Wish You Were Her(71)

“Everything went wrong,” she said into her mother’s shoulder.

“It might feel that way now,” her mother said, her voice a cocktail of kindness and assurance with a zesty twist of no-nonsense: “But we’ll come out clean. Let’s go and sit in your weirdly empty apartment, which has no furniture.”

There was a beat and then all three of them laughed.

The penthouse apartment had four bedrooms, one bathroom, three en-suites, a kitchen, a dining room, a small pantry, a walk-in wardrobe, a large reception room, a small study/sitting room, two storage closets and a wide balcony overlooking the rest of the neighborhood. There was air conditioning, twinkling chandeliers, and secure locks on all doors and …

It had been the biggest undertaking of Allegra’s life. She had purchased it the week after her eighteenth birthday. Anonymously, as sellers had tried to up their prices on hearing that an interested party was a movie star. It was in her name. Paid for with cash, and completely her own.

Yet it didn’t feel like home.

“You are one lucky eighteen-year-old,” her mother said, as the three of them stood in the vast reception room. Her mother took in the high ceilings with amazement while Natalie made sure that the door was securely locked, and Allegra checked for her own peace of mind. It was a little routine of theirs.

“Very lucky,” Allegra acknowledged, gazing around at the empty rooms. “Mum. I met someone really great in Lake Pristine.”

“I know, I did see the pictures.”

Allegra released a dry laugh. “As well as him.”

“Oh?”

“Jasper Montgomery?” She turned it into a question, knowing that her mother had grown up in Lake Pristine and, while older than Jasper, probably knew her parents.

“The Montgomerys in the Lakehouse? Howard and Andrea Montgomery?”

“Must be,” Allegra said.

“Wow. They’re a fancy-pants Lake Pristine family.”

“Fancy-pants,” Natalie repeated under her breath, laughing.

“Which one is Jasper?” her mother asked. “They had two daughters, a sweet one and a … not so sweet one.”

“She’s the sweet one. And an interior designer and she has the most amazing ideas.”

“Well, maybe if we can get her clearance, she can visit here and you guys can work together.”

Even though Allegra was technically an adult, and even though she had privileges and responsibilities that other eighteen-year-olds could scarcely imagine, she still ran ideas past her mother, as if asking for permission and advice all in one. Roxanne knew that Allegra needed her approval, even still, so she would always anticipate what Allegra wanted to hear before gently offering it up as a suggestion.

This was one such occasion. So, it was decided. Jasper Montgomery would be invited to the apartment, and employed as its new designer. It was a carrot dangled in front of Allegra. A reward waiting at the end of Natalie’s battle plan.

“You’re invited onto Beckton’s tonight. Are we saying ‘yes’?”

“You don’t have to,” Allegra’s mother said, as soon as Natalie had asked the question. “You’ve done nothing wrong.”

Allegra exhaled. “Natalie’s right. We need to shatter the void, or whatever. Fine. I’ll do it.”





Chapter Twenty-Five


Jonah and Grace sat in one of the arcade booths, underneath a large flatscreen. Jonah was on his third beer, Grace her second pink lemonade. The arcade was always a favorite haunt of young people in Lake Pristine. Hera was only strict when it came to stepping onto the bowling lanes.

“Grace, can I just check something?” Jonah asked. “This, we’re just friends, right?”

Grace spluttered out a delighted laugh. “Yes, Jonah. We’re just friends.”

“Sorry,” he said, meaning it. “It’s just … I thought me and Kerrie were just friends and—”

“I know,” Grace said soothingly. “She’s … she’ll get over it, don’t worry. She’s a bit down at the moment. Mapesbury University put her on their waiting list. She’s hoping to get a call every day and it just never comes.”

“I didn’t mean for all of this to get so complicated. I didn’t realize I was leading her on.”

“Aw, Jonah, you weren’t leading her on,” Grace said. She glanced up at the TV screen and then around at the bustling arcade. “The whole town knows who it is you like.”

Jonah felt himself flush but he downed another swig, wincing at the taste of hops and barley. “Don’t, Grace.”

“I mean, the whole world now knows.”

“Except Allegra.”

“What do you mean?”

“She doesn’t know how I feel. We never got to even talk about it. Her team put her in a car and took her away from me. Her dad wants me dead, her publicist, too, I reckon.”

“Her dad? George. You mean George. Since when is he anything but George to you?”

“Sure. George who just fired me.”

He took another drink as Grace stared at him in complete disbelief. “Are you kidding?”

“Nope.”

“Why?!”

“Fighting Simon. Almost having Allegra. Some other stuff he won’t tell me about.”