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“What is it, dearest?” Sein asked.
“Well, I did as you asked, and you certainly did come to my rescue but…”
“Yes?” Atlas asked, as Hela walked up to the bar.
“Nova?”
“Doesn’t she look amazing? The spa here has always been one of the best in all the places we’ve ever stayed. Harper does not disappoint. I’m glad she kept the blonde hair though, it suits her.” Hela smiled at her daughter, batting away a feather that had come off her outfit.
Wilder hugged his niece, then spun her around to face the stage. “There,” he pointed. “Is your person.”
Lottie eyes widened as she watched Nova dance with the singer on stage. She did look fabulous, as her mother had suggested. She’d cut her hair shorter and had her nails and makeup done. She wore a floor length shimmering blue gown with a small train in the back and slit high up on her leg. Without responding, Lottie pushed through the dancing crowd. She hopped on the stage and went straight to Nova, pulling her in for a hug then stopping to kiss her. The entire bar cheered, screaming and clapping. Nova pulled back, leaning over to yell in Lottie’s ear over the music.
“Let’s get out of here.”
“Gladly,” Lottie pulled Nova behind her as she ran backstage, down the stairs, and out to the pool bar.
“Oh, sorry!” the women said in unison as they bumped into a bartender.
“I want to show you something.” Nova locked her fingers through Lottie’s, leading her back through the lobby to the elevator. The couple didn’t speak, stealing glances and sharing soft smiles until they were seated in the sky lift.
“Nova,” Lottie began but Nova put up a hand to stop her.
“Before you say anything, I need to tell you something.”
Lottie turned, focused entirely on the woman next to her.
“I wasn’t entirely innocent in this plan.”
Lottie leaned back, putting room between the two. “Can you elaborate?”
“I didn’t know what their plan was, I swear, but I did know we planned the retreat at Crimson Moon Hideaway and enrolled me at the university to get closer to you.”
Lottie wished they weren’t on the sky lift so she could move further away. Her stomach clenched, as she felt the tension in her jaw. “What are you telling me right now? What the hell are you trying to say? You knew who I was? You sought me out at CU? You talked to me, went out with me because of your father and your boyfriend?” Lottie was all but yelling. The sky lift had come to a stop on the mountain side and Nova opened the door.
“What are you doing? You know what, I don’t even care. You stay on this side, ride back alone. I can’t believe you, Nova! I can’t believe you lied to me. You’re worse than Beau and Cain! I should have let McNamara banish you with them…. maybe I still have time.” Lottie slammed the door shut.
“Lottie! Listen to me please. I want to explain what happened. I didn’t know what was going on, I didn’t know who you were!” The sky lift started moving again, leaving Nova behind.
Lottie seethed. She didn’t know who to call or what to do next. She had been rude to her uncles, rude to her friends, and now she was finding out that the person she thought she would spend the rest of eternity with was a liar and fraud. She didn’t know why she couldn’t see it before. It was all too simple. Meeting Nova in the library, her readily agreeing to a date that evening even though she had a boyfriend. The plan must have ended there. Nova wasn’t faking it when she left because of the Vamp Club. Lottie rubbed her hands down her face and took off her jacket. Maybe she should have listened to her, let her explain her side of things.
“Fuck!” Lottie yelled out. She ran her hands through her hair, messing up the perfect style she has created for the evening. “What a waste,” she said aloud.
As the sky lift pulled closer to the roof, Lottie noticed a figure just inside one of the alcoves. There was small fairly lights along the paths and around the benches, but they didn’t give off enough light to allow her to focus. She wasn’t even sure it was a person standing there, could be one of the topiaries she reasoned. She stared long and hard but after several minutes, the figure hadn’t moved at all.
Her thoughts drifted back to Nova. Had she been too harsh?Probably, she thought. The sky lift reached the roof, but Lottie stayed in her seat. She couldn’t decide if she should give herself some time or go back and hear Nova out. The decision was made for her as someone opened the lift door, grabbing her by the hair and yanking her out. Nova’s blue shimmery dress was the last thing she saw before everything went black.
Chapter Fourteen
“I haven’t seen her in hours now,” Willa explained to Hela while they sat in the Cave Bar listening to songs play out of the juke box. The concert had ended spectacularly, the gala eventually cleared out but a few of The Jovial stayed behind. Sein and Eve had gone missing just after Lottie and Nova left. Janie said her goodbyes once the concert had ended, and Mae had been glued to Wilder the rest of the evening. Selena showed up just as the concert was ending. She was there for the encore but missed the rest of the show.
Hela frowned. “This girl. I see her once, maybe twice, every few years but she’s so busy we don’t even get to spend time together.”
“Don’t feel bad. We live right here around her and we don’t even spend time with her anymore. Nova has been in her head since the second she stepped foot in CU’s library. You know how Lottie is with books.”
“And women,” Selena chimed in, downing her third whiskey.”
“And you, honey. Are you alright?” Hela asked Selena.
