Lily snuck up on her, laid her cheek against Charley’s shoulder. “I’m sorry you can’t have him yet. Again.” The soft sigh registered within her breath.

“I’ve never loved a man like I do Wyatt, Lil. He’s young, though, and needs to grow.” She moved one hand over her heart. “This is the third time, so that’s it for me. Ties will be severed. My cover will hold. You know that as well as I do.” She paused a moment. “But, I’ll always love him.”

Lily took her hand, held it between her own. Her eyes, a magnificent, metallic purple-the effect of her emotional outburst-stared straight into Charley’s. “I’m sorry I got all girly on you. I just wasn’t prepared to lose you if you did decide he was ready.”

Charley patted her hand. “I know, Lil. You, James and Cael? You all need me, and Wyatt needs someone of his own. I still got time to find a match.” She rubbed again. “Enough of this moaning, let’s get on with it.”

Lily squeezed Charley’s shoulders. “Let’s do this thing!”


***

To give Wyatt and Stuart the full effect and ensure Charley and Lily had practice time with their four-inch heels, Charley sent James and Cael downstairs to await a grand entrance. The walk down, around and through the hall alone put a cramp in her calf.

“Wow.” Cael stood from his at-rest slouch on the couch.

“Holy sh-” James started before Charley waved him silent as he stood and ogled.

She’d been right to pick the silk wrap. Around her shoulders, the lightest of threads danced as layers crisscrossed her body, thick in key areas, lighter in others. With her unique ability, she increased her shape in a few places to fill out the dress and give the front V-cut its full due. A quick spin under James’s hand, and multiple layers rose, falling as she came to a stop.

“Can I just add that every other girl in the room is going to be envious?” James’s compliments would always be welcome.

Charley laughed. “Lily! Your turn!” she called over her shoulder.

Heels clicked on hardwoods, turning to a clear tap on the ceramic and ceasing all sound when Lily hit the carpet. Charley dropped James’s hand, clasped her own together at her mouth. She and Lily had agreed to surprise each other with the final package.

James’s whistle bounced off the walls, and Cael huffed, crossing his arms.

“Mmmm. Mmmm.” James offered Lily the same twirl.

Her dress hugged her hips, trailed the floor with sequins and beads that sparkled in all directions as light hit. Spaghetti straps adorned with clear rhinestone graced her pale shoulders. Her V-cut extended lower than Charley’s in front-nearly to her navel-and did the same in the back. Silk gloves of the same color ran the length of her arm to her elbow.

“Lil,” Charley started to tear. “You are gorgeous.”

Hands together, they added air kisses to each others’ cheeks and laughed at their royal gesture.

“You like it?” Lily’s hands extended as she made a full circle again on her own.

“Stunning.”

“Yeah, what she said.” Cael thumped James and stalked off up the stairs.

“What did I say?” Confusion ran through Lily’s blue eyes.

Charley smiled to the ceiling. “I think someone’s jealous.”

“Jealous of what?” Lily’s question came with clear innocence in her eyes.

James let out a snort before he grabbed Lily’s hand and pointed at her reflection in Cael’s sixty-inch baby. Even distorted, Lily glowed.

“Me?”

Both Charley and James nodded.

The chime and knock that followed took their attention. Lily spun around as fast as the tightness of her dress allowed. Charley turned to smile at a sober-faced James. She stepped toward him, snaked her arms around his waist as far as she could and hovered her head against his chest. His arms wrapped around her as he sighed.

“We’ll be okay if you change your mind.” His whisper hit her hair, but she understood with complete clarity.

Her eyes pricked with tears. She pulled back, waved a hand at her eyes-all of Lily’s work would be ruined if she let the tears fall. The kiss James added to the top of her head constricted her breath in her chest.

She sucked in deep, hitched air as she let it out. “I won’t.”

“Mira!” Lily giggled. “There are some guys in suits here! Oh my goodness, Stuart!”

“Better go see,” Charley said as James released her.

“Yup.”

She found Lily as she bounced, nervous and excited.

A traditional corsage in hand, Stuart brought it to Lily. She lifted her hand, and he slipped it onto her wrist. Charley couldn’t help the smile that escaped as Lily’s simple bend at the waist met resistance.

Wyatt crossed the threshold a moment later. Charley’s breath quickened. Like Stuart, he’d opted for less traditional formal wear. His tux, a black that shimmered, opened at his waist to reveal a simple vest in a color Charley could only call Swiss chocolate. He’d left the top button undone and added no tie. More casual than she’d have thought, his suit held an elegant simplicity.

His eyes remained fixed on hers, his lips twitched as he made his approach. A simple red rose and a solid black box rested in one hand.

“You… are amazing,” he said.

She spun to give him the full effect. “You like?”

He closed the distance like a lion to its prey and crushed his lips against hers. The rose and box slipped behind her as he pulled her in, bending her backward into his body. Their lips merged, as they had countless times, like magnets drawn together by sheer force of attraction.

“I guess you do,” she said when he released her lips but not his hold.

“I do.”

Charley would have sworn he meant more than he should have.

Wyatt pulled her upright again and brought the rose to her nose. Charley breathed in the delicate scent-one she’d forever associate with the start of their night.

“Thank you.” She twirled it between her fingers as Wyatt opened the box he’d held.

He lifted the lid, eased back on a hidden hinge.

That’s not from Sears.

An aquamarine stone sat in between two smaller amethysts. The trio hung from a silver chain that sparkled like the moon on a cloudless night.

She took a deep breath, hands over her lips. In more than two hundred years, Charley had never been given a gift like it.

“Wow.” James whistled over her shoulder. His “oof” reached her hair as she elbowed him in one quick move.

“You like?” Wyatt mimicked her.

“I do.” She reached for the necklace.

Wyatt held the box wide as she lifted it and let it fall into the palm of her opposite hand.

“May I?”

Charley nodded as he took it from her. She turned her back to him as his hands came down like a curtain-the necklace glittered with the room’s light. Her hair tickled as Wyatt moved it to one side, clasped the necklace and let her hair fall back into place.

James whistled again-from farther away.

“Shall we?” Wyatt extended one arm toward Charley.

She draped hers over his. “Absolutely.”

6

Charley’s fingers found her pendant whenever her hand fell free from Wyatt’s. She’d see the sparkle as it reflected in a window, on her plate or in her glass. The need to reach out and touch it prevailed over every other desire. Cool against her naked skin, it lay as if glued. Only when she leaned too far forward would it dangle free before it returned to its exact spot when she straightened. Each glance from Wyatt chipped away at her resolve, her strength to let him go.

She could love him, provide for him, and still push him through the experiences of life. James had all but given his blessing. Cael would be pissed, but she always came back to the promise she made to Lily.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Wyatt’s hand caressed hers.

“That’s an old saying,” she said through her smile, tilting and righted her head. “Just remembering.”

“Night’s young. We got loads of time to make stuff to remember.” Wyatt stroked her back.

Charley leaned into him, laid her lips upon his, moved her hand behind his head and pulled him closer.

“Dude. You got company here.” Stuart’s voice carried through the wide expanse of the leather and lights in the limo.

Charley ignored him.

“Ahem!” Lily coughed into her hand.

Charley drifted from Wyatt, turned toward Lily and Stuart and graced them with an extended tongue. “Spoil sports.”

As their limo slowed, her heart raced. So little time.

Due to kick off the event, they arrived before the other students, and their entry rivaled the Oscars’ red carpet. Flashes of light popped as Wyatt exited the limo, and they continued as she stepped from within. Students who weren’t invited had lined the make-shift runway-cameras in hand.

“Oh my, there are a lot of kids here.” Lily leaned toward Charley’s ear after Stuart helped her to her feet. The dress pulled tight as she maneuvered out the door.

Wyatt held himself and Charley still for a moment and let the underclassmen get their assignments completed before he nodded and motioned the group forward. Cat-calls, whistles and screams of ‘Go Wyatt!’ followed.

“Where did they come from, man?” Stuart asked.

“Just a little something the Events Committee cooked up.” Wyatt walked Charley onto the dance floor. “We got the underclassmen to show up as paparazzi along with some of the parents.”

The first to arrive, on purpose and alone in the space, she and Wyatt waltzed to a pure symphonic classic. The croon of a male’s voice pushed them forward. Left foot, left. Right foot, right. He led. She followed both Wyatt and the music. Barry Manilow? Charley grimaced to herself. Where did they find this DJ?

She gave up trying to figure it out and put her focus on Wyatt as the piano keys tinkled along with the regular low swish of cymbals. “I didn’t know you knew how to dance,” she said.