Chapter 21
Maddie
“Mail delivery.”
A broad smile crosses my face, and I play along, setting aside my sketch book.
“Why, thank you kindly.” I take the parcel from the mail girl’s hands and pretend to inspect it thoroughly. “It looks official.”
Next to me, she tries to suppress a sweet giggle. “You need to sign here.”
“Oh, of course.” I scribble an exaggerated signature. “You’re very good at your job.”
Another giggle has me cracking up.
“Come here, little one.” Claud throws herself into my waiting arms and squeezes me tightly.
“Hey, where’s our picture?” she accuses. I push my laptop aside to show her. “Oops.”
“How was school today?”
She wiggles in my lap. “I couldn’t wait for it to be over because today we got to see our dance recital outfits for the first time.”
“And I take it you love them?”
“One’s pink and glittery and one’s blue with gems,” she squeals in excitement. “With a tutu!”
I squeeze her tighter, so happy that my move to New York has brought us closer. “They sound wonderful. I can’t wait to see them on you.”
“Oh!” she yells and jumps off my lap, bolting toward the copy room. “I forgot something.”
When I have a spare second, I open the mail that Claud delivered, a document I’ve been waiting on from a building inspector. Then I open the piece from my PO Box that I retrieved on my way into work this morning, and my heart drops.
When I received the notification that a parcel was waiting for me, I initially chalked it up to spam that often gets sent whenever a PO Box is created.
I hadn’t even had time to update my website with my new shipping information.
So, for this to be delivered. It’s concerning.
Cherry,
I’m so glad I found you, darling.
I’m still waiting. I need my piece.
-D.T.
The letter doesn’t sound incriminating, but “D.T.” has been sending me messages for the last year. Some with a threatening tone, some sickly sweet.
Letters, including hate mail, come with the territory when you live behind a popular alias. But this? Finding out about my new box without me ever posting it?
That has me second-guessing everything.
I shove the letter deep into my bottom drawer just as Claud calls.
She’s perched on a step stool, clutching a printout. “Can you help me down?”
“Sure. What did you forget?”
When she’s safely on the ground, she holds up a picture of a dress. “Mom said I can go to the mask party tomorrow for one hour! This is my dress.”
I freeze when she says “Mom,” my mouth gapes, and then it hits me like a ton of bricks…she means Juliette. Not Camila.
Like a blow to the stomach, I’m unable to speak.
Juliette has recently adopted Claudina, so it shouldn’t surprise me, but I wasn’t expecting it to affect me so much.
A large, muscular hand massages my shoulder, grounding me. “It’s taken all of us some time to get used to it.” Nate’s voice is soothing. “But when you get to know Jules better, you’ll realize how perfect she is for the job.”
I nod. “I was just caught off guard.” I turn toward Claud, who is looking at us with concern. “Let me see your dress, little one.”
She holds up her picture as high as she can, and it’s of a silver dress, full of tulle. “I’m going to match Aunt Becks. We’re stars.”
“Juliette’s best friend,” Nate whispers.
“That sounds so fun. It’s beautiful, you’re going to be the best dressed there.”
“Really?” Her eyes bug while she jumps up and down, filled with excitement.
“Yup. Definitely better dressed than your uncle.” I bat my lashes playfully.
She covers her mouth and laughs.
“Hey,” Nate protests, feigning offense. “I’m pretty stylish.”
I smirk and look over my shoulder at Nate, to be completely shocked. He’s casually standing in the doorway, a basket of cherries in one hand and a silly smirk on his lips, waggling his brows. “Want one?”
“Pass.”
“Hmm. I thought you had better taste than that.” He winks, then turns back to Claud. “All right, Claudina Rosa, Uncle Leo is waiting in his office. You two are off to your Friday night movie date.”
“Yessss!” She pumps her arm up. “Can Skye come?”
“Who’s Skye?” I ask.
“She’s—”
“She’s your best friend, right?” Nate cuts her off quickly.
“Bestest friend,” Claud corrects him.
“Movie time,” he reminds her.
“Oh, yeah. Bye!” Claud races off, then suddenly I’m reminded I’m alone with Nate in the small copy room.
I take a step away, not that it gives me much space, but the way the air quickly thickens, I know I’ll need that extra inch.
Nate’s blocking the exit, so I pretend to go through the cabinets and occupy myself. The best I can come up with is a ream of paper for my small personal printer.
“Got it.” I hold it and turn, but Nate’s there, and he’s advancing quickly.
He grips the counter behind me, arms braced on either side of me, locking me into place. “And what about you, Mads?” His voice trembles from the low octave, and it’s a straight shot down my body.
“What about me?” I ask, my voice coming out like a wisp of air.
He leans in so we’re face-to-face, his eyes are dilated, my chest is heaving, and just like every other time I’ve been around him, I have the overwhelming urge to reach up and press my lips to his.
To feel the sparks I get when I’m around Nate, the ones I denied missing for way too long.
“What are you wearing?” He reaches up and grips my ponytail and pulls my head back.
His breath against my neck causes an involuntary moan to slip through my lips.
“Is it velvet?” he whispers. “Soft against your body, or maybe silk, where you’ll think about me every time the smooth fabric caresses your skin.
” His lips graze the shell of my ear. I close my eyes, aching for them to trail lower.
“I’m right, aren’t I? I’ll be the only one on your mind. ”
Footsteps echo in the hall, shattering the moment.
Nate stands back, looking totally at ease, while I’m a hot mess.
And in places I’d like not to think about right now, I’m more like a wet mess.
“See you tomorrow…Goddess.” He winks, and just like that, I know I can’t hold off any longer.
“Tomorrow,” I say aloud, heart hammering.
Tomorrow is the day I tell Nate about Corey.
A sigh behind me draws my attention toward my bed. “What’s wrong with you?” I ask Addie.
“Reread the invitation.” She smiles at me as she gets comfy in my bed. “It’s bloody romantic.”
Have aliens taken over my best friend’s body, because what the hell? I shoot her a perplexed look. “Did you suddenly become British? And you hate romance.”
Ever since Addie’s first and only boyfriend broke up with her a few years ago, she’s never let herself believe in the male species again.
Me…I guess I’m stupid enough that I’ve never let the dream go.
“My guilty pleasure lately has been watching reruns of Downton Abbey.” My mouth gapes; she hates period shows, whereas I love them. “Sue me.” She laughs, then motions for the invitation.
Good because I wasn’t rereading it.
She turns on her side, propping herself up, and reads the invitation out loud as I finish my makeup.
Save The Date
You are summoned to attend Moonlight & Masquerade.
An enchanting evening of celestial seduction and masked mystique in benefit of Building Unity, a charitable cause founded by brothers Nathaniel Davenport and Leo Morales, Co-CEOs of M-Squared Architectural Firm, dedicated to building communities that connect and empower.
As the moon rises, gods and goddesses descend.
Let your mask conceal, your presence command, and your elegance captivate.
Masks are required.
Black tie or mythologically inspired attire is expected.
Leave the ordinary behind. The night belongs to the divine.
Addie looks at me, tears welling. “You need to tell him tonight you’re no longer engaged. This is for you, Maddie Grace.”
I nod in acknowledgment and continue focusing on eyeliner, unable to admit out loud how unbelievably romantic the gesture is.
“You know what I love most about that invitation?” I redirect.
“Besides that, even after fifteen years, Nate is still obsessed with you? No, what?”
I put away my finished makeup and chuckle. “I get the point, so stop beating me over the head with it. I love that it mentions Nate and Leo as brothers. We knew them only by that, but to the world, they were still separated by their last names. Now everyone knows their bond.”
“If I had to pick any other family to be born into, it would have been the Moraleses.”
“Same,” I agree.
Though Addie is only joking, her parents, albeit eccentric, are extremely loving. They are a tight-knit trio.
On the other hand, I did truly wish for it for a lot of my life before Mama and I began working on our relationship.
I yearned for what they had.
“God, I wish Nate had met me first,” she jokes, but my knee-jerk reaction happens too quickly to stop myself, and I throw the nearest thing at her…my shoe. “Ouch! Are you out of your mind? You could have poked my eye out with this heel.”
“Then don’t say stupid things.”
“Aww. Are you jealous?”
I ignore her and walk into my closet, which is the size of my old bedroom back home, where I gently take my dress out from the garment bag that’s hanging front and center. Being sure not to snag any of the intricate design elements.
When I received the invitation for the gala, my mind immediately went to this dress.
It had already been calling my name for weeks.
Running to the art studio early in the morning allows me to window shop without the interference of the city foot traffic, admiring all the trendy fashion designers I love and new-to-me ones I can’t wait to explore.
Designer purses sit in windowsills screaming, “Buy me,” and art installations shine bright in showrooms, but even still my eyes are always magnetized to the one corner shop.
It’s a high-end boutique with the most unique and eclectic pieces.
Every time they put a new dress in the window, it leaves me speechless. Which is exactly what happened two weeks ago. The display changed again, and my jaw dropped, and I haven’t picked it back up yet.
“Whoa. Maddie Grace, that’s beautiful.”