Chapter 12
Twelve
ISABEL
We head downstairs in single file. The boys, sitting on the couch in the lanai, dapper in their suits, all stand to greet us.
“Fuckin’ hell, look at you,” Cisco says as he approaches Chiara and leans in for a kiss.
She dodges him, squeaking, “My lipstick!”
Despite myself, I meet Kieran’s gaze. He’s a vision in his suit, like a prince straight out of a storybook. His curls are lush and bouncy. I see why Natalia likes him so much. He’s a work of art himself.
Get it together, Isabel.
His eyes flicker down then back up to meet mine again. It was a blink and you’ll miss it maneuver. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he was checking me out.
“Well, well,” Jaime says to me. I don’t have time to reply.
“Take our picture, Sugar,” Natalia says, handing me her phone. She has the girls all line up near the pool, the sky dark, the warm string lights hanging from the greenery substituting as stars. I frame the photos as best as I can.
“Join us!” Ravina exclaims, beckoning me over. Bo’s already taking the phone from me before I can protest.
Natalia’s scowling when I approach. I wedge myself between Erin and Chiara and smile for the photograph. A maid steps outside carrying a tray of drinks, which she sets on the outdoor dining table.
“Ate,” Natalia calls out. “Take our picture with the boys.”
I barely hear anything else anyone says when Jaime stands next to me and places a hand on the small of my back.
“You look beautiful,” he whispers without looking at me. “You’ve really been holding out on us all these years, Sugar.”
For the first time ever, the nickname makes me feel all warm and gooey on the inside. Damn it.
When we part and the girls huddle over Natalia’s phone to see the pictures, Jaime spins me to face him.
“You know, I was wondering,” he says. “Do you taste as sweet as you look?”
I laugh nervously.
“Heard that,” Natalia calls out without looking up from her phone. “Don’t be a pig, Jaime.”
We gather around the outdoor dining table. It’s insane to me that Natalia can have whatever she wants at the snap of her fingers, including a four-course catered meal on the day itself.
I take the time to say a prayer before digging in. Unlike last night’s dinner, everyone makes a better effort at including me. It’s as though they like me better now that I look like one of them.
“Wait, so, you play the piano,” Erin says, the heels of her palms pressed against the edge of the table as she leans in toward me.
“A little,” I say. “I’m probably not any good anymore. I mean, I wasn’t the best at it to begin with, but—”
“Show us,” Natalia says, “after dinner.” There’s a smirk on her face, and I get the sense that I’m being set up for failure. I draw in a deep breath. I won’t be the crying girl in the hotel bathroom anymore; I’ll rise to the challenge.
“If you want your ears to bleed,” I joke, “sure.” It works double-duty; it makes them laugh and sets their expectations low.
If I can get the timing right and play without making a mistake, or at least without making several mistakes, then I will have avoided making a fool of myself. I get an idea in the moment:
Why go through the hassle of making yourself look bad by bullying someone if you can make yourself look good by giving them opportunities to show off and land flat on their face?
Villainy is a high art. This place is fertile ground for character studies.
But it isn’t enough to know how someone does something; it’s important to know why.
And to know why, I have to ask myself: who is this character?
What story am I trying to tell? Back to the drawing board I go.
“Okay, enough,” Natalia says. She stands from her seat at the head of the table and lifts her champagne in the air. “I’d like to propose a toast.”
Everyone lifts their drinks in unison. I’m the last to do so.
“I’m so grateful to all of you for being here tonight, and for joining me this summer. I promise to be the best host you could ever ask for, and to make sure we all have the best summer of our lives.”
“Hear ye, hear ye,” says Bo.
“To all of you,” Natalia says.
“And to you,” Jaime adds. Natalia rolls her eyes playfully.
“Cheers, everyone.” Cisco. We clink our glasses and take a sip. Then dinner begins.