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My eyes scan over Mom’s dress and while I saw her quickly try it on during our shopping trip, it’s not the same as seeing her completely dolled up with her hair done, makeup looking flawless, matching headpiece and black gloves that stretch past her elbows. “Mom,” I breathe, staring in wonder. “You look stunning.”
“Oh, stop honey,” she says, her cheeks blushing the softest pink at my compliment. “You’re going to embarrass me and then I’ll never find the nerve to actually walk into that ballroom.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I tell her. “You look amazing and you should know it. Walk in there with your head held high, have a few glasses of champagne, and actually enjoy yourself for a change. You’ve never had the chance to enjoy yourself like this. Take advantage of it, and hell, maybe even find a rich man to flirt with.”
Mom’s eyes bug out of her head. “I will do no such thing,” she says, looking horrified. “Most of these men are going to recognize me from working at the other parties. Not that I’m interested anyway, but they wouldn’t even dare show me any attention. I’m just a lowly housekeeper and they’re well aware of that.”
“Geez,” I tease. “What happened to all those times you’ve told me not to sell myself short?”
“Oh, Ocean. Cut it out. I’m not interested in having an affair with some man who wouldn’t know the first thing about taking care of a woman from Breakers Flats so it doesn’t matter anyway.”
“Uh-huh.”
Mom rolls her eyes and steps in behind me in the mirror so she can look me over, just as I had been doing before she walked in. “This dress really is something,” she tells me. “It’s a shame we’re going to have to give it back.”
“I know,” I sigh. “I was just thinking the same thing.”
Mom raises her hands over my head and as she lowers them back down, a long pearl necklace is placed around my neck. It droops low between my cleavage, following the plunging line of the dress. “I found this in the store this morning and thought it would go perfectly with your dress.”
I run my fingers over the pearls. “It really does,” I whisper, feeling as though it completes my outfit for the party. “How long can we keep it for?”
“This is yours, Ocean. I bought it for you.”
My eyes bug out of my head as I spin around to face Mom. “What? You couldn’t have. What do you mean you bought it?” I go to start pulling it free from my neck. “This is too much.”
“Stop,” mom demands, forcing me to release the pearls until they’re dangling back between my breasts. “Colton has been throwing promotions at me left, right, and center. It’s fine. The necklace was half off and really not as expensive as you’re picturing it to be. Consider it your birthday present. You’ll be eighteen in a few weeks and when I saw it, I just knew you had to have it. It can be the start of your very own collection.”
Tears well in my eyes and I do my best to hold them back, not wanting to ruin my makeup. “Thank you,” I whisper, throwing my arms around her and holding tight. “This is the most precious thing I could have ever gotten. I swear, I’ll look after it with my life. Thank you so much. I love you.”
“I love you too,” she whispers. “Now, what do you say we go and leave our mark on this party?”
“Nothing could make me happier,” I tell her, pulling back to find a warm, loving smile spread wide across her face. The excitement brims in her eyes and just like that, I know she’s going to have the best night of her life.
I slip into my borrowed heels and as Mom loops her arm through mine and leads me out of the pool house, I can’t help but feel that this is the best possible ending to another long week. I don’t know how I did it, but somehow I went a whole week in Bellevue Springs without my world exploding into a million tiny pieces.
I’m not going to lie, distancing myself from my crew has been the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. Can I even call them my crew anymore? I guess not, that’s not who we are anymore. They’re just the guys who I spent years idolizing and trusting, but now … nothing.
I’ve dodged at least one hundred calls during the week and deleted twice as many texts. I meant it when I told them that I was done. I don’t have room for betrayal in my life. They’ve always boasted about how we’re a family and will always have each other’s back, but what happened to having my back when it came to being honest? What happened to having my back when it came to telling me about my father? Did their words not matter then? Because they sure as hell mattered to me. I trusted them to always be truthful and right now, I don’t know if their betrayal stings more than learning my father was the best hitman this country had ever seen, and not only that, that he did it for sport, not because he was good at it.
