail, and his tie was—
“Is that…pepperoni?”
From a distance the red polka-dots on a warm yellow background looked like a simple modern print, but up close...
“Yep, and cheese,” he said with a grin. “What? I like pizza.”
“We tried to stop him,” Micah stage-whispered, and I laughed as I rolled my eyes, linking my elbows through Devan and Micah’s arms and letting them escort me out of the dorm.
42
The motorcycle jacket wasn’t nearly enough protection against the cold of a December evening in Maine, but vanity won out over practicality, and we didn’t have far to go anyway. Devan and Micah kept close to my sides as we hurried down the path, blocking the wind with their bodies, and Devan’s hand pressing low against my back left a trickle of warmth running through me.
The second we stepped through the door into the auditorium I understood why the winter concert was a beloved Lost Lake Academy tradition, and our fancy clothes suddenly made a lot more sense than they had back in the dorms.
The lavish decorations of the auditorium were beyond what I’d even imagined—the lobby was decorated with low hanging chandeliers, elaborately painted snowflakes and blown-glass ornaments suspended from every surface. A long table with a decorative tablecloth was set up along the bank of windows, piled high with finger foods and tiny desserts and tall flutes of sparkling cider. Enormous flower arrangements in tall ornate holders framed the doorways, and students and teachers both were dressed to the nines in glittering dresses and tailored suits.
My lips parted as I took it all in, my eyes shining with wonder as Micah took both of my hands and spun me in a slow circle.
“What do you think?” he asked, eyebrows raised over twinkling eyes.
“It’s…well, I mean, it’s not quite on par with the winter concerts at Meadowbrook Public High School in L.A., but it’ll do, I guess.” I grinned at him and he grinned back.
Garrett grabbed cider flutes for each of us and passed them around, a genuine smile crossing his face as he raised his high in a toast. “To friendships—old and new,” he said. A flutter of warmth spread through me at his words.
Micah raised his glass as well, his eyes warm on my face. “To Camilla,” he said softly, and I couldn’t stop the blush that rose in my cheeks.
“To clinking glasses,” Devan announced with a wide grin, and at that we all laughed and clinked our glasses together, then swallowed down the sweet, bubbling cider.
We hung out in the lobby a little while longer, nibbling on finger food and chatting easily as we watched more students filter in, before the lights dimmed and we knew it was time to find our seats.
