The Secret Diamond Sisters (17 page)

“Wow.” Brett looked down at the table. “I’m sorry. I didn’t really realize what it was like for you.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Courtney said. “It’s not your fault. It’s just a huge change for me. Adrian suggested that I talk with your mom about charities I can volunteer with, so I think I’ll do that. With all of my good fortune recently, it’s the least I can do to give back.”

“My mom’s really into volunteering, so I’m sure she would love to help,” Brett said as he signed the check. “But anyway, are you ready to start our world traveling?”

“What do you mean?”

“When we were watching the fireworks last night you said you dreamed of traveling the world,” he said. “There’s no time to start like the present.”

Was he serious? “Adrian might not have noticed our leaving Myst early last night, but I don’t think he would be too happy about us leaving the country,” she pointed out. “First of all, I don’t have a passport. Secondly, I know Adrian hasn’t spent tons of time with my sisters and me yet, but he might like to soon, and he won’t be able to if I’m not here. Plus, can we really do that? Just take off without asking?”

“Calm down.” Brett laughed. “We’re not ‘taking off.’”

“Then how are we traveling the world?” This was getting more confusing by the second.

“Trust me,” Brett said. “Like you did with the fireworks. You had fun, right?”

“I think you know the answer to that.”

“I know,” he said. “I just wanted to hear you say it again.”

“I had a
fantastic
time watching the fireworks with you,” she said, smiling. “It was the best Fourth of July ever.” Considering how every other year she’d watched fireworks on television with her sisters while her mom was out at a bar, it wasn’t hard to beat. But even if Courtney had had fun Independence Days up until now, she still thought last night would be the best.

“Good.” He looked to the exit of the restaurant, and then back at her with a smile that made her heart race. “Then let’s get out of here.”

* * *

“Welcome to Venice,” Brett said as he pulled his car in front of a hotel called the Venetian. It wouldn’t have been an impossible walk, but Vegas was so hot and dry in the summer that being outside felt like being in an oven. And the hotels were so huge that despite the Venetian being two hotels away, the walk still would have taken fifteen to twenty minutes.

Once inside, they took an escalator to the second floor, and Courtney gazed around in awe. It looked like they were on the streets of Venice. Of course Courtney had never been to Venice, so she didn’t know how accurate it was, but it felt like she was in a different country. The ground was paved with cobblestones, and all around were wrought-iron street lamps and vendors selling Venetian masks, Murano glass and other trinkets. The ceiling was painted like the sky, bright blue with fluffy clouds, lit up to look like midday. Shops and restaurants lined the streets, looking like old Italian buildings, the marble and brick facades complete with columned archways and balconies. There was even a canal through the center of the streets with people going on gondola rides. The long black-and-red boats floated down the waterway, and arched bridges connected the “streets” on both sides.

“I’m guessing you like it?” Brett asked.

“Like it?” Courtney said, looking around in amazement. “I love it! It doesn’t feel like we’re in a hotel—it’s like we’re really in Italy. This is incredible.”

“Themed hotels are fun,” Brett agreed. “They were popular a few years ago, so there are a few on the Strip. The Venetian is the best, but there’s also Paris, Caesars Palace, New York New York, and a few more. We’ll get to them eventually. But for now...what do you say we go on a gondola ride along the Grand Canal?”

“I’d like that,” she said, knowing that gondola rides were romantic—an activity people did on dates. She tried to find any hints implying he saw it like that, but he seemed relaxed, like it wasn’t a big deal. Maybe she was overanalyzing the situation.

Brett helped her into a black gondola, which was really a lavish canoe. The man steering in the back wore a red sash, a black-and-white striped shirt and a straw hat with a red ribbon wrapped around the brim. Courtney sat on the velvet red bench facing forward, and Brett took the seat next to her. No one else joined them. Maybe Brett
did
see this as a date. Why else would he sit next to her instead of across?

Courtney had never been on a date, though, so she wouldn’t know the difference. The only semidate she had ever been on was when Paulo Bernal, a boy in her English class, bought her a coffee after her shift at Starbucks. The only commonality she could find between them was their class, and he’d seemed bored discussing the characters in the novel they were reading at the time. Courtney didn’t think he’d gotten past the first few pages of the book. Needless to say, he’d never bought her a latte again.

At least her conversations with Brett so far were going better than that.

Water lapped against the sides of the gondola as they floated by shops and under bridges, and Courtney was intensely aware of Brett’s arm inches away from hers. The nervous energy coursing through her body made her want to fidget like crazy, but she focused on staying still, so he wouldn’t notice his effect on her. He seemed so relaxed and comfortable—why couldn’t she feel the same?

After the gondola ride they got gelato, which they ate with tiny plastic spoons. It was the most deliciously smooth ice cream Courtney had ever tasted. When they finished, Brett suggested exploring the rest of the hotel, and Courtney let him lead the way. Everywhere she went, she couldn’t believe her eyes. The casino was beautiful—marble floors, hand-painted frescos on the ceiling and golden chandeliers that looked like they’d come straight from a palace.

They walked from one end of the casino to the other, arriving at a golden sign hanging from the ceiling that simply said Phantom. Below the sign, inlaid within the patterned marble floor, was an image of the white half mask from the famous musical.

“Is this
Phantom of the Opera?
” Courtney asked Brett. She’d watched it countless times on DVD and had memorized every song.

“Phantom—the Las Vegas Spectacular,”
Brett corrected her. “It’s been changed from the original. They cut out some of the dialogue, but kept all of the songs. They also added extra effects that you won’t see in the Broadway version.”

“How do you know that?” Courtney asked. “Have you seen both?”

“Yep. Hardcore fans would kill me for saying this, but the Vegas one is better.”

“I’ve only seen the movie,” Courtney said. “It’s my favorite. I listen to the soundtrack all the time. It would be amazing to see it live.”

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s get tickets.” He strolled up to the ticket booth, and Courtney followed close behind. The only live musicals she’d seen were productions at school. She couldn’t imagine what a professional one would be like. “Two tickets for tonight,” Brett told the cashier. “Fifth row center, if they’re available.”

The cashier typed something in her computer. “That’ll be one hundred and sixty-five dollars each,” she said.

Brett reached for his wallet, but Courtney stepped forward to stop him.

“That’s way too expensive,” she insisted. “Why don’t we get balcony seats instead? The price is much more reasonable, and it’s still the same show.”

Brett looked confused, but then he smiled, like he found what she’d said endearing. “Don’t worry about it,” he assured her. “Adrian won’t notice the charge, I promise. He’ll actually like that you’re experiencing Las Vegas. And believe me when I tell you there’s a reason these seats cost more. Sure, it’s the same show, but it’s much better when you’re up close.” He handed his Blamex to the cashier before Courtney could argue any more. Once the cashier gave him the tickets, he handed one to Courtney. “Nine-thirty tonight,” he told her. “Let’s meet at the Diamond lobby at eight forty-five and head over from there.”

“Okay.” She still felt bad about how much it cost, but she was excited to see the show. “Thank you so much. I didn’t even know you liked theater.”

“I appreciate music and production,” he explained. “Andrew Lloyd Webber is a great composer. One of the best of all time.”

“He is,” Courtney said, impressed by Brett’s knowledge on the subject. None of the guys in Fairfield would have known the composer of
Phantom of the Opera,
let alone have wanted to see the show with her.

It was official—Brett was perfect.

He was also the one guy she wasn’t allowed to be with.

Her phone buzzed before she could think about it any longer. A text from Savannah.

“Savannah’s begging me to go shopping with her and Peyton,” she told Brett, disappointed she wouldn’t be able to spend more time with him that afternoon. “I should go with them.”

“You’re not going to invite me to come with you?” he joked. “It’ll be prefamily bonding time.”

Courtney clammed up at his mention of their soon-to-be step-sibling situation. “It’s a sister thing,” she said, trying to play it off like what he’d said didn’t bother her. “We didn’t have the opportunity to buy much in California, and Savannah’s really excited.” She didn’t say it, but she also wouldn’t mind buying a dress for the show tonight. Reasonably priced, of course. She wasn’t so oblivious that she didn’t notice how the dress she wore to the Five Diamond Steakhouse and Myst last night didn’t fit in with what everyone else was wearing. It would be embarrassing to be dressed inappropriately for her first live show.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “We’ll see each other in a few hours. Think you can make it until then?”

“I’ll do my best,” she said. “Although I’m so excited for the show that I’m sure it will feel much longer.”

And excited to see you,
she thought. If this didn’t qualify as a date, she didn’t know what did. Maybe dinner beforehand, at a quiet, romantic restaurant...

Stop it,
she told herself. Wishing for the impossible was pointless. Adrian had been clear about the rules. They were going to be family soon, and a romantic relationship with Brett was wrong.

But was it really? They weren’t related by blood, and finding someone like him, who she was interested in getting to know and wanted to spend time with, was rare. There could be something special between them if she let it happen.

She was getting ahead of herself. She didn’t know if Brett felt the same way about her, and she was afraid to ask. It would be embarrassing if she asked and he was confused, because he didn’t see her that way at all. Maybe he was just spending time with her to get to know his future stepsister better.

She couldn’t help but hope it was more than that.

chapter 15:

The last place Peyton wanted to be was the mall. She’d never gone to the mall at home. She rarely had extra money from her job as a hostess at a nearby pub, since she had to make sure the bills were paid. Her mom valued drinking all night at a bar over paying for electricity, cell phone plans and internet. When Peyton did shop, she preferred finding original pieces at thrift stores. But Savannah had begged her to come shopping, and it was impossible to turn down Savannah when she asked for something—her huge blue eyes looked so upset if anyone said no to her. Peyton gave in to her little sister more than she cared to admit.

The plus about having a different style than her sisters was that they rarely tried to steal her clothes, so Savannah never yelled at Peyton the way she did Courtney when Courtney showed up wearing one of Savannah’s shirts she’d borrowed without permission. But Savannah did get into Peyton’s makeup a lot, so when they reached the Sephora in the Miracle Mile shops at the Planet Hollywood hotel, she hoped Savannah would get some of her own. She was sick of searching everywhere for her favorite lip gloss only to find that Savannah had taken it with her to school.

The products at Sephora were more expensive than those at the drugstore—palettes could cost anywhere from thirty to a hundred dollars—but Savannah bought enough makeup to last twenty years. The salespeople had the time of their lives helping her pick out what she wanted—brushes, eye shadow palettes, bronzer, foundation, powder, blush made from “Amazon clay,” eyeliner, mascara, an eyelash curler that resembled a medieval torture device, lip glosses and lip conditioner, which the sales lady promised would keep lips from chapping in the dryness of Las Vegas.

Savannah rushed to where Peyton was getting her makeup done, an eye shadow palette in her hand. “You should get this,” she said, shoving the palette in Peyton’s face. “It’s perfect for you.”

Peyton took the little black box from Savannah—it was by some brand called Too Faced and it said Smokey Eye on the front. The colors were mainly blacks and grays, which Peyton liked. She swiped her finger over the darkest color, and when she checked out the swatch, she was amazed by the jet-black pigmentation. It was way better than her current eye shadows, and she was almost out of her favorite color in her smokey eye palette anyway.

“You like it, I know you do,” Savannah said. “Want me to add it to our stash?”

Peyton had no idea how much it cost—probably too much for nine colors of eye shadow—but she did love it. It was best not to ask. Savannah was putting everything on her credit card, anyway, since Peyton had done what Adrian had said and tossed hers in the back of a drawer in her room. “Sure, go ahead,” she said. “And I think I’ll get that blush called ‘Orgasm,’ too.”

“Ohh, that’s the NARS one.” Savannah literally jumped from excitement. “It’s a total makeup classic—all the gurus on YouTube rave about it being a must-have. I have a decent dupe, but I’ve always wanted the real one, so I’ll get it, too.”

And here Peyton had only wanted it because the name was clever.

Once Peyton was finished getting her makeup done, she found Savannah and Courtney browsing one of the aisles.

“Is Savannah trying to convince you to buy something, too?” Peyton asked Courtney.

“This one.” Courtney showed her a rectangular palette with the word
NAKED
in gold capital letters on the brown velvet cover. “I know I can find similar colors in the drugstore, but I have to admit I’ve heard of this before. I swatched the colors and they’re very pretty.”

“The neutrals will look amazing on you,” Savannah chimed in. She was like a little devil on their shoulders, convincing them to buy makeup they didn’t actually need. “Come on, Courtney. Just get
one
thing?”

“Fine,” Courtney said, probably more for Savannah’s benefit than her own. “But that’s all I’m getting.”

“I bet it won’t be long until you’re digging into Savannah’s stash,” Peyton joked. The three of them might not have had a ton in common, but they all did love makeup.

Courtney shrugged it off, but Savannah held her bags closer to her side.

They paid at the register—a huge amount of money, mostly from Savannah’s stuff—and headed out of the store.

“I texted our driver while we were checking out and he’s ready to take us to the Fashion Show Mall,” Savannah said.

“We’re going to another mall?” Peyton groaned. “Why don’t we just stay at this one? We’re already here.”

“Because Fashion Show has department stores like Saks and Neiman Marcus, and Miracle Mile doesn’t.” Savannah clearly had done her research. “Come on, let’s go.” She led the way, not leaving room for debate. Peyton rolled her eyes at Courtney, but Courtney just shrugged and went along with Savannah. One thing was for sure—Savannah would owe her for this later.

Fashion Show Mall was only five minutes away. As they walked through it, Peyton discovered how the mall got its name when a runway rose out of the floor and shoppers gathered around. Lights beamed down on the models strutting down the runway to fast-paced music. The show was flashy, like everything else in Vegas.

“Can we stay and watch?” Savannah asked, looking wistfully at the models.

“We only have so much time,” Courtney said. “Would you rather watch the fashion show, or go shopping?”

“Shopping, I guess,” Savannah said with a small pout.

“So what did you do last night?” Courtney asked Peyton as they passed the show. “I didn’t hear you get back.”

“Just hung out with a friend.” Peyton didn’t want to go into detail, although she did replay the night in her mind. After the fireworks at Myst, Oliver had said he was sick of sneaking in drinks from his flask since his father was watching his every move, so they’d gone to a nightclub at another hotel. The drinks had flowed all night, so everything was hazy, but they couldn’t keep their hands off each other. Since Oliver lived with his parents and Peyton lived with her sisters, Oliver had the brilliant idea of getting a room.

She smiled at the memory of what had happened once they got there. Neither of them had held back—and Oliver sure knew what he was doing.

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas...but that doesn’t matter when you live there.

Jackson hadn’t been waiting in the hall when she’d left the hotel before dawn to return to the condo at the Diamond, and Peyton was glad about that. It would have been beyond awkward to do the walk of shame with the other guy she was eyeing by her side. If she hadn’t drunk so much last night, she would have realized that
before
staying over with Oliver, but luck had been on her side since she and her sisters had different guards while their regular guards were sleeping. Her night guard wasn’t nearly as cute—or as young—as Jackson. But Jackson had been there when she’d left the condo this afternoon with Savannah to go to the mall. Peyton wondered how much he knew about last night...and if he cared. He’d made no hint of it when he’d seen her.

“A friend?” Savannah asked. “We only moved here yesterday. Who was it?”

“A guy I met at the club.”

“Aren’t you still with Mike?” Courtney asked.

“I’m breaking up with him.” Peyton didn’t like how she’d cheated on him, but it was nothing that hadn’t been done to her before. Mike might be getting with other girls, too. He didn’t seem like the type to do that, and the texts he’d sent last night about missing her didn’t indicate it, but guys could be deceiving. Even the nicest ones could end up being jerks.

“But you haven’t broken up with him yet?”

“No,” Peyton said. “But I will. In the meantime, I’m not going to stop living because I haven’t gotten around to it yet. I don’t want to do it through a text, and everything’s been so busy around here that I haven’t had a chance to call him, but he knows it’s coming.” She also hated breaking up with guys, so she preferred to avoid thinking about it until she absolutely had to.

She checked out the stores they walked by, making it clear she was finished with the subject. Courtney was so judgmental of Peyton’s love life, but really, it wouldn’t hurt Courtney to learn from her. Courtney had never kissed a guy, and Peyton always got the guys she wanted. For the most part. There were always some like Jackson, who weren’t interested in the first place.

Jackson wasn’t Peyton’s type, anyway. She liked guys who were adventurous and enjoyed breaking the rules. She didn’t know much about Jackson, but he’d seemed set on following rules when they’d talked at Myst. As for the adventurous part...he had to have had
some
adventures as a bodyguard. She couldn’t imagine the training he must have gone through to land his current position. Maybe she would ask him about it sometime. Hopefully he would be more receptive to her questions than he had been last night.

Curious, she glanced over her shoulder to see if she could spot him. Sure enough, he was off to the side at the end of the hall, walking with Carl and Teddy. She couldn’t believe she had been oblivious to the guards when she’d lived in California. It was eerie that she had been followed everywhere and hadn’t noticed. It also pissed her off that no one had told her and her sisters that three men were following them around everywhere they went. Shouldn’t that be the sort of thing she should have known about?

To amuse herself, since the guards were supposed to stay inconspicuous in public, she gave Jackson a wave.

He didn’t return it.

“Who are you waving to?” Savannah asked.

“Our bodyguards,” Peyton said, her tone laced with mischief.

Courtney glanced over her shoulder. “I don’t see them.”

“Maybe they checked out a store.” Peyton snickered, since the store closest to where they had been standing was Victoria’s Secret. They would make quite the trio in there.

They arrived at one of the department stores Savannah had mentioned, and it was the most preposterous store Peyton had ever visited. T-shirts cost over a hundred dollars, because they were made by a fancy brand. She could get similar tops at Forever 21 for a tenth of the price. But Savannah wasn’t having any problem buying as much as she wanted, and even Courtney tried on some dresses that Savannah threw her way.

The makeup was one thing, but Peyton refused to use money that wasn’t hers to buy stuff that was so overpriced, so she watched as her sisters tried on clothes. After ringing up their items, the saleslady handed Savannah her business card, telling her she would let her know whenever they got in new arrivals she might like, as if she was Savannah’s personal shopper. Savannah didn’t hesitate to take the card and thank her.

“Where to now?” Peyton asked when Savannah finished up at the cash register. “Back to the Diamond?”

“The Gates Hotel,” Savannah told her.

That was the newest hotel Oliver’s dad owned, where he lived with his family. He’d mentioned it last night.

“Why the Gates?” Peyton tried to act nonchalant, but she hoped she would run into Oliver. She wasn’t wearing anything particularly stunning—tiny jean shorts with a black tank top—and she still felt hungover from last night, but whatever. The salespeople at Sephora had done a good job with her makeup, so she didn’t look terrible.

“They’ve got great shopping—especially shoes,” Savannah said, as if this should be common knowledge.

“And it’s not too far from the Diamond,” Courtney added, looking at her watch. “I need to be back soon.”

“You’re going somewhere?” Peyton didn’t hide her surprise. Courtney was more likely to stay home to practice her SATs or read a book “for fun” than go out and enjoy herself. Peyton didn’t understand the concept of reading for fun. If a book was good enough, it would become a movie, and she could see it that way.

Savannah looked at Courtney expectantly, apparently as confused about Courtney’s sudden social life as Peyton.

“Brett and I are going to see
Phantom of the Opera,
” Courtney said quickly.

“Brett, as in our future stepbrother?” Peyton asked.

“Yeah,” Courtney said. “You and Savannah were busy earlier, and I was hungry, so Brett and I got brunch. I mentioned how much I like the show, and he got us tickets. It was thoughtful of him.”

She shrugged in a way that might have seemed casual to someone who didn’t know her well, but then her eyes went distant. Something was up. Peyton had been forced to listen to Courtney and Brett’s boring conversation last night at dinner, and they had a lot in common. Was something more going on between them?

If it were anyone else, Peyton would assume yes, but Courtney never broke rules. She must be hanging out with Brett because she didn’t know anyone else. And Courtney was picky when it came to guys. She’d told Peyton that high school boys weren’t worth the time or the drama.

The chance that her outlook had changed in one night was slim.

Their driver met them in front of the mall, and it didn’t take long to get to the Gates. Peyton had talked enough to Oliver last night to know that if she was going to find him anywhere in the hotel, it would be at the casino, so she kept her eye out as they walked through it. Just like the mall gave Savannah energy, casinos did the same for Peyton. She loved the beeping of the slot machines, the sound of coins jingling whenever someone won and the constant chattering. It made her feel light and happy, as if she were walking on air.