Free A Midsummer's Nightmare by Kody Keplinger Page B

hear Sherri saying, “You know, Sylvia, you didn’t have to take off work today. I could have brought the girls here on my own.”
    “I know,” Sylvia replied. “But I wanted to spend a little time with Whitley. We barely know each other, and moments like this are a good way to bond.” Even though she lowered her voice to a near whisper, I could still hear her add, “I just don’t want her to hate me like I hated Alice, you know? I remember what it’s like to have a crappy stepmom. I don’t want her to go through that.”
    “Oh, honey, don’t worry.” Sherri laughed. “I don’t think anyone could ever be as bad as Alice. Whitley will love you. Just give her some time.”
    Sylvia sighed. “God, I hope so.”
    “All done,” Lexie said from behind me, her voice loud enough in my ear to make me jump. “You can put your clothes back on now.”
    “Great.”
    She slipped out through the curtain and told Sylvia she’d save the measurements in her file. The dresses would be ready in a few weeks.
    After putting my cutoff shorts and T-shirt back on, I met the others in the main room of the boutique. Sylvia smiled at me. “You’ll look so beautiful in the dress. I can’t wait to see it on you.”
    I shrugged, then hesitated. I hated that Sylvia had changed my father. I hated that she was so freakishly happy when I wasn’t. But as much as I wanted to spite her, to make her as miserable as I was, knowing that she was trying so hard made me feel just a little guilty.
    I cleared my throat. “I mean… thank you.”
    A few minutes later, on our way out to the car, while Bailey babbled to Sherri about some new movie she wanted to see, I heard someone calling my name from across the parking lot. I turned and saw Harrison hurrying toward me, dressed in neat jeans and an emerald green polo that made his eyes pop—even from this distance.
    God, he was gorgeous. The female population was seriously missing out.
    “Hey, girl,” he said when he caught up to me.
    “What are you doing here?” I asked.
    Beside me, Sylvia cleared her throat. Sherri and Bailey were already in Sherri’s car (Bailey was going to spend the rest of the afternoon at her aunt’s), but Sylvia had hung back, waiting to see who I was talking to, I guess. Nosy much?
    I rolled my eyes. “Sylvia, this is Harrison. Harrison, this is Sylvia—Nathan’s mom.”
    “Nice to meet you,” he said, shaking her hand. “You’re Greg’s fiancée, right? You’re a lucky woman.”
    “Thank you,” she said. “I think so, too. And I’m glad to see Whitley is making friends here in Hamilton.” She squeezed my shoulder and I cringed. “Oh! Sunburn—I forgot. Sorry. Well, I’ll leave you two alone. It was nice meeting you, Harrison.”
    When she was across the parking lot and in the front seat of her Prius, Harrison said, “She seems nice.”
    “I guess. So, what are you doing here?”
    “Oh, I work here.”
    “Here? At Gwyneth’s?”
    He nodded. “Yeah. It was a summer job turned all-year job once I decided to take the year off.”
    “Oh. Cool.”
    “It’s nice—good experience for a fashion major and all that jazz.” He sighed. “I just prefer men’s clothing. You can only look at so many dresses a day, you know?”
    I nodded. “Yeah—I know.”
    “So, are you still coming to the party tomorrow?” he asked.
    “Is there still going to be booze?”
    “Yes.”
    “Then yes.”
    He laughed and shook his head. “Well, I’m glad to hear it. Call me and I’ll give you the address, okay?”
    “Sure.” I glanced over my shoulder at the car, where I could see Sylvia watching us from the window. “I should go.”
    “Me, too. See you tomorrow.”
    I turned and started to walk away, but before I got too far Harrison added, “And hey, be careful out in the sun. You’re starting to resemble a tomato.”
    “
Yes
, I’m aware. Bye, Harrison.”
    When I got into the car, Sylvia had that toothy smile on her face. “He seems like a sweet