She thought for a moment. “You know, Felicity has always been a little different from Millie and me,” Winnie said. “Smarter and quieter and not into the same kinds of things we were. She was never overly obsessed with clothes or makeup or boys. When we played Cinderella as kids, I was the princess, Millie was the fairy godmother or the evil stepmother, depending on her mood, and you know what Felicity always wanted to be?”
“What?”
“Merlin the wizard.”
It made me smile, despite everything.
“We’d be like, ‘There’s no wizard in this story! Can’t you be the prince?’ And she’d be all, ‘No! The prince sucks! What does he do to deserve her, ask her to dance? Kiss her? He never knows a thing about her, not even her name!’”
“I mean, she’s not wrong,” I said.
“So she put Merlin the wizard into Cinderella. And somehow, in the end, it was always Merlin’s magic that really saved the day.” Winnie laughed. “I guess what I’m trying to say is, Felicity doesn’t need a prince. She doesn’t need to be rescued. But . . .” She shrugged. “Every girl wants to feel like a princess sometimes.”
“I understand.” I paused. “No, I don’t.”
Winnie laughed gently. “You know her, Hutton. I think you can figure this out.”
Something came to me. “Can you get a message to her?”
Winnie nodded.
“Do you have a piece of paper I could use? And a pen?”
She took a sheet of paper from her printer and slid it across the desk for me along with a pen.
Using our code, I wrote the only words I knew she couldn’t ignore. I need you. Please be there for me. Then I folded the paper and handed it to Winnie. “You’re a good sister.”
She smiled. “Thank you. My family is everything to me.”
Outside, I took a few deep breaths and turned my face to the sky, praying for inspiration to strike me. Why hadn’t I watched more romantic movies in my life? There were never any big romantic gestures in science fiction. A jet went by overhead, leaving a white trail against the bright blue.
That’s when it hit me.
TWENTY-THREE
FELICITY
When I got to work Friday, Gianni told me Winnie wanted to see me. “She’s been in here a couple times looking for you,” he said. “She tried calling and texting but said you didn’t respond.”
“Yeah, I’m taking a break from my social media, and it seemed easier to just take a break from my phone altogether,” I said. “I’ll go see what she wants.”
I found Winnie in the lobby, directing guests to the patio, where a rehearsal dinner was taking place. “Hey,” I said. “You were looking for me?”
“Yes. Hutton was here.” She beamed. “But I kept the secret. I had to tape my mouth shut, but I kept it.”
“Today?” My voice rose. “He was here today?”
“Yes. Earlier this afternoon.”
“What did he want?” My heart had started to race.
“To know where to find you. I didn’t tell him,” she added quickly. “But I promised to give you this.” She reached into her pants pocket and pulled out a small, folded square.
I took it from her and unfolded it.
It took me less than ten seconds to decode the dots and lines on the page. My eyes filled.
“What is it?” Winnie asked. “Some kind of secret language?”
“Yes.” I sniffed. “It says ‘I love you.’ It’s written in the code we promised each other we’d always honor.”
“Aww, that’s so cute. He looked really miserable—he does love you, Lissy. So much.”
“You think so?”
“Of course I do! He told me he’s never been in love before, and he doesn’t know what he’s doing, and he’s scared he blew his only chance to be with the one person who means everything to him.”
Goosebumps blanketed my arms. “He said all that?” He loves me. He loves me.
“Yes! And I’m sure I was not supposed to tell you any of it, but in my defense, I did make it obvious I’m terrible at keeping secrets. He also offered me a billion dollars for your whereabouts.” She lifted her chin. “I want you to know I didn’t take the money.”
I laughed. “Thank you.”
She bent down in a little curtsy. “You’re welcome. I think maybe you should hear him out, Felicity. Guys aren’t perfect, you know? Sometimes they need a second chance to get something right.”