Free Switched by Sienna Mercer Page A

Olivia answered perkily.
    “It’s
me,” Ivy said.
    “Ivy!
You’re home!” Olivia squealed excitedly. “I tried you like fifteen minutes ago!
How was it?”
    “It
was—” Ivy stopped. “It was perfect ,” she said at last. She heard Olivia
gasp as if she’d just opened a wonderful present.
    “I
knew it,” Olivia said softly.
    Ivy
was suddenly dying to tell her sister everything: where she and Brendan had
gone, what he’d said, how he’d smelled, and how he had looked at her when they’d
said good-bye. Instead she said, “Don’t try to change the subject, Olivia. I specifically told you to sit in that meeting and not say anything.”
    “I
know,” Olivia said sheepishly. “I’m sorry.”
    “And
not only did you not do that but you landed me the one job at which I’m
guaranteed to be a disaster!”
    “You
won’t be a disaster,” Olivia protested.
    “Oh,
come on!” Ivy cried. “Ivy Vega, head of decorations? I don’t like pressure, I
don’t like people, and I don’t like decorating things.”
    “But
you have great taste,” her sister countered.
    “Olivia,
you don’t understand. This is the most important event of the whole year for”—she
just caught herself in time—“for our community.”
    “I’ll
help,” offered Olivia.
    “Thanks,
but I think I’ve had enough of your help,” Ivy said, rubbing her temples. “Besides,”
she added, “who says my dad will go for it?”
    “Sophia,”
Olivia answered matter-of-factly. “You never told me your dad’s an interior
designer. Everybody seemed to think it was right up his alley.”
    Ivy
groaned in frustration. It was true: her dad would be utterly delighted. He was
always trying to get her to be more involved in the community. “With a name
like Ivy,” he was always saying, “you should be getting out and about more.”
    “I’m
really sorry, Ivy. I completely understand why you’re upset. I never should
have signed you up for something like this. But Sophia says it’s cool to be
involved with the ball,” Olivia said.
    “It
is,” Ivy admitted. “But I can’t do it, Olivia. I just can’t.”
    “A few
hours ago you said you couldn’t go on a date with Brendan Daniels,” argued
Olivia, “and look how that turned out.”
    Ivy
was speechless. She was still trying to come up with a suitable comeback when
she heard her dad pick up the phone.
    “Pardon
me, Ivy,” he said politely, “but it is time for dinner.”
    “I’ll
be up in a minute, Dad,” Ivy answered softly. Her father hung up, and Ivy
sighed. She felt so tired. For a moment she said nothing. “Meet me at Meat
& Greet tomorrow at noon,” she said finally to her sister, “and I’ll let
you know what my dad said.”
    “Great!”
Olivia exclaimed on the other end of the phone. “So you’ll ask him?”
    “I’ll
see you tomorrow,” Ivy finished.
    Head
aching, Ivy hung up and stood to go to dinner. She walked to the bottom of the
stairs like a zombie. Then, suddenly, she imagined Brendan standing on the
landing above her, wearing a dashing tuxedo and lounging against the banisters
as he waited for her. He looked gorgeous, his dark curls framing his high
cheekbones and strong jaw as he glanced around, clearly admiring the
decorations. His gaze finally came to rest on Ivy, an adoring look in his eyes.
    Ivy
shook the thought from her mind, but she couldn’t shake the smile that had
crept onto her face. She skipped up the stairs to talk to her dad.
    “This
place does quite a business,” Olivia’s father said as Olivia climbed out of the
car in front of the Meat & Greet Diner.
    Apparently,
the Meat & Greet was even more popular for weekend brunch than it was for
burgers after school. The line was out the door. Olivia waved good-bye to her
dad and squeezed inside to see if her sister had already arrived.
    Sure
enough, Ivy was sitting at her usual table tucked in the back.
    Olivia
bounded over. “Hey!” she cried.
    Ivy
responded with a serious-sounding,