Page 58 of Enemies with my Bestie’s Brother
“I want to see your costume!”
Penny blinks in surprise and then beams at me.
“Of course you do! Let me put it on and I’ll model it for you.”
She exits once again, and I finger the fabric of the gorgeous gown she made me. Penny is such an incredible friend. I can’t believe that she spent twelve hours sewing on these butterflies.
Penny appears in the doorway, modeling a deep teal taffeta dress with a leg slit. The top is a halter neck, which suits Penny beautifully. The mask is held onto her face by a pale blue satin ribbon. One side of the mask is decorated with varying shades of blue sequins, and the other side has feathers sewn onto the deep teal fabric that matches her dress.
“Oh, Penny, you look beautiful. I wish that I could be here to see the look on Parker’s face when he finally sees you.”
She blushes as she looks down at her outfit.
“Thanks, Whit. You always know how to make me feel good about myself. Now, let’s get you ready so you can get to that limo in time,” she says as she begins to undo the rollers in my hair.
I watch as a perfectly voluminous curl unravels from the roller, falling directly into my line of vision. Even though my view is blocked as I feel her undo the rest, I know that my hair will look perfect, just like everything else she prepared for me.
Thelimopullsupto the historic hotel that the masquerade is being held in. The pillars on either side of the doorway are dark behind the limo’s tinted windows. There’s a red carpet rolled out to the doorway. That must be something that Penny ordered before I took over the party planning. On either side of the carpet are ropes holding back paparazzi and other people, inevitably looking for the celebrities and other big names that are invited.
The driver opens the door for me, and I gingerly step out of the limo. I watch as paparazzi lift their cameras, waiting to snap the perfect picture of whoever is getting out of it. They pull their cameras back down when they see me, disappointment evident on their faces at the realization that I’m neither wealthy nor famous enough for a picture of me to be worth their while. A few heartlessly snap pictures before directing their attention elsewhere. As I reach the doors, I turn around to see who’s in the limousine behind mine. Out steps that Australian model, Georgia Kelly King, and the paparazzi go nuts, snapping away with their cameras.
I walk through the glass doors and am led to a ballroom filled with people. The room is expertly decorated, chandeliers providing dim lighting to the room. A band plays instrumental music on the stage. My head swivels as I look for a familiar face.
“Whitney?” a voice says.
I turn around to see a redhead walking toward me.
“Hi… Hailey!” I say as I finally recognize her.
She laughs.
“I know, it’s hard to recognize people behind the masks. I’m happy to see you, though. Where’s Penny?”
“Actually, I’m not sure. She’s coming with Parker. Grayson sent a limo for me.”
Hailey raises her brows suggestively.
“Oh, you and Grayson then? I wondered if there was something going on. You two look good together. I’ve been trying to get Landon to make a bet with me about when the two of you would get together, but he keeps refusing.”
He probably keeps refusing since it would be an unfair bet, considering he’s the only one that knows about us. I’m surprised that he didn’t tell Hailey, actually, but maybe he did and she’s just a great actress. I think about correcting her with regard to the nature of Grayson’s and my relationship, but ultimately choose not to, since the truth will be coming out later tonight anyway.
“Hailey!” someone calls from the beverage table.
Hailey smiles at me before excusing herself, leaving me alone once again. I decide to do a lap around the room, praying that I’ll see a familiar face. I watch as Georgia Kelly King enters, sweeping the room with her eyes before they land on me. She grins and waves at me, and I smile back. Who would have thought I would have an inside joke with a model? San Francisco has brought me more experiences than I ever thought it would.
Someone bumps me suddenly, and as I turn to say something, my eyes catch Grayson talking to a man I’m unfamiliar with. Grayson laughs at what the man says and throws his head back. He must seriously be at ease, because I’ve never seen him laugh in such a carefree manner before. I smile and make my way through the crowd until I’m standing behind him.
I tap him on the shoulder. He turns around and surprise etches on his face behind his mask. He opens his mouth to say something, but I quickly cut him off.
“Grayson, I need to tell you that you were right. I was worried at first, but after spending some time thinking about it, I’ve realized that I’m glad that we’re doing this.”
I lean up and place my lips on his as I throw my arms around his shoulders. I pull him in close, but the kiss is weird, because his lips aren’t moving with mine. He grips my shoulders before pushing me away.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, my gaze puzzled.
As I study his face, realization washes over me. There’s no scar on his chin from when Grayson busted it on the playground in elementary school, which means that this isn’t Grayson. It’s Preston.
“Um, I don’t really know what’s going on right now, Whitney, but you have the wrong twin,” he says, clearly uncomfortable with me planting a big one on him in the middle of his birthday party.
