Page 32 of The Spotlight Effect

The foray has a small table on one side with a flower vase, a coat rack. The floors are white marble which just opens the space.

To the left is the living room, in front of me is a curved staircase and to the right is the kitchen. As we keep walking, I see there’s a grand piano beside the staircase. It looks to be a Steinway Grand Piano model B. It’s simply gorgeous. I woulddieto have one of those. “The piano is gorgeous,” I say.

“Thank you. My mother loves to play in the morning. She taught me,” he says, then goes silent. I look over at him, but he quickly looks away. He probably didn’t mean to tell me so much.

“That’s sweet,” I comment. I turn away and continue through the house and make our way to the kitchen.

The colors of the home are light blues, white, and a nice light green which is very pretty together. It makes the space seem open along with all the large windows, very open. As we turn into the kitchen, I say, “I love your mom’s house.”

“Thanks, I designed it,” Grayson replies and turns to the right into a small seating nook by the kitchen.

He designedit? That’s surprising. And the fact he has good taste. I look to see the group standing around the circle-shaped table. “Hey, Mom,” Grayson says and hugs a woman with very long, dirty blonde hair, who is wearing an expensive-looking outfit with Chanel slip-on shoes and pearl earrings.

She’s averypretty woman. He definitely gets his looks from his mother.

I take a deep breath and look around the room. They are all looking at me.

Deep breaths. I can do this.

I start to fiddle with my hands behind my back so no one can see as I work to calm my anxiety.

“Bee, Archie is here!” his mom calls out.

“Archie?” I ask him.

“It’s a nickname my sister came up with,” Grayson says.

“That’s adorable,” I say.

“Mom, this is Alexia,” Grayson says, introducing me.

“My best friend,” Charlie adds.

“She can barely stand you, like the rest of us,” Raven says and knocks him in the side of the head.

“Actually, I stand him just fine,” Scarlett says and kisses his cheek causing Charlie to smile.Cute.

I hear running behind me and someone runs in. “Archie!” a girl yells, and Grayson turns around, catching the girl in a hug. She is the same girl from that night his dad called me a whore; she looks about fourteen or fifteen years old and exactly like their mother. Grayson sits her down.

It’s honestly sweet he has this kind of relationship with his sister. I look away and catch Charlie watching, and then he mouths, “Fawning much?”

I dismiss his statement. I am not fawning over anyone. It’s just sweet.

“Who are you?” Beatrix asks in a snarky tone.

“Who are you?” I reply in the same tone.

“I asked first.”

“I asked second.” Beatrix eyes me.

“Bee, this is Alexia,” her mom says.

“You’re the sweepstakes girl,” Beatrix points out.

“Yeah,” I agree with her.

Beatrix continues to eye me up and down before turning away and going over to where the others are. “That went better than I thought?” Grayson says, walking over to his mom and I follow.

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