“What are you wearing to the Halloween party?” Ella asked her in Studio Art class one day. They were a few days shy of October thirty-first when Serenity Harbor threw a bash and the school put on a dance in the school gym.
“Oh, I’m not going.” Ashley smoothed her pastels with a finger. “Halloween’s not really my thing.”
“Stop it. You have to go.”
“Meh. No, I don’t.”
“Carter Andrews asked me specifically if you were going.”
Ashley made an exasperated sigh. “If Carter wants to talk to me he should just talk to me.”
“You’re taller than him and he’s intimidated. Give him a break.” Ella’s pastel study of the fruit Mrs. Kender had set out was turning out beautifully. Pastels and still lives were not Ashley’s thing, but she could muscle through this to get to the next unit–textiles. Now that sounded interesting. “Please go,” Ella cajoled. “Maris and Laura are both out of town with their dad’s that weekend and I don’t want to go by myself.”
“So bring Benny.”
“I can’t,” Ella said. “Glass Houses is playing at the dance.”
So that answered the question of whether or not Tyler was going. “Oh fine,” Ashley huffed. “I’ll go. But I don’t have a costume.”
“You’re a genius with that sewing machine of yours. Whip up something. It’ll be fun.”
To Ashley’s tremendous surprise, it was. It took a trip to the party store for a wig and a visit to the thrift store for some cheap fabric to get Ashley in the spirit of things. She’d sewn a set of gauzy, white curtains into a fluffy tunic and transformed a white thermal shirt into a scoop-neck top that was both warm and glitzy. She covered the ensemble with tiny dots of silver glitter glue until the whole thing sparkled. She’d even wrapped a pair of high-heeled boots in strips of white T-shirt to finish the look.
Ashley was just finishing her makeup when Ella breezed in, arms laden with tote bags. Her friend’s hair was slicked back and secured in a tight bun at the nape of her neck. She wore all black, scanned Ashley’s glittering white costume with fascination. “Okay, I give up. What’s are you?”
Ashley swirled, letting everything sparkle. “I’m a snow fairy.”
Ella laughed, delighted. “I love it! See? I knew you’d get into it.”
“This is kind of fun,” Ashley said. “What are you supposed to be?”
Ella looked very proud of herself. “You’ll see.” She carefully donned her own costume, and it was a masterpiece. Painstakingly painted on a flowing black dress were the undulating shades of purple, blue and green of a cosmic cloud nebula. Dark sequins caught the light like stars. She completed make-up on her face, with a touch of the purple and smoky blacks on eyelids and cheeks.
“Wow.” Ashley gaped. “I think you should go into fashion. You look amazing!”
“Thank you.” Ella beamed. “Will you take some pictures of me? I want to use this costume in my submission portfolio to art school.”
Twenty minutes later, they were downstairs, showing off their looks to Ashley’s father.
No one paid attention to the knock at the door. Ashley’s dad was taking pictures when Mrs. Baxter opened it. Ashley’s stomach turned to a rock and dropped when she saw the woman standing in the foyer.
“Oh, there you are. My darling.” Elizabeth Whittaker ignored everyone as she swept toward Ashley in a fragrant cloud of Versace and Chanel. Ashley found herself enveloped in a constricting hug.
“Mom.” Ashley squirmed free. “What are you doing?”
Her mother’s face looked more frozen than usual. She must have doubled up on the Botox this month. “I’m here to take you home, sweetie. I’m so sorry about everything. I promise to make it up to you.”
Ashley’s mouth went dry. Those were the words she’d wanted to hear, but they were months too late. She sidestepped her mother’s attempt at another bruising hug. “You and-and he broke up?”
“God, what a disaster.” Elizabeth tossed up her lacquer-tipped hands. “Don’t get me started. He’s gone, honey. Out of our lives for good. Now, go get your things….” She gave Ashley a quick survey. “What are you wearing?”
“I’m going to a Halloween party,” Ashley’s hands tightened. “I’m not coming home with you.” But she may have no choice about that. Legally, her mother had custody.
Ashley cast a quick look at her father, who stood back with an inscrutable expression. Her stomach twisted harder. For all she knew, he didn’t want her to stay. But then, his mouth move into a smile and his eyes brightened. “This is your home for as long as you’d like.”
“What?” Elizabeth reared back. She turned, focused a laser-hot glare on Ashley’s dad. “Is this your doing? You turned her against me, didn’t you?”
Ashley watched her dad’s expression soften with pity. “No,” he said gently. “I suspect you did that all on your own.”
“You bast––!”
“Elizabeth, why don’t you and I have a talk while Ashley and her friend go to the party?” he asked. “They’ll be home in a few hours. You can take her home then, if that works for you both.”
“I didn’t drive all the way up to Maine to wait on a stupid Halloween party.” Elizabeth’s face reddened beneath layers of foundation and powder. “Do you know how hard it is to get around these horrid little roads?”
“Tell me all about it,” said Dad. “While they’re gone, we’ll discuss Ashley’s living situation, too––Mrs. Baxter!” he called, and the woman poked her head out of the kitchen. “May we have some tea in the sitting room, please? He put one arm around Elizabeth’s shoulders and waved the girls toward the door with the other.
“Woah,” said Ella, wide-eyed . “That’s your mom?”
Ashley’s mouth felt like it was filled with sand. “Yup.”
“You’re so…different.”
Ashley took that as the compliment it was intended. “Thanks.” She grabbed Ella’s arm and tugged her toward the door. “Let’s get out of here.” Before my mother drags me to her car and back to a life that isn’t “me” anymore.
Ella paused. “Do you want her to stay? It’s okay. I get it.”
Ashley grabbed her coat, panic clawing up her throat. “I want her to go.” But what Ashley wanted meant nothing to Elizabeth Whittaker. It never did.
Chapter 10
Tyler
He’d never admit it aloud, but Tyler liked school dances. He liked the decorations, the buildup, and of course, the music. That said, he enjoyed performing music at them more than attending them. Tonight, Glass Houses was stuck performing popular cover songs, but they were also the opening act for a more prominent local band who Benny was angling to book some shows with in the spring.
Life was going okay. Danny Fitzsimmons hadn’t shown his face around town since the night he’d punched Tyler. His mother seemed especially upbeat these days. Things were going better than expected with Ashley. She was a seriously cool girl. Still way too good for him as anything more than a friend. And she was a friend. That status would be easier to maintain if he could kick the attraction he felt for her. Somehow, getting to know her better only fueled that particular fire. Not that it mattered. She certainly hadn’t displayed any romantic interest in him since that night in the village green. Which was fine. Totally fine. She was probably too freaked out by seeing his black eye and hearing what Ella told her about his father. She didn’t bring it up. Neither did he. That was fine, too.
He was in a really good mood when he spotted Ella in one of her weird, what-IS-that costumes, and Ashley, who wore some white, glittering getup. She looked like an ethereal princess. His eyes narrowed on the girls. The light was dim, but he could see it immediately––something was wrong. Ashley’s face was pinched and tight. A shiny wig was not on her head, but clutched in a death grip between her hands. Her body moved stiffly, like she was working very hard to hide pain. He almost walked off the stage mid-song. Never had he wanted a set to end more.
Benn
y seemed to sense Tyler’s agitation and gave him a questioning look. Tyler nodded to the girls and his friend followed his gaze. Benny’s brows dipped into a frown as he sang. Tyler watched Ella put an arm around Ashley’s shoulders, which had started to shake. Oh hell, she was crying. What had happened? A few possibilities flipped through his mind. Maybe Kaylee gave her a hard time––no. Patches was tough enough to handle Kaylee. Maybe she’s crying over a guy. Well, it certainly wasn’t him. They were on perfectly great terms these days. It must be someone else. The thought scraped like thorns on skin. Of course, she’d meet someone. She was smart, funny, beautiful—so many different shades of amazing. Only a moron would screw things up with this girl, which he was, of course. But if someone hurt her…
Tyler cut off the thought as conflict threw him off balance. He and Ashley were just friends. It wouldn’t be smart to get involved with her guy issues, especially since his perspective wasn’t exactly neutral.
“Okaaay…that’ll do it for us,” Benny said “We are Glass Houses. Thank you, Cooper Memorial High. Go Fightin’ Rams!”
That got a huge roar of approval, as the school football team was currently on quite a roll. As applause and shouts rang out, Tyler looked over at his friend in surprise. Benny had finished them out one song early.
“Go,” Benny murmured nodding to the girls. “I’ll wrap up here.”
Tyler put his bass on the stand and headed for the edge of the stage. “Thanks, man.”
“Oh, and Ty?”
“Yeah?”
Benny said. “Don’t be an idiot.”
Because Tyler knew exactly what Benny meant, and was sure he was an idiot, he didn’t bother with a reply. He climbed down the stairs to the floor and headed toward Ashley. It wasn’t a straight line––the floor was packed. In an effort to act normal, he slowly worked through the mass of costumed kids, finally getting to the spot near the refreshment table where Ella and Ashley were. The girls’ heads leaned together in deep conversation––Ella had a way of bringing out the things people didn’t want to talk about. It was a very annoying trait of hers.
He walked up to Ashley, heart beating too loud. Benny’s words pounded in his head. Don’t be an idiot. Yeah, well. That was a lost cause. He’d handled everything with Ashley so terribly, it didn’t surprise him that she’d met someone else. But he could handle this. He’d listen to the story about whatever asshole stood her up or whatever. He’d be a good friend and try to not beat himself up for ruining his chances with her. It served him right, him and his stupid insecurities.
Ella saw him approach and raised a brow. He returned it and she stepped back to let him talk to Ashley. He was grateful for that. No protective mother hen from Ella, who knew him better than anyone.
“Hey.” He gently touched Ashley’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”
Her head snapped up. Her eyes were red, full of tears, turning the careful makeup job into a vampy mess. It was kind of hot.
“Oh. Hi, Tyler.”
She turned away, but he brought two fingers under her chin and gently turned her face to his. “What’s going on?”
Her lower lip trembled. “My mom came back tonight. She wants to take me back to Boston.”
Woah. This was worse than boy problems. “You don’t have to, right?”
“I-I don’t know.” She dabbed under her eyes with tense fingertips. “She has custody. I think she can do anything she wants.”
Patches was leaving? A trill of panic zipped up his spine. “I think you should have some say,” he said. It was hard to speak over the noise in the gym, but quiet enough to keep their conversation private. “When my mom was getting divorced, they asked me if I preferred to live with my mom or my grandparents. And I was a little kid. You’re nearly an adult.”
“Really?”
He fidgeted. He hoped he wasn’t feeding her false information. “Yeah, as I remember it. I mean, I wanted to live with my mom, of course, and my dad was in jail so…so, I think your wishes carry some weight. And your dad’s a lawyer, so there’s that. Don’t give up, okay?” She leaned into his hand and he slid his arm around her, tucking her against his side. She rested a cheek on his shoulder, then shifted a hand under, murmuring something about getting makeup on his shirt.
He could barely hear her, but he made out: “I don’t want to go.”
He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and spoke into her lavender-scented hair. “I don’t want you to go, either.”
Ashley went perfectly still. Even without looking at her, he could feel the shift. Not just in her, but in him too. Tyler was already aware of every tiny movement this girl made, from her shortened breaths to the slide of her hair against his cheek, but suddenly, she was aware of him, too. Slowly, very slowly, her head came up and her gaze met his. And he was lost.
She wasn’t crying anymore. Her eyes, those lovely, lovely eyes, held so many questions he almost couldn’t bear to look into them. He moved his mouth to her ear. “Would you like to dance?”
She shivered in his arms. “Yes.”
The room wavered, blending into blurs of color and light and a cacophony of sound. Tyler rose and took Ashley’s hand. He felt like a goddamn knight in shining armor as he led her a few feet to the edge of the main dance area. The new band was playing. Something slow. He pulled her close. Her arms slid up his chest and looped around his neck. He heard a sigh, and she rested her head against his chest, forgetting the makeup, apparently. He didn’t care. Nothing had ever felt so right. No girl had ever fit quite as well as Ashley Sloane-Whittaker. Patches.
Tyler closed his eyes and swayed with the music. He had no idea what song it was. The room and everyone in it had vanished, except for this one girl.
Chapter 11
Ashley
The song ended, but Ashley didn’t move. Tyler kept his arms around her. His heart beat hard and fast under her cheek. She didn’t want to move. She hated the song for ending. This was one of those moments that should be bottled, frozen, and savored forever. When this spell broke, would they return to pretending to be just friends––because now it really would be pretending––or would something change between them? Ashley couldn’t imagine how they could go back the way it was before this dance.
Naturally, her mother would show up to take her home now. Just when she and her dad were really connecting, she’d made some good friends and things were going somewhere with Tyler. Ashley had had no idea all that had been wrong about her life in Boston. Her friendships, which she’d thought had been so strong, crumbled after she’d moved. Her mother, who she’d always thought was a good mother, proved to be selfish and unreliable in the face of her steady, devoted father. And Serenity Harbor…well, the place was just magical. She would fight to stay here.
The music changed to something fast. With a sigh, she stepped back. Tyler’s hands stayed on her waist. His face was adorably confused, somewhat guarded. She smiled and for the first time, she saw his lips curve up into a full, wide, beautiful smile. The sight stole Ashley’s breath.
“You have a great smile,” she breathed. “You should do it more.”
As if remembering himself, he tempered it down to a grin. But he pulled her closer. “I’ll work on that.”
Oh wow. Wow. She rested her hands on his chest and leaned up at the same time as he leaned down. Ashley let her eyes drift closed as their breath mingled. She could feel the warmth of his lips, an inch from hers and…
Ice cold liquid sliced down her back.
Ashley gasped and broke away from Tyler. She whirled around to see Kaylee Fisher, dressed as a slutty pirate, standing there with an empty cup of fruit punch dangling from two fingers.
“Oh. Sorry.” Kaylee smiled thinly. “It was an accident.”
Ashley didn’t have to look. She knew the back of her white costume was drenched in sticky, red punch. She struggled to control the rush of emotions––anger, humiliation, frustration. “Feel better now?”
“Yeah.” She pitched the cup in a near
by garbage can. “I’ve been waiting a while to do that. Perfect timing. Just before you were about to make out with my ex-boyfriend. He is a good kisser, isn’t he?” Her eyes glittered with smug malice. “Good at other things, too.”
Ashley had no ready come back for that one. No smart remark popped into her perfectly blank mind. Not completely blank, because her imagination was forming a mental image of Kaylee and Tyler that was truly stomach turning. But then, that was obviously Kaylee’s intention.
“What is wrong with you?” Tyler said to Kaylee, shaking his head in disgust. “Seriously. You need help.”
A dark flush creeped up Kaylee’s neck. “What’s wrong with you, Tyler? If you think her daddy is ever going to let you be with her, you’re delusional.”
“Stop it, Kaylee.” Tyler’s expression darkened. “I’m going to say this once––don’t bother Ashley again.”
“Or what?” she snarled back. “You gonna get drunk and beat me up? Apples don’t fall far from trees, you know.” She turned and flounced away, pirate miniskirt swinging back and forth with exaggerated flourish. Over her shoulder, she tossed, “You should go rinse it out, Ashley. It’s just a little punch.”
“Let’s get you cleaned up,” Tyler murmured.
This was all too much for Ashley. Her mom’s arrival. Tyler and another almost kiss. Kaylee’s wrath and how utterly she cut both she and Tyler down. “I’d like to go home.”
“Look, about what she said…she and I––“
She held up a hand. “Stop. It’s none of my business what you…that is the very last thing I want to talk about. Seriously.”
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