Gemma stepped out, her jaw dropping in awe. A stone pathway led to a vast, glistening lake lined with shining rocks and a small stretch of silver sand. The sun hopped over the soft ripples of the deep blue water. Reflections of the emerald leaves on the tall, skinny trees made the lake look like some kind of shimmering, liquid silk.
“Oh man,” Gavin murmured as he ran out towards the lake, immediately whipping his T-shirt off and jumping in.
“I’ve been trying to get your brother to see this place for ages but he always has something better to do,” Mira smirked. “I told you this place was awesome!” she yelled out to him. She turned to Gemma with a playful smile. “Watch out for him. This lake has a reputation for causing trouble.”
~
In the morning, Mira’s friend dropped by to pick her up for a private luncheon that they had both organized for a friend at The Guggenheim. He was fairly recognizable to even Gemma, despite not watching a lot of television or reading many gossip magazines. Hudson Gunn was the head chef at the trendy and highly exclusive West Village restaurant, Lilac, and often a guest judge on various cooking competitions on TV. He was handsome with his deep tan and prominent chin. Armand was fond of referring to older men like Hudson as “silver foxes.”
To make up for leaving them behind for the afternoon, Mira had Hudson arrive early to prepare them a lavish breakfast of truffled egg toast, buttery home fries, grilled chicken apple sausage and Belgian waffles topped with fresh strawberries and crème-fraiche. Gemma and Gavin ambled downstairs just in time to see her helping Hudson top a flute of fresh-squeezed orange juice with champagne.
“I am so sorry, my loves,” Mira said. “I’ll be back as soon as the luncheon is over and I promise it’ll be fast.”
“Don’t get yourself so worked up, Mira,” Hudson squeezed her shoulder. “They’re teenagers. I’m sure they’re happier without their aunt in the way.” Mira slapped him on the back playfully and he retorted by flicking a glob of crème-fraiche at her. She yelped, jumping back in panic as she checked her saffron DVF wrap dress for stains.
“You, Hudson, don’t understand. Just because your kid doesn’t think you’re cool doesn’t mean my niece and nephew don’t think I am. Correct?” Mira arched her eyebrow threateningly. Gemma and Gavin nodded in agreement.
“You guys really didn’t have to go through all this trouble,” Gavin said as he eyed the feast spread across the kitchen island. “I was just going to have Cinnamon Toast Crunch.”
“Oh, please,” Mira said with genuine disgust. “Cereal is not by any means a sufficient breakfast for my perfect darlings, so eat up. And wait two hours if you’re going to go swimming.” Hudson gazed at her, shaking his head and chuckling. Mira crosses her arms, “What now?”
“Nothing. I like hearing you talk like a mom. It’s funny. And cute,” he said, making Mira snort in response. Gemma smiled. It was sweet that Hudson obviously had a crush on Mira, and funny that Mira seemed to have no clue whatsoever.
After saying goodbye to them and finishing as much as they could of their sumptuous meal, Gavin collapsed in a food coma on the couch while Gemma paced around in hopes of feeling less bloated. Without her nightly dance practices, she could already feel her body growing sluggish. Her choreographer often ran their vigorous sessions for three consecutive hours, keeping every inch of her figure outrageously toned. First step of being normal, Gemma thought to herself sarcastically. Losing Queen Bee’s physique. She wandered out the front door and gazed down the long road, perfect for a run. Unfortunately, running was not an option because of the sore ankle she was still suffering from, courtesy of Manolo Blahnik.
She wandered onto the back porch, the breeze blowing the soft knit cloth of her dress against her legs. She kicked off her sandals and walked barefoot to the plush green hammock hanging between two skinny trees. She crawled into it, luxuriating in the way it enveloped her, hiding her and lulling her into a light sleep. With her eyes closed, Gemma could see the stage clearly, practically feeling the weight of the pearls on her body. The smell of the breakfast that was delivered to her hotel suite every morning wafted through her nose, making her badly miss Le Meurice and their lovely arrangements of fresh fruit and croissants. She could vividly see the Champs-Élysées, the Cartier store that closed for two hours so she could shop for relatives privately, the gorgeous Parisian heir who had pulled all his connections just to get to her security team and ask for a chance to speak to her. He couldn’t muster up any words when he did get the chance, so Gemma smiled gently and kissed his cheek before being rushed away from the gathering paparazzi.
When she opened her eyes, the feeling of Queen Bee quickly disappeared. It felt as if a formidable energy had been sucked out of her body. She worried now. She hoped that her parents were okay, that her grandmother was feeling better. She wondered why Gavin didn’t seem worried about college applications at all. But most of all, she wondered if she would fit into public school when all she had ever known was private and home schooling. Movies painted a fairly vicious picture of high school, and Penelope seemed to have confirmed that portrayal. Entering as a junior just had to add to the difficulty of it all.
Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a loud splash. She was glad to be snapped out of her melancholy trance – until she heard a tiny yelp of distress. She sprang up in the hammock and squinted. Far off towards the back of the lake, a black and white object struggled to stay above the water. Gemma tumbled out of the hammock, ignoring the sharp pang in her ankle as she ran towards the water. The small object started barking.
“Oh my God!” Gemma swam towards what she could see was a puppy, eyes wide and stricken with fear. She tried to rush to it but the material of her long dress clung to her legs, slowing her and forcing her pained ankle to work even harder. When she finally got close enough, she treaded slowly so not to scare what she saw was a little Border Collie puppy. Its collar had caught onto the boat dock at the edge of the water. To her surprise, the puppy reached towards her and swam straight into her arms, burying his head under her chin. She pet his matted fur, soothing him as she untangled the stray rope from his collar.
“Who do you belong to, little guy?” Gemma cooed. Just as she turned the silver tag on his collar to read it, she felt a sharp shooting pain in her ankle. “Ouch!” She clutched the startled dog tightly, trying to swim towards the sand despite how much it hurt to. “It’s okay, pup. Everything’s okay,” she whispered, though she was more so trying to comfort herself. With the puppy in one arm and her ankle relentlessly throbbing, she felt herself getting slower and sinking deeper in the water. “Gavin!” she yelled as loudly as she could, despite knowing what a notoriously deep sleeper her brother was.
Her energy was completely zapped by the time she was just a few yards from the lakeside. Really, Gemma? she thought to herself incredulously. Just when her mind began to picture the worst-case scenario, a strong arm reached around her.
“Oh, thank God,” Gemma panted as she let herself get pulled from the water. In an impressively short amount of time, she was back on the ground of silvery sand and pebbles. “Gavin,” she coughed, letting him pull her to her feet. “I didn’t even see you jump in.”
To her surprise, the boy standing in front of her wasn’t her brother. Definitely not. The puppy happily ran in circles around his ankles. The boy bent over to pick it up.
“I’m Lucas,” he said, offering his free hand to shake. Gemma swallowed in embarrassment but extended her hand anyway. She didn’t say anything in response as she looked Lucas over. He smoothed back a mess of his dark, wavy hair and wiped his hands over his face to get the water out of his eyes. “Are you okay?” he asked, his strong jaw clenched slightly as he gazed at her with brows knit in concern. Water dripped from his wide shoulders and from the hem of his “Beauford Warriors” T-shirt. She averted her eyes skyward in an effort not to stare, but he was almost as tall as Gavin. This meant looking instead into his warm, hazel eyes. Gemma blushed immediately, realizing how
long it had been since she had last uttered a word.
“Oh! Fine. I’m fine,” she managed lamely while gathering herself. “I’m sorry, I’m just… recovering. I’m Gemma.”
“Gemma, right. Mira told me Gavin and his sister would be here,” he said, furrowing his brows some more as he recalled. “I’m helping her remodel the back porch so I came in today to take measurements.”
“Oh yeah? Cool,” Gemma said, slowly regaining her regular speaking voice. She still felt nervous and self-conscious about how insane she probably looked. For the past few days, she had fantasized about her first day at Beauford and the impression she would make on the kids there. In her head, she exuded sophistication and an effortless cool. Now, in her true first impression with a fellow Beauford high schooler, she felt absolutely ridiculous. It didn’t help that he was hot.
“So,” Lucas smiled to lighten the mood. “Did you save Leo or did Leo save you?” He scruffed the happy puppy’s head.
Gemma laughed. “He was stuck to something so I jumped in to help. It’s just that I hurt my ankle last week, so I couldn’t swim as well.”
“Oh. Wow, thank you for doing that,” Lucas said, lightly brushing flecks of duckweed off Gemma’s shoulder. She hoped that he didn’t feel her goosebumps. “I could tape up your ankle if you want. I got pretty good at it after spraining mine last season,” he offered. He was so sweet. Gemma wondered who he was at Beauford High. Definitely popular. Definitely athletic – I mean obviously. Definitely… not single. Or maybe single? Please, let him be single.
Again, Gemma realized that she had gone far too long without speaking. “Oh! My ankle. No, it’s okay,” she looked down at her wretched ankle, realizing that she was standing crookedly from putting all the pressure on one foot. Way to look more ridiculous. What is wrong with you?
Nerves. She chalked it up to that. It wasn’t often that she interacted with boys and when she did, she always had on some elaborate designer costume – the around-the-clock Queen Bee disguise. She liked the unusual colored contacts. She felt girly and otherworldly with those lavender eyes. Not that she disliked her own emerald eyes – it was one of the last physical traits she shared with Gavin. But with the lavender eyes, costumes and make-up, she possessed an unmatched confidence. She was Queen. She had everyone at her beck and call.
But here, in her soaking wet dress, matted brown hair and duckweed-covered skin, Gemma didn’t feel like she could carry a conversation for much longer. Not with a guy like Lucas. She was out of her league – a feeling that had been entirely unfamiliar to her all summer.
“I better go,” she murmured, almost to herself.
“I’ll walk you,” Lucas quickly said. “Since your ankle hurts. I mean it’s the least I can do since you saved Leo. I owe you.”
“No, no. I owe you, really.”
He only smiled in response, planted before her as if to say that he wouldn’t be taking no for an answer. “I’ll walk you,” he said again.
Rather than have him watch her limp away pathetically, she let him. He offered his arm for her to link hers in as if he were escorting her somewhere. Through a crowded ballroom, perhaps.
But once she was back in the house, in the quiet of her room, all she felt was an unfamiliar and swelling insecurity.
~
The remainder of the stay at the lake house involved Gemma dancing around her desire to pry and ask Gavin details about Lucas. Lucas had left before Gavin woke up and Gemma refrained from divulging details of her little mishap – she knew Gavin would never let her live it down.
In her room at night, she lay in bed daydreaming of their next encounter and how she would wow him. It would be her second chance. She walked down the hall in her favorite red sweater – one that cut about two inches lower than it should and hugged every curve and dip of her body. It was a soft cashmere that no one could resist running their hands over. Her jeans hugged at her hips and highlighted her tiny waist. Her hair would be blown out, flowing behind her. Her heels clicked confidently along the floor. Girls would look at her with envy as their boyfriends’ heads turned and jaws dropped. Lucas would be the last to notice, turning to see what all the fuss was about. She’d walk past him and he’d be unable to resist following her when she had stopped all else dead in their tracks.
“Have we met before?”
“I’m not sure, have we?” she would tease, smiling coyly with her full, glossed lips.
“I could’ve sworn…”
Gemma sighed, burying her face in the pillow. She couldn’t complete her fantasy without thinking of what she actually looked like the day Lucas pulled her out of the lake. In her mind, she had been somewhat of a sea monster. Maybe I should just hope I don’t see him again.
Chapter 3
“We will stand here until you figure it out,” Mira said, arms crossed. Gemma struggled to get the key to turn. They were outside of Mira’s Beauford home and Gemma was dying to just get inside and settle into her new space before the first day of school, which was in less than twenty-four hours.
“Please just do it for me this once? I’m exhausted,” Gemma begged, collapsing against the door. Gavin sighed and picked up his bags from the walkway.
“I’m going in through the back,” he said as he grabbed Gemma and Mira’s bags. “I’ll take these in for you as a welcome home gesture.” He smiled and waved sarcastically as he marched off to the backyard. Gemma groaned.
“There will be days when Gavin and I won’t be here, and there’s no front desk or bodyguard to let you in if you forget your room key. I spent forever remodeling this house so you could live happily in it and now you want me to open the door for you? I will not!” Mira said indignantly. “That being said, hurry the hell up because I am exhausted and I need to pee!”
Gemma laughed and gave the key another try. The door opened. “Thank God!” she cried. Gavin stood at the other side of the door, his hand on the knob. Both Gemma and Mira frowned.
“I couldn’t listen to her whine anymore,” Gavin said as Mira shook her finger at him.
“She won’t learn if you keep helping her!”
Gavin laughed. “I was helping you! You would’ve been out here forever.”
“Have some faith in your sister! But thank you,” Mira sighed, heading for the stairs. “Before I use the restroom, let me show you your room, Gemma.”
It was nice to know that Mira had all the unpacking and setting up taken care of so she wouldn’t have to worry about living in a mess before classes started, but at the same time, Gemma was disappointed that she didn’t get the chance to personalize the space on her own.
“I am so excited for you to see how I designed it,” Mira gushed as she took Gemma’s hand and led her up the winding staircase to the top floor. They made their way down the hall where Gavin had already faceplanted on his bed, an open bag of Doritos sitting next to him and music blasting from his Macbook.
Mira led Gemma to a heavy cherry wood door with intricate carvings of lilies and leaves trimming the corners. The doorknob was an antiqued brass handle shaped like an “S.” Mira signaled for Gemma to open the door and she did so without hesitation.
It swung open, and inside was a room that rivaled every luxury hotel suite she had ever stayed in. The ceilings were high and sloped with skylights that let in a sea of sunshine. A large picture window sat opposite the side of the door with a luxurious cream-colored, silk-lined chaise lounge beneath it. Her four-post bed was draped with a sheer, rose-colored canopy. Plush, matching cushions sat on the king-sized mattress. Sheets of ivory Egyptian cotton hugged the bed and were completed with a darker rose quilt, knitted with fine threads of the softest cashmere.
Her desk was made of the same cherry wood as the door with matching carvings winding up the legs. A vanity and a full-length mirror stood against one wall, but it all paled in comparison to what Gemma quickly decided was the best feature of the room by far – an antique dress form placed in the corner near her walk-in closet. Her feather and pear
l Balenciaga dress was wrapped around it, standing tall and as beautiful as she had remembered.
“This isn’t just another hotel or dressing room, Gemma,” Mira said as she looked at Gemma’s awed expression. “This is your room. You don’t have to check out of it. This is where you’re going to have sleepovers and get ready for dances and make amazing memories for yourself.” Gemma turned and hugged Mira, who nodded towards the dress form. “That doesn’t mean I want you to completely forget about Queen Bee. I just want you to enjoy Gemma.”
Gemma sniffled, overwhelmed. She turned away from Mira and noticed something moving outside the window.
“Oh,” Gemma said. “I can see right into our neighbor’s!”
“Well,” Mira smirked. “That’s suburbia for you. Reminds me, I still have to call and see if they’ve finished the curtains for this window. Until then, enjoy the view – that Lucas is a cutie. He’s helping me redo my porch at the lake house.”
Gemma gasped. What? She crept over to the window slowly and peered out to see Lucas sitting on his bed, reading a book with Leo curled in his lap. How could he leave out the fact that they were neighbors?
“What’s wrong, honey?” Mira asked.
“Nothing,” Gemma said quickly. “Just a little cold, I think.”
“Oh, well grab a sweatshirt! All your clothes should be hung up in the closet. I’ll let you get settled in,” Mira said as she kissed Gemma on the forehead and left. Gemma exhaled, closing the door gently. This room was no doubt better than all the hotels she had ever stayed in because it was hers and hers only. It was a teenaged girl’s dream room in every way – complete with her very own boy next door.
~
“I really only hang out with the team, and I’m not introducing you to them,” Gavin said as he pulled his dark blue BMW coupe into the Beauford High parking lot. “If they said anything to or about you, I’d kill them.”
Gemma smiled as she slicked on peach-tinted lip gloss in the passenger seat. Gavin was generally more the type of older brother to give her noogies than be protective. It was nice to see him acting sweet, if only for a moment.